without anything getting in .
4 . Place your jar in a warm dark place , out of direct sunlight . Leave it there , undisturbed . After 3 to 4 days you should notice that the mother scoby has sunk down into the liquid and that a new thin scoby is starting to form on top .
5 . After 6 to 10 days , check your kombucha again . The new scoby or daughter scoby will appear thicker and the tea will have a slightly sourer aroma . Do a taste test using a clean spoon . If too sweet , allow your kombucha to ferment a bit longer . If you are happy with the balance of sweet and tangy , then it ’ s time to bottle .
6 . You can leave your kombucha to brew up to a month , until you get your perfect flavour balance .
7 . Remove both scoby ’ s and set aside . Remove 2 cups of kombucha to use for your next batch of kombucha . Decant your kombucha into sterilised bottles , or filter it through a sieve or cheese cloth to remove any strands of scoby .
8 . Keep refrigerated in tightly closed bottles for up to a month . Enjoy chilled , flavoured with fresh fruit or mint .
* Scoby = Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast . A scoby is a jelly-like film that forms during kombucha production , and is needed for further kombucha production . Ask a friend for a scoby , or try to hunt for one in the supermarket – look for a floating / sunken brownish mass in an unprocessed , raw , unflavoured store-bought kombucha and use that . Using a small scoby from a store bought kombucha might need some extra care and perhaps an extra round of the kombucha process before you can get yourself a healthy , big scoby ( i . e . daughter scoby ). A healthy scoby is mostly opaque , light beige to warm brown , can have some darker strands or splodges , has smooth but nobbily sections and is somewhat spongy but jelly-like .
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