Fermented tea, also known as kombucha or “Booch” as I like to call it, has been around for hundreds of years but has only started to gain popularity in Western culture in the past several years. Full of probiotics and antioxidants Booch is great for digestive health as well and the immune system.
Many people have a strong aversion to the taste of kombucha, and I’ll have to agree with them… but only IF we are talking about store bought Booch. Home-brewed fermented tea is SO much better than the commercially bottled version. It has a slightly apple-like taste and is slightly acidic and tart with natural carbonation. It’s wonderful.
Just trust me. Either find a friend to bum it from or find a local store that brews and sells their own. Or even just take a leap of faith and brew your own! It took me a while to perfect my own brewing technique but here it is. I hope you enjoy it!
Gooseberry Creek’s First Booch Brew
Supplies:
- The Big Book of Kombucha
- 2 Gallon Drink Dispenser
- A Metal Spigot
- Flour Sack Cloths
- Organic Black Tea
- Raw Sugar
- A Thermometer Strip
- Swing Top Glass Bottles
- White Vinegar (For Cleaning Supplies)
- A Large Stainless Steel Pot
- A Large Metal Spoon
- A Filter Water Pitcher
- Rubber Band
Ingredients:
- 28 c. Filtered Water-divided use
- 4 c. Raw Sugar
- 2 SCOBY-at least 1/4 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter
- 4 c. Starter Liquid
- 32 Black Tea Bags
Instructions for First Time Brewing:
- Clean all supplies and your hands with the white vinegar.
- Replace plastic dispenser spigot with your metal one.
- Place 1 flour sack cloth over the top of the drink dispenser to keep clean and keep out fruit flies.
- Stick Thermometer Strip to the outside of your 2 gallon dispenser.
- Place pot over medium heat, pour 14 c. of filtered water into your pot and place in the tea bags.
- Remove flour sack cloth, pour 14 c. refrigerated AND filtered water into the drink dispenser, replace flour sack cloth.
- When water comes to a boil, turn off burner and set a timer for 10 minutes of steeping time
- Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.
- After 10 minutes, remove all tea bags.
- Remove flour sack cloth from dispenser and pour in sweet tea mixture, replace the flour sack cloth.
- When the thermometer strip reads less than 100 degrees Farenheit, clean your hands with white vinegar again, remove the flour sack cloth and place your SCOBYs into your tea mixture.
- Pour starter fluid in over the top and replace flour sack cloth, fastening it with a rubber-band
- Place Dispenser in an area out of sunlight with good air flow
- In 5 days begin tasting your brew daily until it reaches your desired flavor.
- Wash bottles with white vinegar.
- Bottle brew for 2nd fermentation or fridge storage.
