It was important to me to have these recipes be easy and simple to make at home, with no fancy equipment or complicated procedures. I also kept the yield sizes small for this reason, but you should feel free to double and triple recipes.
There is nothing out of the ordinary in the following equipment list; there are no fancy, hard-to-find items or giant contraptions that will take over your kitchen. I have purposely kept it small scale to show how easily fermented beverages can be incorporated into your kitchen and your life.
You will need at least one glass or ceramic bowl to make any of the ferments. I find that I use a 4-cup (946-ml) capacity one the most for the batches of kombucha or kefir that I make.
I have a thing with collecting jars. I love to keep everything in them: nuts, grains, smoothies, and, of course, ferments! They come in all different shapes and sizes that you can use for brewing and storing. Although it’s super convenient, please don’t use plastic bottles or buckets for fermenting your beverages. They will leach chemicals into your brew, which you will then consume. There are some plastics that claim to be safe and free of dangerous chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol A, but for a material that is going to have an acidic drink inside it for a length of time, I just don’t trust plastic. Stick to glass if you can. Metal of any kind is also a no-no. The acids will corrode the metal, which again ends up in your drink. Household stainless steel is also not ideal, as it only has a very thin coating and will corrode if it becomes scratched.
Most useful for kefir, this will also hold your little baby cauliflowers while you prepare their new home. Don’t use a metal one, which may react with your brew; instead, use plastic.
My regular fine-mesh strainer is quite small, so I also have on hand a regular strainer, which I use mostly to strain out the fruits, herbs, or other flavorings from the second ferment of the beverage. But if you happen to have a larger fine-mesh strainer, that’s really the only one you need.
A definite must! I have used these measures in as many recipes as possible so that you don’t continually have to use the scales for everything.
You will be able to find this at any kitchenware store or online. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just with a tight enough weave to keep out any insects.
A plastic funnel, although not absolutely essential, will save you a lot of unnecessary frustration, product loss, and sticky countertops.
You will need some bottles for your finished products. I love the 1-liter bottles with the Grolsch-style swing-top caps. They keep your ferment airtight so that you will get a nice carbonation happening, and they look gorgeous for serving! You can find them at beer or wine supply shops or large housewares stores like Ikea. However, you can use anything you like. Again, I advocate glass bottles, with the caveat to just be sure to keep checking the pressure to prevent over-carbonation.
Very useful! You think you will remember what’s in that bottle, but it is so handy to have the date and ingredients clearly accessible.
I have split these frequently asked questions into sections on kombucha, kefir, and water kefir, but I hope you also will be able to find the answers to any questions you have relating to other ferments in this section.
In a perfect world, you would have a generous fermenting friend who would share with you. However, if you are the pioneering fermenter in your group, there are other options, with online being the best resource. You can find anything online these days. There are some wonderful databases compiled of people in all different parts of the world willing to share their SCOBYs and grains with everyone, sometimes for free. A good Google search should set you in the right direction, but here are some suggestions.
Worldwide: The Kombucha Exchange: www.kombu.de; eBay: there are some wonderful sellers of SCOBYs and grains that you can find close to where you live.
USA and Canada: Cultures for Health: www.culturesforhealth.com.
Australia: Pink Farm: www.facebook.com/ourpinkfarm; the Weston A. Price Foundation (www.westonaprice.org) has a chapter in most parts of America and throughout many other countries. Check with the chapter leader in your area as to who has SCOBYs and grains to pass on.
Mold can sometimes form on the surface of your SCOBY if you have slipped up somewhere along the line in keeping things clean. It will appear in small spots that are furry looking and either blue, green, or black. It looks like the mold that occurs on bread. If this happens to your SCOBY, unfortunately you have lost it. It is best to throw it out, or pop it on your compost pile, and start again.
If your SCOBY has stringy pieces of brown material that look like connective tissue hanging from it, believe it or not, this is good! These are strands of yeast. They can also hang out in little blobs. It’s all good. SCOBYs have quite a personality. I often find myself talking to them when I check on their progress. I’m sure this helps! A SCOBY with hanging pieces of yeast everywhere and raised globs is a happy SCOBY. It may also develop bumps, holes, or jelly-like patches, and this is all fine. You don’t want it to be perfectly plain and clean with no discoloration, as this is likely to mean it is inactive and therefore won’t ferment the tea. The strains of yeast may also be seen moonlighting in the liquid, just floating around where they please. Or there may be a little party of them forming as sediment at the bottom of the jar. These are all normal by-products of the fermentation process.
Great! Don’t touch it. After you add your SCOBY to your tea, move the jar to your chosen fermenting spot and leave it there undisturbed. This haze or almost oily-looking film on the surface is the beginning of the new mother. It usually begins to form around a couple of days into the brewing process, depending on the temperature of your home. If you move your jar and shake around the water, this process is disturbed and it will take longer to form again. Keep the jar as still as possible while your new SCOBY is growing.
The SCOBY may move around during the fermentation process. I find this so endearing, like a cat moving around in its basket to find the perfect comfortable position. Your SCOBY may float near the top, middle, or bottom, and it may move several times. It may be horizontal or vertical. If it does end up near the top, it may fuse with the newly forming mother. After fermentation has finished, you can separate the two by gently tearing them apart, or just use the newly fused supersize SCOBY for your next batch.
There are three main signs to look for in a successful kombucha.
First is the formation of a new mother on the surface of the liquid. Second is the development of yeast particles and stringy structures. And third, the liquid should taste slightly vinegary and less sweet than what you started with.
If none of this is happening, your mother may no longer be viable. The initial liquid may have been too warm when you added the SCOBY, which killed it, chlorinated water may be a problem, or perhaps it is too cold. Kombucha prefers a temperature of 75° to 85°F (24° to 30°C) for fermenting. You can purchase fancy kombucha-warming mats, or you can just wait patiently, as it will ferment eventually as long as the mother is viable. Back in the days when people would traditionally ferment kombucha, it was often in cold European conditions, so you may just need to be patient, as it will take a very long time—maybe up to a few months. As long as there is no mold, you’re fine.
Something else to note is that cigarette smoke will damage the SCOBY, as will consistent smoke from an open fire, such as from a fireplace.
The level of acidity in your tea is important. That is what keeps the tea safe from mold and potential invading bacteria until the SCOBY produces enough acid of its own. The level of acidity can vary, and it depends on the sorts of tea and sugar you use, and also the health of your SCOBY. To maintain the perfect environment for your SCOBY, the kombucha should start with a pH lower than 4.6, and finish somewhere between 2.5 and 4.0.
The pH (potential hydrogen) is a measure for acidity. You may have heard of it in reference to the body, or in respect to gardening and soil composition. In this case, we are applying it to beverages. If you are interested in knowing the exact pH of your brew, you can purchase inexpensive pH testing strips from the local pharmacy. It really isn’t necessary to test, though; as long as you have a slightly sour brew, you’re on the right track.
Kombucha is quite robust compared to kefir. When you want to have a break from brewing, or if you want to store your extra SCOBYs, you can put them into hibernation. Place them in a clean glass jar, cover with brewed, unflavored kombucha tea, pop a lid on the jar, and keep in the refrigerator until you’re ready to brew again. Walter Trupp of Trupps Cooking School in Melbourne, Australia (and fermenting aficionado), says he has kept his SCOBY this way for years and it has been fine.
Black tea is generally considered the best tea to use for kombucha brewing, but there are many others that you can use. The SCOBY uses not only the sugar to feed from, but also the tannins and polyphenols found in tea from the Camellia sinensis family. Green tea, white tea, and rooibos all work well. Pu-erh tea is a fermented Chinese variety of tea that is often recommended for use with kombucha. In pu-erh tea, the natural microbes living on the tea ferment the leaves. Yerba maté also makes a good substitute for black tea when making kombucha.
Herbal teas contain less (or sometimes none) of these properties of tannins or polyphenols. That is not to say that you cannot brew with herbal teas, but every couple of batches it is best to do a black tea brew to nourish the SCOBY again and keep it in optimal health. Alternatively, you can brew using part black tea and part herbal tea to help your SCOBY live to a ripe old age.
In terms of herbal teas, experimentation is the key. I recommend getting comfortable with brewing your kombucha first with the black tea and sugar combination. Once your confidence grows, along with your backup collection of SCOBYs, feel free to experiment with any tea you like. Keep in mind, though, that herbal teas containing volatile oils are thought to degrade and damage the SCOBY. Examples are peppermint, spearmint, rosemary, sage, and, to a lesser extent, chamomile. If you want to use these herbs with your brew, use them in the second fermentation so that you won’t damage your precious SCOBY. Also, any herbal teas used should be organic.
The caffeine that is left at the end of the fermentation process is very little. The fermentation process generally cuts the caffeine level by two-thirds. So, depending on what kind of tea you start with, you will have a different amount left. In his book The Art of Fermentation, Sandor Katz references a finished brew of black tea kombucha as containing 3.4 mg caffeine per 100 ml, which is far less than what is in a cup of black tea. In most people, this level of caffeine presents no problem. If, however, you have only to sniff a caramel macchiato and you’re up all night, here are some strategies for reducing the caffeine content of your kombucha.
An old trick for reducing the caffeine in your cup of tea is to plunge your tea bag into a cup of hot water for about 30 seconds, then remove the tea bag, tip out the liquid, and start again with the same tea bag and fresh water. This process removes about half the caffeine from your finished drink.
Or use a mix of Camellia sinesis teas in your brew. Use black tea to make up only one-third of your mix, and use green or white tea for the rest, both of which are naturally lower in caffeine.
Last, incorporate herbal teas such as rooibos, which is caffeine-free and makes a lovely brew. Be sure to treat your SCOBY to some pure black tea after a couple of batches, though.
The sugar in kombucha can put people off, but essentially it is there to feed your SCOBY, not to sweeten your drink. The website culturesforhealth.com says that there are 1 to 2 grams of sugar per 8 ounces (235 ml) of finished unflavored kombucha, which is a tiny amount.
Your kombucha should smell slightly vinegary at the end of the fermentation process. The longer you leave it, the more vinegary-smelling it will become. If you notice any unpleasant smells, then this is a sign that your SCOBY is not well. Cheesy odors, rancid aromas, and eau de dirty socks are not normal, and if you smell anything like this, you should throw it out and begin again.
One of my favorite things about kombucha—and there are many—is that you end up with a beautifully carbonated brew that is completely satisfying and refreshing. During the process of fermentation, the SCOBY forms a seal at the top of the jar, and the good bacteria and yeasts begin to consume the sugar in the tea, leaving the natural by-product of carbonation. If it is not bubbly, you may have let your kombucha brew for too long. Over-fermentation not only produces an extremely acidic, vinegary end product, but most of the good bacteria and yeasts will also die off, as they will have exhausted all their nourishment (the sugar).
To obtain a lovely, bubbly kombucha, don’t let your first ferment get overly sour—just keep tasting it to test. Once you are happy with it, transfer it to a separate airtight bottle for the second fermentation with your chosen fruit, juice, or other flavoring. The yeasts will come to life and feast on the new sugars in the fruit, and thus create further carbonation for you.
Kefir grains are the actual culture, whereas a kefir starter is a powdered product containing bacterial strains and whey powder. Kefir starter normally contains around seven or so different bacterial strains, whereas the kefir culture contains more than fifty. Kefir grains and starter can both be reused over time; however, the starter can be used only around five times before it becomes not viable.
Kefir starters can be useful for those just wanting to make the odd batch of kefir every now and then, as they are more convenient, but the kefir grains give a much better result in my experience—and are more fun!
You can give your kefir grains a little holiday in two ways. You can pop them into a small glass jar covered with a small amount of left-over brewed kefir and keep airtight in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can dehydrate the grains by rinsing them thoroughly in filtered water and place them on a piece of unbleached parchment or baking paper and dry at room temperature for three to five days or until completely dry. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for around six months.
To rehydrate the grains again, treat them as you would any fresh batch of kefir, however, they may take two brews to regain their vigor again.”
The milk will thicken to a drinking yogurt consistency and will taste more sour. It will also smell like a good-quality sour yogurt. You can adjust the sourness of your kefir by leaving it to ferment for a longer or shorter amount of time. If your kefir smells off, or tastes nasty, it is probably no good and you should not drink it.
Kefir can be an acquired taste. Although the taste varies depending on the length of fermentation, it does have a sour taste and is slightly effervescent. It is perfect for blending into smoothies or using in other recipes. A good idea if you are unsure may be to purchase some prepared kefir to taste-test it so that you will know what it is supposed to taste like, and whether you like it, before you invest the time into fermenting your own. Your homemade kefir will contain more good bacteria than store-bought varieties, and it is also much more cost-effective.
You can use cow’s, goat’s, sheep’s, or coconut milk. It is best to start off by culturing a few batches in cow’s milk first, and then have a go at experimenting with different milks. I also advise that you return your grains to a dairy milk brew every second or third batch, to keep them happy and healthy.
Long-life and ultra-pasteurized milks are not recommended.
If you can get a hold of some nonhomogenized milk, you will notice the top layer of kefir will be a little more yellow in color, as the cream rises to the top.
The website culturesforhealth.com says that if you are using raw milk, you will need to wean your kefir grains onto it gradually. Make sure your grains are happy and producing good kefir, and then add a little raw milk into your next batch, then a little more for the following batch, and so on, until you have them in 100 percent raw milk. This is to give the grains time to establish their own bacteria before having to compete with those found in the raw milk.
This happens if you leave your kefir to culture for a longer time. Give it a good shake to form a nice smooth consistency. If the result is too sour for you, ferment it for a shorter time frame next time. You can also try culturing your milk using a ratio of fewer grains to more milk to reduce the strength. It’s just a matter of playing around until you find something that suits you.
This can sometimes happen if you do not feed your water kefir regularly, as tibicos is a little moodier than the milk variety. If you don’t keep up the regular feeding, the grains can disintegrate in the sour ferment created due to the acidity. If this happens, unfortunately your tibicos are gone forever, and you will need to start again with new ones. You will know if your water kefir is not happy, as it will not ferment the sugar water, and the mix will stay sweet.
Water kefir is certainly moodier than milk kefir grains or kombucha, or any other ferment, really. They are sensitive in that you need to feed them frequently, and if you don’t, they will punish you by not fermenting your beverage. If your water kefir is not growing, this may be because you have left your grains for too long and they are literally starving! The upside to that is that the turnaround time of the finished brew is also much faster.
Your grains may also suffer from extreme temperatures. If they are not growing, they may not be viable anymore. They may, however, just not be growing but still be capable of producing good kefir. If this is the case, I like to romance them with a dried organic fig and a little molasses added into the normal sugar water to see if I can coax them to grow. If you are not sure whether they are still good, keep culturing your kefir, and if you get a product that smells off or rancid, they are no good. Throw it all out and find another lot of grains.
