Earlier this summer my SIL gave me a kombucha scoby and instructions on what to do with it. You guys, kombucha is the easiest call-forth-your-inner-hippie project I've undertaken. Here is the link that got me started. You'll need 3.5 quarts of tea, in which you have steeped 8 tea bags and dissolved a cup of sugar. When it's cooled, plop your scoby in, along with 2 cups of already-brewed kombucha to lower the pH and discourage the growth of mold or unfriendly bacteria. I bought a big glass jar with a spout at Target for something like $12, but I expect you could brew it in any old glass jar. For the initial fermentation, you'll want to cover the mouth of the jar with something like paper towels secured by a rubber band. You want it to be breathable, but you also want to keep the fruit flies at bay.
Leave it in a dim place where it can sit quietly for 6 days. Start tasting it then; it will get tarter as it continues to ferment. When you like the way it tastes, pour it into bottles, leaving a little headroom. Cap them and leave them at room temperature for a day or two; this will carbonate your kombucha. Store it in the fridge from here on out. Drink up, and imagine your microbiome high-kicking as it welcomes all those newcomers.
(Or maybe anthropomorphizing your intestinal bacteria is not your cup of tea. In that case, drink up and think of...England. Or whatever works for you.)
Joe is not persuaded that kombucha is really fit for human consumption.
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