Anna Jones - The Modern Cook’s Year

The tea

You can use black or green tea but I prefer the flavour of my kombucha when it’s made with green and it will be lower in caffeine. Flavoured and herbal teas don’t work, as I discovered when I tried to make a batch with Earl Grey; it’s best to add any flavours after brewing. The caffeine in kombucha contains only about a third of that in brewed tea.

The sugar

The scoby and the fermentation are fed with sugar. It may seem like you are adding a lot of sugar but during the brewing process it will turn from a very sweet tea into something far less so.

The alcohol

Whilst your kombucha is brewing, it will contain a very small amount of alcohol, about 0.5 per cent. It’s all part of the fermentation process, but it’s something to bear in mind if people are sensitive to alcohol and I certainly wouldn’t give kombucha to children.

The equipment

— 1 large or a couple of smaller teapots or jugs to brew your tea

— 1 × 5- or 6-litre jar or kombucha crock (mine has a tap at the bottom)

— a clean piece of tea towel or muslin to cover

— a piece of string or a rubber band

— a funnel

— 4 × 1-litre bottles to store your finished kombucha

The ingredients

— 1 scoby

— 500ml pre-made kombucha tea (shop-bought or from your last batch)

— 250g sugar (I use golden caster sugar)

— 4 litres filtered or boiled water

— 2 heaped tablespoons green or black tea

The method

First brew your tea. Bring your 4 litres of pre-boiled or filtered water to the boil and pour it over the tea leaves of your choice; I do this in a couple of teapots and measuring jugs. Let it steep for 20–30 minutes, so it’s good and strong.

Add the sugar, stir to dissolve then allow the tea to cool. This step is important as the scoby will die if it’s too hot.

Remove any metal jewellery and from this point on don’t use any metal sieves or spoons as they react with the scoby. Get the jar or crock you are using for the brewing and pour in the pre-made kombucha. Add the cooled tea, then carefully place the scoby on top of the mixture. Cover the jar with a piece of fabric and secure it with string or a rubber band. Some kitchen paper would also work; you just want air to be able to pass into the jar. Place the kombucha container in a place where it will not be disturbed, out of direct sunlight. I leave mine on my work surface where I can keep an eye on it.

The fermentation can take anything from 7–14 days, depending on the heat of the room, the scoby and how you like your kombucha. The longer you leave it the more acidic it will become. During the brewing process it’s normal to see things happening in the brew: the scoby moving, bubbles of air. After a few days the surface of the tea will start to look opaque, this is your new scoby forming and a very good sign.

How long to brew?

After it’s been brewing for about a week I start to taste mine every day (remembering to use a non-metal spoon). If you like a sweeter drink you may want to bottle yours now, if you like things more tart perhaps wait a full 14 days.

Once your kombucha tastes good to you, you can bottle it. Lift the scoby into a bowl or rimmed plate (remembering to keep any metal away). Divide your kombucha between the 1-litre bottles (a funnel is useful here), saving 500ml for your next batch. Once the kombucha is bottled you can start from the beginning on your next batch.

Once bottled you have a few options:

— Store it in the fridge and drink it as it is (it keeps for several months).

— Flavour your kombucha. I find the best way to do this is using freshly-squeezed or juiced fruits (I’ve found sweeter ones, such as strawberry, mango, peach, plum, pear, guava and watermelon, work best). You’ll need about 600ml so about 150ml per bottle, but you can adjust this to your own taste based on the sweetness of the fruit. Sometimes I add spices too: for each bottle I add a teaspoon of grated fresh turmeric or ginger, some bashed cardamom seeds, a few rose petals, or even fennel seeds. Now you can either put this straight into the fridge or do a second fermentation.

— Ferment it a second time in the bottle to make it bubbly. I always do this as I love the Champagne-like bubbles. Seal the bottles and keep them on the work surface. It’s really important to open the bottles every day to let the air out so the tops don’t pop off (this is called burping). At the same time I taste for fizziness and when it’s nicely bubbly (usually 2–3 days) I put the lot into the fridge to store.

Taking time off

You might want to take a break from brewing. To pause the process, take the scoby out of the jar, separate the new scoby (the baby) from the original one (the mother) and put them into separate glass jars with enough of your brewed kombucha to cover. Place in the fridge and seal, remembering that nothing can come into contact with metal. They will keep like this in the fridge for a few months at least. When you are ready to brew again bring the scoby to room temperature and start the process above, adding all the liquid you stored the scoby in too. If you are organised you can plan your second fermentation to finish on the day you go away.

Basic dos and don’ts

— Ideally use filtered but at the very least boiled water to brew.

— Avoid using any metal during the brewing process; take any rings off when you handle the scoby.

— Use real sugar. Honey and other natural sweeteners don’t work as well; I’ve tried.

— Use green or black tea; I use loose-leaf organic. Flavoured and herbal teas don’t work.

— Wash your hands before handling the scoby, being sure to wash off any soap residues.

— I wash my equipment every couple of brews using hot water and vinegar (not soap).

— Make sure the brew is covered at all times, to prevent flies getting in.

— If you see mould or anything unsavoury on the scoby, discard everything and start again.

— While I brew with green tea the most, every 5 brews or so I use black tea as it helps the scoby stay healthy; I don’t understand why but it works.

— If I have a bad batch I brew the next batch a little sweeter and use black tea; it usually solves the problem.

— As you brew each batch a new scoby will form on the top of your kombucha; this means it’s a good healthy brew and it’s a good sign. When you go to make another batch you can separate the old scoby (the mother) and the new one (the baby) and make an additional batch. Give the old scoby away or keep it in the fridge; I tend to separate my scobys every few batches. If you have too many to find a use for they can be composted.

Resources

There are some amazing expert resources online; you can get very specific answers to any kombucha problem in great detail. My favourite is culturesforhealth.com.

Super chocolate tiffin bites

These little chocolate bites were born of two childhood obsessions: Terry’s Chocolate Orange bars and chocolate tiffin. I love both but the super-sweet versions I lapped up as a kid now make me a bit crazy, so I came up with these. I make them in batches and keep them on hand for that time of day when I need something sweet. Sure, they have a bit of sugar, but I find the nuts and seeds balance out the hit of sweetness. They are spiked with orange zest, salt and vanilla. I’m always a bit happier after one of these.

You can mix up the nuts and fruit you use here. I imagine any citrus zest, sweet spice or even a hit of chilli would work well. I use little silicone moulds which double up for freezing curry pastes, pestos and even baby food. You could also make this mixture into a bark if you prefer by just pouring the chocolate into a tray lined with baking paper and sprinkling over the toppings.