Name: Basic kombucha
Ingredients: Makes 1.5 litres | Prep 4-10 days; 2 litres spring water; 3 black tea bags – or 1 tbsp tea leaves; 6 tbsp raw sugar; 1 kombucha scoby (see tip); 120ml kombucha starter liquid (from previous kombucha or see tip)

Kombucha - bottle and jar - to illustrate basic recipe by Caroline Hwang

Ingredients

Makes 1.5 litres | Prep 4-10 days

2 litres spring water
3 black tea bags – or 1 tbsp tea leaves
6 tbsp raw sugar
1 kombucha scoby (see tip)
120ml kombucha starter liquid (from previous kombucha or see tip)

Method

Bring half the water to a simmer in a pan. Add the tea and then steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain into a jar and add sugar; stir to dissolve. Add the remaining water and cool.
Add the remaining ingredients, cover with muslin and secure. Place out of direct sunlight and leave to ferment for 4-5 days.
Remove scoby and 120ml kombucha and set aside to reuse or rest. Pour the remaining kombucha into a 2 litre bottle with a tight-fitting lid.
Second fermentation: leave kombucha at room temperature for 4-5 days to build carbonation. ‘Burp’ every 2 days.

TIP: You will need a scoby to be able to start kombucha for the first time, which you would normally get from a previous ferment. However, you can purchase a kombucha scoby online or you could try obtaining one from a fellow fermenting friend. When you purchase a scoby, it comes with starter tea. If you’re obtaining from a friend, you should ask for 120ml starter tea, which the baby scoby will rest in.