BUY KOMBUCHA SCOBY RECIPES

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add sugar, and stir until sugar completely dissolves. Turn off heat. Add tea bags, and allow mixture to come to room temperature (add ice to speed this process if you're in a hurry). Pour kombucha into a 1-gallon-sized jar. Add room-temperature tea; do not add hot tea, as it will kill the good bacteria. Add cool water to fill jar to the top, just where the mouth starts to narrow. Cover jar with two coffee filters or a double layer of paper towels, and secure with a rubber band. Place jar in a place, at room temperature, where it won't get jostled and it's out of direct sunlight; it does not need to go in a dark place, just out of direct sun. It will probably take 2 to 4 weeks for your SCOBY to form. You can lift the covering to see what's happening—just try not to slosh the liquid at all. At first, nothing will happen; then, after a few days, you'll see some bubbles forming on the surface. Then you'll see more and more bubbles, and maybe a thin, clear jellyfish-looking blob on the surface. Once the blob covers the surface, is opaque, and is roughly ¼-inch thick, you have a viable SCOBY.

Steps:

• Bring 3 C of water to a boil. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Toss in the tea bags.
• Add the additional water (9 C) and allow the mixture to cool. Remove the tea bags and pour the sweetened tea into a clean glass jar.
• Add the 2 C of previous brew kombucha (or use vinegar) and add the kombucha SCOBY. Cover with a cheesecloth and rubberband.*
• Cover the jar with cloth, secure with a rubber band and place in a warm spot. The time it needs to brew may vary greatly - anywhere from 7-10 days should be sufficient (at a temp of 75 degrees). Winter batches may take a little longer. You can taste your brew by taking out a little bit with a clean straw or spoon.
• Once the brew has reached the perfect taste, bottle for a second ferment. Remove the SCOBY and set aside in a large bowl - taking care to cover for the time being. Remove 2 C. of kombucha and save for a future batch. To the remaining kombucha, add the dry hops (.25 oz). Place the plastic lid on the gallon kombucha jar and set to the rear of the counter away from sunlight in a warm place.
• Allow the hops to infuse that second brew for 2 days, give it a shake a few times each day. The hops should float on the top and sort of expand.
• After 2 days and with clean hands, remove the hops and discard. Strain the hops kombucha using a fine mesh strainer and funnel into your swing top bottles, filling 3/4 full. Continue with the remaining kombucha until you have 5-6 bottles. Optional: before sealing, feel free to add a small 2" strip of fresh orange peel. Close up the bottle and leave them out on the counter at room temperature for 3-4 days. This will help increase the carbonation.
• Place in the refrigerator and consume at your leisure.**