Some people will say that you’re crazy to brew a kombucha without tea. Kombucha is literally fermented tea! But rest assured, you can brew this Concord Grape Kombucha and be considered, not only sane, but a kombucha genius.
Why’s that? Because this kombucha is so good and so unique from just about any kombucha you’ve tasted. It has some of the best grape flavor you can imagine. We look forward to concord grape season every year so that we can make a few batches of this and share it with friends.
So first off, there’s no tea in this recipe. For that reason, you shouldn’t make this as your first batch because you’ll need kombucha starter and a healthy SCOBY that already has a few batches of kombucha under its belt.
If you’re looking for a recipe to make your first batch of kombucha. Try this Green Tea Kombucha Recipe or this Black Tea Kombucha Recipe.
Don’t get us wrong. Tea is absolutely necessary to make kombucha, but a healthy SCOBY can successfully make a few batches without it. Since tea isn’t replenishing the SCOBY during this tea-less brewing process, consider your SCOBY somewhat stressed. But like with a lot of foods and vegetables and homegrown herbs, a little stress (within reason) can bring out the best flavors.
We recommend brewing this alongside a concurrent batch of kombucha using one of your extra SCOBYs. Don’t just switch your only kombucha to concord grapes and expect to go back to a simple green tea recipe. You might only get one or two batches out of your grape SCOBY, but it’s well worth it. And if you’re already making kombucha, chances are that you have some SCOBYs to spare.
Ingredients
- 1 quart concord grapes, stems removed
- 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 concord grapes and allow to burst while it cools.
Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to half gallon fermentation jar (grapes and all) and top with cool water. Add kombucha starter. Place SCOBY in jar, cover with cloth, and secure. Let it ferment for 5-7 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 (leaving the grapes behind) to a clean jar. If you want to get started on another batch of concord grape 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!
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