How to make your own kombucha

What is it about January that brings with it a certain amount of food melancholy? Is it the excesses of the past few weeks, the Christmas and New Year period when the consumption of food and drink never seems to cease?

Oscar Wilde wrote that "Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess." That may be fine for a while, but soon enough our bodies begin to entreat us to slow down and perhaps treat them better in terms of the food we consume.

Eating less and cooking lighter dishes is definitely a good idea in January. Perhaps drinking a few glasses of kombucha or kefir to regulate our gut would not go astray. I love making my own kombucha and it’s not that difficult.

Kombucha is a fermented drink usually made with tea. But I’ve made kombucha with so many other flavours.

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How to make your own kombucha

Of course you can order a scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) online, but there is an easier way.

If you buy a bottle of unpasteurised kombucha in a shop (usually 330ml) you can make your own. You’ll know that it’s unpasteurised by reading the back of the bottle. It also should be a little cloudy at the bottom. This is important, as if it is pasteurised it won’t produce a scoby.

Bring one litre of water to the boil with 120g of sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Add your bottle of kombucha. Place in a glass Kilner jar and cover. Leave in a warm place for a few weeks. The scoby will develop on top. Give it a little swirl once a week.

When the scoby is firm and round, remove it and discard the liquid. Then begin again. Warm one litre of water with 120g sugar and whatever flavour you like (tea is the easiest to begin with – two tablespoons of green or black leaves or four tea bags). Allow the liquid to cool, then strain the leaves out or remove the bags, add your scoby and cover. In three to four days, have a taste. It should taste slightly acidic and have a little fizz.