Black tea kombucha

Homemade black tea kombucha fermented with starter culture, with a second bottling stage for carbonation and cold storage.
drink
fermented
sweet
vegan
vegetarian

Yield: 8 8 bottles of 0,250 cL

Ingredients
Servings
8
Measurement units

For 8 bottles (2 litres)

  • 1.75 litresnatural mineral water
  • 12 grsDarjeeling Earl Grey black tea (7 bags if no loose leaf)
  • 140 grswhite sugar
  • 250 mlkombucha starter (artisan, unpasteurised)

Carbonation syrup (optional)

  • 3 cullerades sopereswhite sugar
  • 100 mlnatural mineral water
Nutritional Information

Per serving

Calculated for 8 servings

Calories
77 kcal
Protein
0 g
Fat
0 g
Carbohydrates
19.2 g

Calculated from reviewed ingredient weights and pinned USDA FoodData Central records.

Step-by-step Guide

Preparing the tea and fermenter

  1. Sterilize the glass jar that you will use as a fermenter.
  2. Weigh the sugar and set it aside.
  3. Heat the water until it reaches 95 ºC, with the spoon you will use for stirring inside.
  4. Remove the water from the heat, add the tea, and stir.
  5. Let the tea steep for 8 minutes.
  6. Add the sugar and stir until incorporated.
  7. Remove the tea bags or strain the infusion.
  8. Allow the infusion to cool until it reaches room temperature.
  9. If necessary, speed up cooling with a cold-water bain-marie and cover the container so that no water gets in.

Fermentation

  1. When the infusion is at room temperature, place the starter culture in the fermenter and then pour in the tea.
  2. Do not fill the fermenter all the way to the top.
  3. Cover the fermenter jar with a paper towel and secure it with a rubber band.
  4. Let the fermenter rest in a dark place at room temperature, ideally between 20 ºC and 25 ºC.
  5. Make sure the temperature does not exceed 30 ºC.
  6. Let the kombucha ferment for about 10-14 days.
  7. Starting on the tenth day, taste the kombucha with a sterilized spoon.
  8. When it has the desired flavor, move on to the carbonation stage.

Carbonation and bottling

  1. Have a funnel and the previously sterilized bottles ready.
  2. Prepare a syrup with 3 tablespoons of white sugar and 100 ml of natural mineral water.
  3. Bring the water and sugar to a boil until it starts boiling.
  4. Take this opportunity to also sterilize a tablespoon.
  5. Let the syrup cool until it reaches room temperature.
  6. Carefully remove the yeast disc (SCOBY) or the yeast that has formed on the surface of the fermenter.
  7. Pour the syrup into the fermenter and let it rest for a while so that the sediment settles.
  8. Fill the bottles using the funnel and leave two finger widths of empty space at the neck of each bottle.
  9. Let the bottles rest for 3 days at room temperature.
  10. Then put them all in the refrigerator to slow their development.
  11. Consume the kombucha 15-20 days after bottling.

Storing the SCOBY disc

  1. If a SCOBY disc has formed on the surface of the fermenter, transfer it to a sterilized glass jar with 300 ml of the same tea that has fermented.
  2. Cover the jar and store it in the refrigerator.
Recommendations & Tricks
  • More fermentation time means a more acidic and less sweet result.
  • Less fermentation time means a sweeter and less acidic result.
  • According to FERMENTSBCN, it should not be carbonated with additional sugar; it should be tasted regularly and, when it has the desired acidity but is still slightly sweet, it should be bottled and allowed to carbonate a little with the residual sugar, without adding additional sugar.
Original recipe
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    Black tea kombucha | The Catalan Table