Make your own Kombucha at home! Kombucha is a delightful sweet & sour, bubbly fermented tea drink; a great way to add probiotics to your diet! Kombucha is cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria & yeast) often called the "mother" and maintaining one is kind of like a low-maintenance pet.
All you need to make Kombucha is sweetened tea and a Scoby. There are many recipes online. I steep 4-5 bags of tea per half gallon batch and add 1 cup of sugar. Let it cool down before adding my Scoby. Put a paper towel over it and secure with a rubber band. Store at room temperature away from sunlight. A new Scoby will start forming on top. Kombucha is ready in 7-10 days depending on temperature. The longer you wait, the more tart it becomes. Strain and enjoy! Remove Scoby into new glass jar and repeat.
If you want a fizzier and flavored drink, add 1/4 cup of juice with the Kombucha and let it ferment in the bottle for 3-4 days.
When you don't want to make Kombucha, put the Scoby with sweetened tea in the fridge.