Metta Booch
Kombucha Recipe (Metta Booch)
After much experimentation, this is the kombucha recipe we can’t live without. Kombucha is a fermented food; it is packed
with probiotics – bubbly, lightly sweet, tangy and so satisfying.
Makes 1 quart
2 tsp green tea leaves 1 quart jar
just under 1 qt water strainer
1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar coffee filter
splash of existing kombucha rubber band
kombucha mother (scoby)
Wash hands. Make sure the jars are also clean; any soap residue or chlorinated water will affect the fermenting process.
Make the tea. First, measure the amount of water for the size of jar you will be using – leaving 2 inches of space at the top of the jar. Pour the water into a pot and bring to a boil.
Immediately take it off the heat (water loses oxygen if it boils too long), and add the tea. Cover and steep for 20 minutes or so.
Add the sugar to the quart jar. Once the tea has steeped, give a stir to let the leaves settle.
HELPFUL HINT: The scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), usually called a mother, is similar to a vinegar mother. Find a local kombucha-maker and ask to have a bit off their mother (note that every scoby is a different culture, so the kombucha may taste slightly different depending on your source).
Wash hands. Make sure the jars are also clean; any soap residue or chlorinated water will affect the fermenting process.
Make the tea. First, measure the amount of water for the size of jar you will be using – leaving 2 inches of space at the top of the jar. Pour the water into a pot and bring to a boil.
Immediately take it off the heat (water loses oxygen if it boils too long), and add the tea. Cover and steep for 20 minutes or so.
Add the sugar to the quart jar.
Once the tea has steeped, give a stir to let the leaves settle.
Then pour the hot tea through a strainer into the quart jar. Stir in both directions to dissolve the sugar.
Let it cool to about 100 degrees F. When it is cool, add a splash of previously made kombucha as an inoculant, and then place the scoby into the jar. Put a coffee filter over the top and secure it with a rubber band.
Place your kombucha-to-be in an even-temperature, warmish place where it may remain undisturbed.
Let it ferment for 8 days.
After 8 days, take the coffee filter off, remove the mother and put her in a jar with some kombucha to save in the fridge for next time.
Strain the rest of the booch into another quart jar and cap with a tight lid. Once again, make sure to leave about 2 inches from the top of the rim so that it can breathe. There will be some tea residue at the bottom of the original jar, so pour carefully in order to keep the sediment out of the liquid.
Let it sit for 2 more days before putting it in the fridge.
“I find it more interesting if it waits a little bit,” says Russell.
Keep refrigerated. Drink… enjoy!
HELPFUL HINT: Conduct your own experiments for sweet sources; due to honey’s antimicrobial properties, it may counter what is going on with the scoby, but we have used it successfully for a more mead-like flavor.
Maple and agave syrup are other options. For us, cane sugar was most cost-effective, and more importantly, our favorite tasting.
Mothers will grow to the size of whatever container you are using, so a wider mouth is ideal to make a big round disc. As they grow, they form new layers. The older ones at the bottom will begin to brown as they age and are less vital; peel them off after every 2nd or 3rd brewing.