Making your own kombucha at home is easy and fun, and black tea kombucha is a great recipe to try if you're just starting out. The process is simpler than you might expect. Begin by brewing a batch of black tea with sugar, and let the tea steep while it cools. Once the tea is at room temperature, you'll top with water, add a SCOBY, cover it up, and let it ferment for 7-10 days.
Recipe: Black Tea Kombucha
What is a SCOBY?
A SCOBY (which stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) is the living culture that transforms sugary tea into delicious probiotic-rich kombucha during fermentation. Our Kombucha Making Kit comes with a fully hydrated SCOBY that's in starter liquid, so it's ready to use right away (as opposed to a dehydrated SCOBY). And the best part is that your SCOBY can be used over and over again to make endless batches of kombucha.
How does black tea kombucha taste?
Black tea is known for its strong bold flavor, and some of that will carry over into your black tea kombucha. The finished product will maintain a bit of that robust, fragrant flavor, paired with the slightly sour tang of kombucha. It's a tasty combination. It’s also the perfect base for adding fruits, spices, and other flavors you might want to try.
Once you start making kombucha, there are endless opportunities for customization and experimentation. For tons of recipes, inspiration, and helpful tips, definitely check out our book, The FarmSteady Guide to Kombucha.
Ingredients
- 4 bags black tea
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup kombucha starter
- 1 SCOBY
- water
Directions
Bring one quart of water to a boil. Remove from heat, add sugar. and stir until dissolved. Add black tea and allow to steep while it cools.
Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to half gallon fermentation jar and top with cool water. Add kombucha starter. Place SCOBY in jar, cover with cloth, and secure. Let it ferment for 7-10 days out of direct sunlight. Note: your SCOBY may not float but will create a new SCOBY layer at the surface over the course of fermentation. We also find that a new SCOBY takes closer to 10 days to ferment.
When your kombucha has reached your desired levels of tartness it’s ready to drink. Remove SCOBY from kombucha, then transfer liquid to a clean jar. If you want to get started on another batch of kombucha, reserve 1/2 cup kombucha (this will be your starter) and the SCOBY and repeat.
Your kombucha is ready to drink! We drink most of our kombucha straight, over ice. But if you prefer it fizzy you need to bottle your kombucha.
To carbonate: bottle your kombucha (we like swing-top bottles), and allow to sit for 1-2 more days at room temperature before opening and drinking. Enjoy!
Equipment
- Kombucha Kit
3.4 · 66 ratings
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4 comments
@Judie Legg So glad you like this! You can pick up a Kombucha Making Kit right here: https://farmsteady.com/products/kombucha-making-kit
FarmSteady
I loved this, wish you could tell us how much the starter kit is. where to get it from?
Judie Legg
I love your simplicity thank you so much
Elena
Sounds great
JoAnn Kopchick