July 30, 2025
Your Next Kitchen Adventure: Kombucha!
There’s nothing better than a fresh bottle of cold booch in the fridge on a warm summer day. Better yet, one with the fresh taste of blueberries!
As a kombucha enthusiast, I’ve got a schedule posted on my wall, booch books on the shelf, and my brewing jars even have bespoke cloth hats! For the past 10 years I have been tending to this passion and I’d love to share with you my go-to Kombucha recipe. The team in-store at The Apothecary has tasted it, and can agree, it is summer approved!
There are a few things you’ll need:
- 1.8L mason jar
- 3 x 500ml boston bottles with phenolic lids or a bottle to store your kombucha after brewing
- Masontops kombucha lid or upcycled fabric cut into a square
- Tea steeper
- Kitchen scales
- Funnel
Ingredients:
- 10g unblended black tea
- 80g cane sugar
- a scoby
- 150ml plain kombucha
- 20g wild blueberry rooibos tea
Directions:
- First, you will need to source a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.) These can be found at some health food stores, online, and from friends that already make kombucha. I have found that people who brew booch are usually delighted to share the SCOBY love!
- Once you’ve got the SCOBY, you will need to make some sweet tea. In a clean 1.8L mason jar add 80g cane sugar, 10g black tea (in steeper or reusable tea bag), and 1500ml freshly boiled water. Let this steep for 20 minutes.
- Remove the tea leaves and give it a stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Put the kombucha lid or natural fabric secured with an elastic band on top. Let the tea cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, add your SCOBY and 150ml of plain kombucha. Secure with your lid/fabric again and let the booch do its magic at room temperature for about 7 days. In the winter when it’s cold I leave it for about 10 days. Make sure it’s not in direct sunlight. A cupboard, counter top, or kombucha altar will do perfectly!
- After 7 days it’s time for the fun part, flavour! It’s really important that your precious SCOBY isn’t introduced to anything other than plain tea, sugar and water. With washed hands take the SCOBY out and put it in a clean jar with at least 150 ml of the plain kombucha you’ve just brewed, or enough to cover the SCOBY so it will be ready to go for your next batch.
- Add 20g of the delicious blueberry rooibos tea to your 1.8L mason jar of plain kombucha and give it a good stir, leave it to steep on the counter for 24 hours with the lid on.
- The next day, it’s time to bottle your kombucha. Get your bottles ready, then using a funnel and strainer pour your kombucha into the bottles, catching the tea leaves in the strainer as you pour.
- Leave your booch to carbonate for about 5 days with the lids on tightly. I like to check in and give them a swirl every now and then, looking for bubbles. Be sure not to forget about them as they may build up too much pressure if left for a long time! Once your kombucha is nicely fizzy your bottles can go in the fridge.
Happy brewing!