Baby Scoby Delivered via Sparrows

Sunday 24 February

Wow this is a proud moment for us scoby parents! When our little boy (not so little anymore) is able to produce offspring strong enough to be given away curtesy of the sparrow delivery network (cranes deliver human babies, the much smaller sparrow delivers baby scobies).

To our new scoby parents, please find below a set of instructions in how to care for him/her, follow these steps to the letter will ensure the production of a kombucha brew, to rival  a store-bought beverage! And review some of our previous Kombucha posts, to avoid any pit-falls we have encountered along the way.

Materials:

Kombucha culture (SCOBY and starter liquid)

1L water, boiled (or more for larger batches)

5g (2 teaspoon) Green or Oolong tea (or equivalent in tea bags)

50g (half cup) raw sugar per litre of water

Pot, saucepan or large bowl (1L capacity or more)

Sieve/fine strainer

Clean Glass or Porcelain jar or jug (1L capacity or more), and a rubber band that can fit its neck

Breathable (linen/cotton/gauze) fabric

Bottle and caps (perhaps keep and wash some after you’ve finished drinking your store-bought Kombuchas)

Preparation:

Step 1: Boil water.

Step 2: Infuse tea for 15 minutes (in your pot or large bowl).

Step 3: Strain the tea leaves or remove the tea bags.

Step 4: Add sugar to hot tea and stir to dissolve.

Step 5: Allow tea to cool to a luke warm temperature (no hotter than 35 degrees Celsius).

Step 6: Test the tea – your culture will die if the tea is too hot (boiling water onto the inside of your elbow as a test…. Jks Jks).

Step 7: Add Kombucha starter liquid and SCOBY (you can later give it a name if you like) to the fermentation jar.

Step 8: Pour cooled tea into the fermentation jar.

Step 9: Cover the jar with the fermentation cloth and secure with rubber band. The weave should be close enough to keep out any pollutants/bugs you don’t want to ingest, but porous enough to enable air to circulate.

Step 10: Allow to ferment for 8 – 12 days in an area where it will not be disturbed, away from bright sunlight.

**Note: A shorter fermenting time will produce a sweeter Kombucha brew, a longer duration will make a more acidic brew. When it’s hotter temperature-wise, fermentation will also occur faster.

Step 11: When the tea has attained the right acidity to taste, carefully pour the liquid into bottles (a funnel will be helpful here). Fill to the brim and twist lids on tightly.

**Important Note: Make sure you reserve enough liquid (10%) to use as a starter for your next batch.

Step 12: Prepare a new batch of tea (repeats steps 1-6) and add to the fermentation jar to start the process again.

Step 13: Ideally the drink should be allowed to mature for at least 5 days after bottling (this produces the effervescence).

Step 14: Place in fridge for at least 2 hours before drinking. Enjoy!

***Above preparation method adapted from The Good Brew Company goodbrew.com.au***