18/10/2026
Jimmy says: With just under a month until the Fermentation competition at the Dungog Show, we would like to share Jo New's guide to making delicious and nutritious homemade kombucha.
Kombucha is a fermented drink containing probiotics that many claim has health benefits. The mother is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast which is where the name SCOBY comes from.
To make 1.5L, you need: Wide-mouthed 2L jar, cleaned with hot water and rinsed in vinegar; 4 black tea bags; 1/2 cup sugar; 1.5L water; 1 mother (SCOBY) plus 1 cup of the liquid it's stored in; Muslin-type fabric for the lid; Bottles for the second stage (at least one plastic)
Stage 1: First ferment (1-2 weeks) 1. Boil the water in a saucepan. Add the sugar and tea bags, stir, and leave to cool. 2. Remove the tea bags and stir in 1 cup of the liquid from the mother's jar. 3. Put the mother in the 2L jar and pour in the cooled tea mix. Leave a few cm of space at the top. Any leftover mother liquid can be used like vinegar. 4. Cover the jar with fabric and leave somewhere dark and quiet for 1-2 weeks.
Taste test (after 1 week): It should taste yummy, not overly sweet, with a slight vinegar tartness. Brew longer or shorter over time to suit your taste.
Stage 2: Bottling (a few days to a week) 1. When it tastes good, pour into bottles. Keep 1 cup of liquid aside for the mother's next batch, then repeat Stage 2. Use at least one plastic bottle. As the kombucha fizzes, the bottle goes firm, which is your cue to refrigerate. 3. It may not bubble, so go by time and taste. When it's ready, drink up.
Tips: If it goes vinegary at any stage, no worries. Use it like vinegar or to start another batch; Don't store kombucha in metal containers; Gelatinous strands or sediment are fine. It's just another mother forming.
