Kombucha is an ancient beverage that's light, effervescent, and bubbly. For those new to kombucha, it typically includes some black tea base and potentially a mix of other teas, sugar (to feed the yeast during fermentation), water, and a SCOBY.

The SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) is sometimes called the "starter" because it provides the live bacteria that infuse the tangy flavor and gut health-promoting probiotics into the mix. Just like kimchi and sauerkraut, kombucha is fermented and offers live bacteria probiotics that may support gut health.  

• Tea: 2 tablespoons loose leaf black (e.g., earl grey) and 1-2 tablespoons of other oolong or green tea
  Sugar: 1 cup sugar
  Water: 1 gallon
  SCOBY: 1 SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). You can get a SCOBY from a friend, from a vendor at a farmer’s market, or an online shop
  Starter Tea: 1 cup of kombucha set aside and saved from the previous batch while bottling (assuming this is not your first batch)
  Flavoring: Juice extract, herbs, fresh fruit, dried fruit, herbs, or spices

• Large pot for boiling tea water and adding sugar
  Large glass jar (1 gallon)
  Clean cloth or coffee filter
  Rubber band
  Sieve or Strainer (optional)
  Funnel (can be 99¢ plastic funnel from a beer/wine store)
  Grolsch Bottles for storing kombucha (the kind that snaps shut with strong metal/wire connectors built into bottle)

1. Boil Water: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Set up Tea Bag: Add 3-4 tablespoons of tea to large teabag.
3. Brew Tea: Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Steep.
4. Remove SCOBY: Take out the SCOBY and 1 cup of filtered kombucha from your brewing vessel. Set aside for your next batch.
5. Bottle Kombucha: Pour the Kombucha (you can use a pitcher and funnel) into your bottles, leaving 1 inch of space at the top of each bottle.
6. Flavor: Add ~2 teaspoons of juice extract (or other flavoring) to each bottle.
7. Mix Flavors: Cap and shake bottles well to mix flavors.
8. Ferment: Let bottles ferment for a week or so at room temperature in a location that will likely remain at a stable temperature.
9. Add Sugar to Next Batch: Remove tea bag, squeeze remaining tea from tea bag, and stir in the sugar until dissolved.
10. Cool Tea: Let tea cool for about at least an hour. Ensure it’s below 85 degrees before proceeding.
11. Prepare the Jar: Pour the cooled sweetened tea into the large glass jar.
12. Add Water: Add water to the large glass jar to make enough Kombucha for the next six bottles.
13. Add SCOBY and Starter Tea: Add the SCOBY and 1 cup of saved starter tea to the jar.
14. Cover the Jar: Cover the jar with a clean cloth or coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band
15. Ferment: Place the jar in a reasonably stable, moderate temperature location for a week or two.

Wait a week or two, and start all over again!

This recipe was provided by Christopher Gardner, PhD, Director of Stanford Nutrition Studies Research Group.