Rehydrating the Kombucha Culture: 1. Combine approximately 2 -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 but does not have to be boiling. Place 1 tsp 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. You can wait until the mixture is cool to remove the tea bags if desired. Add cup vinegar to the mixture. Organic vinegar is preferred as it limits the cultures exposure to chemicals. Adding the vinegar is extremely important for maintaining the proper pH level and avoiding mold! Add the dehydrated Kombucha culture to the mixture. It may float or sinkeither position is fine. 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! Allow the jar to sit undisturbed, in a warm spot (70-85F degrees) and out of direct sunlight for 10-28 days until a new culture forms (see step 8). Please note, it is not uncommon for this portion of the process to take the full 28-day period. If the Kombucha is in a spot that is generally lower than 70 degrees (day and night), the process may take a few days longer. During fermentation, Kombucha cultures may sink, float or stay in a vertical position. This does not affect the brewing process. 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. The rehydration process is complete when one or more of the following occurs. 1) The brew takes on a rich, vinegary taste with possibly a bit of sweetness, or 2) A cloudy haze or film develops on the surface of the liquid (if left undisturbed, this haze will thicken and become a new culture), or 3) The pH level drops below 4.0 (if desired, pH strips can be purchased at most drug stores or on our site). 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. Reserve a portion of the rehydration batch to use as starter tea for your next batch. You may consume the remainder if desired.

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4. 5. 6.

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 which looks, smells or tastes unpleasant. 7.

8.

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 Organic 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. Organic cane sugar: White sugar work bestwe do not recommend using Rapadura or similar whole sugars Distilled White Vinegar (preferably organic); do not use raw vinegar or flavored varieties Starter tea from a previous batch of Kombucha for all subsequent batches Filtered water (non-chlorinated) 9.

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. Warmer temperatures will generally cause the Kombucha to brew at a faster rate. Ambient temperatures up to 85F degrees are acceptable. Cooler temperatures will slow the process down; fermentation will all but cease at temperatures below 60F degrees. If you are anxious to brew a large batch of Kombucha, Use the entire initial quart of Kombucha tea and the two cultures (since a new culture will form during the rehydration process) to make two jars of Kombucha (half-gallon or gallon jars if desired). Different varieties of tea (Oolong vs. Green vs. English Breakfast, etc.) will produce different Kombucha tastes. Green teas make for a more mild Kombucha while English Breakfast makes for a stronger tasting Kombucha. We recommend Oolong for making a particularly tasty Kombucha tea. See page two for Kombucha Brewing Instructions

Ingredient Ratios for Brewing Kombucha Tea: Container Size

Tea Amount
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 Amount
1/4 c.

Water Amount
2 1/2 c. (approx.) 6 c. (approx.) 13 c. (approx.)

Starter Tea Amount

Half-gallon

c.

1 c.

Gallon

1 c.

2 c.

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 store Kombucha cultures for a period of time, place them in a jar with some Kombucha tea and a cover it with a tight lid. Store on the counter or in the refrigerator. They can generally survive this way for up to a few weeks. 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. 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). You can wait until the water is cool before removing the tea bag if desired. 3. Place the Kombucha culture and starter tea 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 (7-10 days) but if you are trying to avoid sugar, you may want to culture the tea for a longer period of time (14-30 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. 10. Before drinking, you may choose to strain the tea of yeast particles using a fine mesh plastic strainer.

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 optionalKombucha 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 personal 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 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 Mocktail Mix one part finished Kombucha Tea with one part coconut water and one part pineapple juice. Serve cold over ice. If a true cocktail is desired, add vodka or gin prior to serving. 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.