Ginger-lemon Kombucha

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Ingredients (Primary Fermentation):

5 Jasmine Tea Bags (or about 5 tsp Loose Leaf Tea

¾ cups Sugar

1 Kombucha Scoby

½ cup of previous batch of komucha tea

1.    Pour boiling water over teabags in a large teapot (make 4-6 cups of tea).

2.    When tea has steeped (preferably about 20 minutes), stir in sugar until dissolved.

3.    Allow tea to cool to room temperature.  Remove tea bags or pour tea through a sieve to remove leaves.

4.    Place tea in ½ gallon jar.  Place scoby in the tea (it’s okay if it sinks, it will typically float up in a couple of days).  Add the ½ cup of the previous batch of kombucha tea to the jar (this helps get the culture going more quickly).  Top up with room temperature filtered water until just before the jar narrows at the top.

5.    Cover with cheese cloth, muslin or paper towel held on with a rubber band.

6.    Allow to ferment for 14-17 days.

Ingredients (Secondary Fermentation):

½ lb Fresh Ginger (this makes enough ginger juice for 12-16 bottles)

2 lemons

1.    Cut ginger up into 1” chunks (you don’t need to peel it) and place in your blender.  Fill with water until the ginger is just covered (about 1½-2 cups water).  Blend on high for 3-4 minutes.  Filter ginger pulp by straining through a metal strainer.  This ginger juice can be frozen in ice cube trays for future batches of kombucha (also lovely to add to hot water for ginger tea).

2.    Juice lemons.

3.    Prepare three 16oz bottles or mason jars each with 1½-2 Tbsp of ginger juice and 1½-2 Tbsp of lemon juice.

4.    Remove the kombucha scoby from the jar with clean hands (place into a new ½ gallon jar of sweetened tea that is ready to go for the next batch, remembering to reserve ½ cup of this batch of kombucha to add to the new batch).

5.    Stir the tea with a wooden spoon (this gets all the dead yeast that sinks to the bottom back into the tea, which is very nutritious).  Pour into prepared bottles (I find it easier to pour into a large measuring cup and then use the measuring cup to pour into the bottles).

6.    Tighten the caps on the bottles and allow to ferment for 3-5 days.  Place in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy! 

7.    Finish up your new culture as per the Primary Fermentation directions above.