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Finished deep pink hibiscus kombucha in a clear pitcher and serving glass
Ebonie Garnica

Homemade Hibiscus Kombucha for Full GAPS

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Servings: 3 quarts, approximately
Course: Beverage
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 quarts filtered water
  • 1 cup organic white sugar or evaporated cane crystals as culture feed
  • 4 organic green tea bags
  • 1/4 cup dried hibiscus
  • 1 cup mature, sour plain kombucha from a previous culture for starter liquid
  • 1 kombucha SCOBY or starter culture

Method
 

  1. Bring the filtered water to a boil in a large pot.
  2. Add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved into the hot water.
  3. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the green tea bags and dried hibiscus.
  4. Leave the tea to steep while the liquid cools completely. Do not add the SCOBY while the tea is still hot.
  5. Remove the tea bags. Pour the cooled tea through a sieve to remove the hibiscus, then transfer it to a wide glass bowl or jar that holds at least 4 quarts, with enough headspace for the culture.
  6. Stir in 1 cup mature, sour plain kombucha. Set the SCOBY on the surface. The starter is about 8% of the 3-quart tea volume, within the amount needed to acidify a new batch.
  7. Cover the container loosely with a clean cloth or towel and move it to a warm, dark place.
  8. Ferment for 7 to 10 days. Begin checking the tea during that range. It is ready for Full GAPS when it tastes sour. Light fizz and a new spongy SCOBY layer are supporting cues.
  9. Lift out the starting SCOBY and the new layer. Store the culture in a glass container with some finished kombucha until the next batch.
  10. Pour the finished kombucha into glass jars or a pitcher with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate.

Notes

Prep: 10 minutes. Cook: 10 minutes. Ferment for 7 to 10 days, continuing if the tea remains sweet. Cool the tea completely before adding the starter and SCOBY. Use one cup mature sour kombucha in the three-quart tea batch. Cover the primary ferment with breathable cloth; refrigerate the finished drink after removing the SCOBY. Full GAPS, not the earlier Introduction Diet stages.

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