Ingredients:
13-14 c water
2.5 tbs loose tea leaves (green, jasmine, black, oolong, etc) or 8 tea bags
1 c sugar (white, raw, brown, cane syrup, maple syrup, honey, agave, etc)
1 1/2 c mature kombucha
Mature kombucha mother (scoby)
Instructions:
Bring water to a boil. Add tea and allow to sit until the water cools to room temperature. Strain the tea, add the sweetener and stir to dissolve.
In a gallon glass or non-reactive container, add the mature kombucha from your last batch, the kombucha mother, then add the tea and sugar mixture. Leave at least a inch of air space at the top of the jar so the mother can breath. Cover the jar with a cloth and tie with a rubber band or string. Allow the tea to ferment for one to two weeks, tasting as you go until it reaches your desired level of sourness.
When the kombucha is ready to drink, you have a few options. You can leave the kombucha in the gallon container with the mother inside and drink as desired. Make a new batch when you have couple cups of liquid left. Another option is to decant the kombucha, start a new batch immediately, and refrigerate the remaining kombucha to slow down the fermentation process, which preserves the level of sourness. You can also add fruit, vegetables and other flavorings to the mature kombucha, re-fermenting it for another week at room temp. If you do this in a bail top bottle, your kombucha will carbonate. Kombucha soda! The possibilities are endless.