Rehydrating the Kombucha Culture: 1. Combine approximately 2 to 3 cups of hot water and cup of sugar together in a jar.

. Mix until the sugar dissolves. The water should be hot enough to dissolve the sugar and steep the tea. 2. Place 1 teaspoons of loose tea or two tea bags in the sugar water and allow the tea to steep. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Remove all tea bags or loose tea after steeping. 3. Add cup vinegar to the mixture. Adding the vinegar is extremely important for maintaining the proper pH level and avoiding mold! We strongly recommend using white distilled vinegar for the most consistent pH level. Do not use raw or flavored vinegar. 4. Add the dehydrated starter culture to the solution. 5. Cover the jar with a towel, coffee filter, etc. and a tight rubber band (keep the fruit flies out!). Do not use an air-tight lid! 6. Allow the jar to sit undisturbed in a warm spot (70 to 85F) and out of direct sunlight for 30 days. During this time several things will happen: 1) The culture will rehydrate, looking somewhat thicker, and you may see dark spots or strings at the bottom of the jar or clinging to the kombucha culture. This yeast is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process. In this first batch, the culture will not become as thick as a mature culture. 2) The pH value will drop indicating the production of acids by the culture, and the brew will develop a rich, vinegary taste with possibly a bit of sweetness. The starting pH of the liquid should be between 2.5 and 4.6, and the pH of a finished batch of kombucha should be 4.0 or less. pH test strips can be purchased at most drug stores or on our site. 3) A new culture MAY begin to form as a cloudy haze on the surface of the liquid. The formation of a new culture is a byproduct of fermentation and not necessarily the end result. A new culture will not always form in the rehydration process, or even in the first batch or two. 7. During fermentation, kombucha cultures may sink, float, or stay in a vertical position. This does not affect the brewing process. 8. To determine whether your rehydration batch of kombucha is successful, look for a change in the appearance of the culture, a lower pH, a sharper, more vinegary taste than when it started, and POSSIBLY the formation of a new culture. If any of these have occurred, you can use or discard the batch that you've used to rehydrate the culture, and transfer the culture into a new cooled solution of sugared tea plus vinegar or some of the liquid from the first batch. This will become your next batch of kombucha. Before You Brew Your First Batch: Important Information The size of the kombucha culture does not affect the size of the batch you can brew. Small cultures are just as effective as large cultures. Kombucha should culture at 70 to 85F . Warmer temperatures will generally cause the kombucha to brew faster. Ambient temperatures up to 85F are acceptable. Cooler temperatures will slow the process down; fermentation will all but cease below 60F. If you want to brew a large batch of kombucha, use the entire initial quart of kombucha tea and the two cultures (if a new culture formed during the rehydration process) to make two jars of kombucha (halfgallon or gallon jars if desired). Different varieties of tea (Oolong vs. Green vs. English Breakfast, etc.) will produce different kombucha tastes. Green teas make a milder kombucha while English Breakfast makes a stronger tasting kombucha. We recommend Oolong for making a particularly tasty kombucha tea.

INSTRUCTIONS
Before You Begin: The kombucha culture you have received has been dehydrated. It is generally shelf stable but is sensitive to extreme heat. If possible, please store the culture in the refrigerator until you are ready to make your first batch of kombucha tea. NEVER ALLOW THE CULTURE TO TOUCH METAL! This includes measuring spoons/cups and stirring utensils. We recommend using glass jars for culturing kombucha (such as canning jars). Do not use plastic containers for brewing kombucha tea. Do not consume any kombucha that looks, smells, or tastes unpleasant.

Supplies: One jar (quart, half gallon, or gallon sized) with a lid for later A plastic or wood stirring utensil (Never use metal in contact with a kombucha culture!) A towel or paper coffee filter for covering the jar while brewing A rubber band One kombucha culture Loose tea or tea bags o Black tea is traditionally used but kombucha can be made successfully with green. Good teas for making kombucha include Oolong, English Breakfast, unflavored Ceylon, and unflavored varieties of green teas. Do not use teas containing oils; this includes Earl Grey, Orange Spice, and similar teas. If using herbal tea is desired, mix with black or green tea using a larger proportion of the black/green tea. Do not use herbal tea for rehydration or the first few batches of kombucha. Cane sugar: White sugar or evaporated cane juice work best. We do not recommend using rapadura or similar whole sugars. For rehydrating and the first batch, distilled white vinegar. Starter tea from a previous batch of kombucha for all subsequent batches Filtered water (non-chlorinated, fluoride-free)

Ingredient Ratios for Brewing Kombucha Tea: Container Size

Tea
1 t. loose tea or 2 tea bags 1 T. loose tea or 4 tea bags 2 T. loose tea or 8 tea bags

Sugar
1/4 c.

Water
2-3 c.

Vinegar/ Starter Tea

Half-gallon

c.

6-7 c.

1 c.

Gallon

1 c.

13-14 c.

2 c.

10. Before drinking, you may choose to strain the tea of yeast particles using a fine-mesh plastic strainer. 11. If you allow the tea to sit for a period of time before consuming, be aware that a new baby culture may begin to form (may appear as a clear gelatinous blob). This immature culture can be consumed or strained off and composted. If the tea sits for a long period, a full kombucha culture may form. This culture can be used to make future batches of kombucha or discarded. 12. If you need to take a break from making kombucha, please see our website for tips: culturesforhealth.com/kombucha. 13. If you are culturing multiple products (e.g., different varieties of yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, kombucha, etc.) be sure to keep a distance of at least several feet between cultures so they dont cross-contaminate each other. Also, do not culture kombucha within several feet of a garbage or compost container. Over time, cross-contamination will weaken the cultures.

Instructions for Brewing Kombucha Tea: 1. Place hot water and sugar together in a jar. Mix until the sugar dissolves. The water should be hot enough to steep the tea but does not have to be boiling. 2. Place the tea in the sugar water and allow the tea to steep. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. (This will likely take most of the day if you are making a gallon-size jar.) Remove all tea bags or loose tea after steeping. 3. Place the kombucha culture and the vinegar (first batch) or starter tea (subsequent batches) in the jar of fresh tea. 4. Cover the jar tightly (keep the fruit flies out!) but allow the mixture to breathe. A towel or paper coffee filter along with a thick rubber band work best for this. Do not use an air-tight lid! 5. Allow the jar to sit undisturbed and out of direct sunlight for at least 5 days. You may notice a stringy brown substance forming at the bottom of the jar and/or clinging to the kombucha culture. This yeast is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process and can be strained using a fine mesh plastic strainer prior to consuming the finished kombucha tea. 6. During fermentation, kombucha cultures may sink, float, or stay in a vertical position. This does not affect the brewing process. 7. You can start tasting the tea after 5 days although we recommend giving it at least 7 days to culture. The longer you leave the tea, the less sugar will remain. If you prefer sweeter tea, you will want to culture the tea for a shorter period of time (7 to 10 days) but if you are trying to avoid sugar, you may want to culture the tea for a longer period of time (14 to 30 days). 8. Once the tea has reached the desired level of fermentation, remove the original kombucha culture (the mother) and the newly formed culture (the baby). The mother culture may have sunk to the bottom or may have floated at the top (either is fine). The baby culture should be covering the jar opening. You can now use both the mother and the baby to make two jars of kombucha. If the original and new cultures have fused, you can either tear them apart or use them as a single culture for your next batch. 9. Tightly cover the jar of finished kombucha tea with a regular lid (air-tight is best). At this point, you can choose to allow the tea to rest for a few days (may improve carbonation) or drink it immediately. Adding fruit juice prior to putting the lid on the jar will improve carbonation during this second fermentation. (Make sure the culture is removed before adding the juice.) Finished kombucha tea may be stored on the counter or in the refrigerator.

For more information on making kombucha and other cultured foods including how-to videos, recipes, ideas, a free eBook, and more, please visit our website: www.culturesforhealth.com/kombucha

TROUBLESHOOTING
For extensive troubleshooting information, please visit our website http://www.culturesforhealth.com/troubleshooting

RECIPES
Flavored Kombucha Tea Kombucha tea can be flavored if desired using juice, crystallized ginger, fresh fruit, etc. Flavoring is optional: kombucha tea is quite tasty even without additional flavoring. Be sure to complete the brewing process and remove the kombucha culture before adding any flavorings! One part juice to five parts kombucha tea is a good ratio to start with. Adjustments can then be made according to your preference. Please see our website for further information on flavoring kombucha tea. Kombucha Soda If a more carbonated beverage is desired, give your kombucha a second fermentation by mixing the kombucha tea with juice or fresh fruit, bottle in a truly air-tight bottle (e.g., Grolsch-style bottles or similar), and allow the kombucha to sit for several days at room temperature before refrigerating. Start with one part juice or fruit to four parts finished kombucha tea. The sugar in the fruit or juice will feed the active yeast and bacteria in the kombucha tea (even though the original culture has been removed). Use caution when opening the bottle as a significant amount of gas will normally build during the process. Kombucha Salad Dressing or Marinade Replace the vinegar in your favorite salad dressing or marinade recipe with an equal amount of kombucha. This works particularly well with kombucha that is a bit over-fermented and has lost all its sweetness but kombucha at various stages of fermentation can be used depending on your taste preferences.

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