Kombucha, a fermented tea beverage with a long history, has steadily increased in popularity globally over the past few decades. Here is some information about how to make a SCOBY for kombucha, a crucial ingredient for kombucha brewing.
1cupraw kombuchafrom the bottom of a bottle with 'floaties' (preferably unflavored)
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Instructions
Add ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon loose leaf black tea to a large cup or jar.
Pour in 2 cups of hot water and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Let the mixture stand to brew into a strong black tea while it cools.
Get the jar in which you are going to grow the scoby ready by cleaning it well.
Line a small strainer with cheesecloth or paper towel and place it over the jar. Slowly pour the cooled strong tea into the jar while straining out the tea leaves.
Stir in 1 cup of raw kombucha. You want some from the bottom of a bottle of store-bought kombucha with some of the 'fuzzies' that have settled there.
Now cover the jar with a paper towel and secure it with a rubber band. Let the jar sit undisturbed in a cool, dry place in your kitchen for 2-4 weeks. A cupboard or pantry shelf works well.
At first you will notice a small clear film forming over the top of the liquid. Over time this film will turn opaque and grow thicker into a jelly-like scoby.
When your scoby is at least ¼ inch thick, you can use it to start brewing your own kombucha.
The scoby will continuously keep growing while you use it for making kombucha. It will spread to fill out the surface of your kombucha brewing container. And it will also keep growing thicker with always new layers.
The bigger the scoby, the faster the brewing process. So at some point you may want to start trimming down on your scoby, either by peeling off layers or even cutting it. You can share baby scoby with your friends who want to start making kombucha, or save them in a 'scoby hotel' in your pantry (just in case something ever goes wrong with your main scoby), or simply discard it.
Keyword grow scoby, How to make a scoby, Kombucha Scoby, Scoby
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