Bring 1.5L (1.5 quart) water and sugar to the boil in a large saucepan. Stir to make sure sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add tea bags. Cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes (longer if you like strong tea!).

Remove tea bags and allow the tea to cool until it is no longer hot to touch. Warm is OK. Less than 45C (115F). You don’t want to burn your scoby! I often leave it overnight.

Place scoby, kombucha and your new tea in a large jar. Cover with paper towel or cheesecloth or other cloth to allow air to get in but no bugs. Leave somewhere warm but not in direct sunlight. I leave mine on my kitchen bench.

Leave your kombucha to ferment for 10-14 days or until the sugar level is to your liking. The length of time really depends on the temperature. In Summer it can ferment in a week and in Winter I’ve had some batches ferment for 3-4 weeks.

When you’re happy with the sweetness level it’s time to bottle. Rinse your bottles with a little of the kombucha. Then fill leaving about 2cm (almost an inch) of air at the top so there is some air for the secondary fermentation. I sometimes add flavourings here (see variations for ideas).

You can refrigerate and drink your kombucha now.

If you want the kombucha to be fizzy, leave it in the bottles in a warm place for another 2-4 weeks (again this depends on the temperature). It is possible that the bottles can explode if you have bottled the kombuchq when there is still lots of sugar remaining. This hasn’t ever happened to me but if you’re worried it’s a good idea to keep your secondary fermentation in an enclosed space like an esky (cooler bag) or box.

When the kombucha is lightly gassy, refrigerate and enjoy. Once fermented kombucha keeps for months and months in the fridge. It will continue to slowly ferment over time. I have had bottles that weren’t gassy at all become lovely and sparkly after 6 months in the fridge.

Remember to save some kombucha for your next batch!