How to Brew Kombucha

I have a love affair with kombucha. It’s the perfect amount of sweet, cool, refreshing and not hyper-carbonated like commercial soda pop.
The health benefits are great and I love the fact that I can sit on the front porch sipping my favorite beverage, knowing that it’s beneficial!
Before starting, make sure you have all the ingredients, the most important being a kombucha scoby (also known as a mushroom or mother). You can find them here: Kombucha scobies and starter kits
How to Brew Kombucha
Ingredients:
1 gallon water
4 bags of green or black tea (you can use between 4-10 tea bags per gallon, personal preference)
1 cup organic sugar*
1 kombucha scoby, with 1/2 cup – 1 cup kombucha liquid
1 Gallon Jar
Directions:
Bring water to boil, pour over tea bags in a gallon jar. Allow to steep and cool. Stir in sugar. When tea is completely cooled, add kombucha and scoby, gently placing it at the top on the jar. (It’s okay if it sinks.) Cover with cloth and set on the counter for desired amount of time. You can start taste testing the kombucha 5-7 days and repeat the process when it has reached the desired taste.
I enjoy mine fermented at 7 days, many prefer it at 2 weeks and some even at a month. The longer it sits the more vinegar taste there will be.
*I recommend using an organic sugar, as most sugars sold in stores has been made with GMO sugar beets.
Resources:
Kombucha scobies and starter kits
Points to remember:

• Do not use honey. Kombucha feeds on sugar and the antibacterial properties of honey may harm the scoby.
• Use filtered or well water. Avoid tap water that has chlorine or other chemicals in it.
• Make sure the tea is completely cool before adding the scoby, as heat kills the living organisms.

More FAQ answered:

• From Holistic Squid: Has My Scoby Gone Bad? And other Kombucha questions answered…
• From Food Renegade: Kombucha Questions & Answers and Kombucha Health Benefits
• From Whole Lifestyle Nutrition: How To Make Soda Kombucha And A Collection Of 50 Kombucha Recipes