Kombucha Brewing Instructions

Step 5 Adding the Kombucha Culture...

Now you'll have to allow the brewed tea solution to cool to room temperature before adding the kombucha cultures. If thetemperature is to high, the cultures can be killed! Once the tea solution is cooled we are ready for the culturing process!

Now that the sweetened tea solution has sufficiently cooled to room temperature, you are ready to inoculate it with the kombucha cultures. This step is very easy and will only take a few minutes to perform.

With each new batch you will want to save your best SCOBY or "mushroom" along with 5-10% of the old tea as a starter or inculum. For a gallon size batch use about a cup or two of starter tea. You may also check the pH at this time to insure that enough starter tea has been used. The pH for the start of the brewing cycle needs to be below 4.5 pH. This will insure that you culturegrows quickly and will be able to compete with any foreign cultures or molds that maybe present. This lower pH also abates the growth of foreign bacteria that could be dangerous for human consumption.

Add both the starter tea and mother culture/SCOBY to the sweetened tea solution. If you did not save any left over tea or received just a SCOBY from say a friend, you may use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white organic distilled vinegar as a replace/ substitute starter for your first batch.

You have now inoculated the tea solution with the tea cultures!