Making Kombucha: Part 1 - Fermentation

I love kombucha but between moving and so many changes, I haven’t made it in about a year. And, because we live in a small farmhouse where space is at a premium, I also no longer had a mother or kombucha brewing equipment. So, I went on Amazon and purchased a new starter kit. When I brewed kombucha before I used a kit from The Kombucha Shop but this time I decided to try a different one just to see the difference and went with a kit from Humble Bumble.

For those that don't know, and according to the Humble Bumble starter kit, "Kombucha is a fizzy, slightly sweet and tart fermented tea that has been around for a LONG time...Kombucha has long been enjoyed for its many health benefits and bold delicious taste. Every glass is packed with probiotics, acids, enzymes and all kinds of vitamins and minerals which help maintain a healthy and happy tummy!"

The Humble Bubble kit is super cute, check out its branding. Who can resist a cute bumble bee logo?!?

The brewing process was basically the same as the kit from The Kombucha Shop but there were some subtle differences:

• The Humble Bumble kit makes a smaller brew but that is not necessarily a bad thing because sometimes it takes a little while to drink it.

• The Humble Bumble kit says to let it ferment for up to 14 days. In comparison the kit from The Kombucha Shop says 21 days.

We will see the difference in the taste as I really did like the taste of the kombucha at 21 days. But, maybe because it is a smaller brew it doesn’t require as much fermentation time.

Here are the steps of the brewing process:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Then, remove from heat.

2. Let the water sit for 2 minutes and then add the tea.

3. Let the tea steep for 15 minutes. Then, remove the tea.

4. Stir in the sugar until dissolved.

5. Add 9 cups of cool filtered water to the brew jar

6. Add the brewed tea to the brew jar

7. Let the liquid in the brew jar cool to room temperature

8. Add the mother and tea starter to the brew jar

9. Cover the opening of the jar with the provided cloth and secure with an elastic

10. Wait 7 days and give the liquid a taste to see if you like the sweetness. If not, let it ferment for another 7 days.