Strawberry Lemonade Kombucha

1. Bring 4 liters (10 cups) of water to a boil. Add the tea bags, and allow to boil for 5-10 minutes until tea is a dark almost-olive green. Turn off the heat and add the sugar; DO NOT put the sugar in while the water is still boiling — this puts you at risk for burning the sugar. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature (about 27°C/ 80°F).

Transfer the tea to the glass container. Add the starter tea and fill the rest of the jar up with cool water. Leave about 5 cm (1 inch) of space at the top. Add the scoby on top and cover the jar with a cotton tea cloth or cheesecloth, securing it with rubber bands. Place the jar in a warm dark room. Ideally you want the room temperature to be between 21-29°C (70-85°F). Allow it to sit for 7 days.

After seven days, taste the brew. If you have a spout on your jar, you can pour some into a cup otherwise you can get right in there with a straw and position it so that it is well below the Scoby floating on top. Check your brew every day until you have the desired balance between sweet and sour/bitter. Make sure to save at least 1 cup of raw Kombucha for your starter tea!*

Separate the raw Kombucha into individual bottles and evenly distribute the lemon juice and strawberry juice between the bottles. Let the bottles sit for for 24-72 hours in a dark place at room temperature. Place in the refrigerator to chill and enjoy!