Adventures with Kombucha Brewing

After years of talking about it, I finally got into the kombucha brewing game in the Fall of 2022. To make my initial foray as simple as possible, I picked up a complete kombucha brewing starter kit from Heyday Fermentables when I saw their booth at the Millarville Farmers’ Market.

My first few batches turned out all right. The fruit flies were really attracted to the smells of fermentation, so I quickly invested in fly traps. Thankfully, the cloth cover didn’t let anything through that shouldn’t be in the jar.

Early days: Trying to keep the fruit flies away.

About a month later, I ordered another starter kit from Heyday Fermentables.

By Christmas, I was starting to get the feel of how my SCOBY operates differently depending upon the season.

By spring, I ordered a third kombucha jar from Craft a Brew, thanks to my happy, multplying SCOBY, as well as family and friends drinking more:

There haven’t been too many missteps, thankfully. Here are some of my biggest lessons (so far):

• Even though the instructions say 5 - 10 days each for the fermentation cycle and carbonation cycle, that varies depending upon the time of the year. Best to start checking at Day 3 for each cycle.

• Having a dedicated cabinet for brewing keeps all the pesky bugs away.

• Thoroughly wash the cloth cover regularly to keep the pesky bugs away.

• Berry sugar is just as delicious as cane sugar.

• If your batch isn’t fizzy enough, you can make adjustments during the carbonation round.

• Value Village is a great place to find bottles for home brewing.

The Kombucha Cupboard

As far as kombucha flavours go, these have become family favourites:

• Blueberry-Ginger

• Zingy Raspberry

• Cranberry-Ginger

• Ginger

• Apple-Ginger

• Strawberry-Mint

• Strawberry-Basil

• Blueberry-Vanilla

• Lemon-Ginger

On the other side of the spectrum, these kombucha flavours are in the “Let’s Not Do That Again” List:

• Carrot-Ginger (was meh)

• Beetroot-Ginger

• Kombucha made with sencha tea with matcha

Here are some of the sites I visit to get new recipes and learn more about brewing:

• The Wild Gut

• Top 30 Kombucha Flavours (the Zingy Raspberry is the bomb)

• Fit Happy Free (best Blueberry-Ginger recipe)

• Crave the Good (best Cranberry kombucha recipes)

• Beets & Bones (try the Strawberry Mint recipe)

• The Roasted Root (try the Strawberry Basil recipe)

• Everything Kombucha (general tips)

• Kombucha Kamp (general tips)

Do you brew your own kombucha? If so, share some of your favourite recipes below.