Equipment and ingredients consist of the following:
The container or brewing vessel
I use a Food Grade Plastic container. This one (Young's), was bought from a brewing shop in town.
I had them put a tap about 1.5 inches from the bottom. This makes it easier to draw off the Kombucha for testing and bottling without any fuss.
The good thing about these particular containers or containers of this size, is that it provides a large surface area and a shallower depth of liquid which together helps your Kombucha culture breath and grow faster and speeds up the fermenting process.
Heating mat/pad/tray/plate
Again bought from a local brewing shop. The Brupaks one on the right is ideal as it is flat and reliable. The one on the left is ideal for the smaller Jars.
You can always use an airing cupboard if there is space but I feel that these give you some flexibility and maintain a consistent temperature.
My container sits on this on a shelf in our under stairs cupboard.
A Muslin(pronounced Muz-lin) Cloth and Elastic
Any kitchen shop or textile shop will have these available.
The idea is that you prevent any insects from entering the brew and allows the Kombucha culture to breath.
Filtered Water Supply
The Kombucha requires clean, chemical free water. Ideally, distilled water is the best but I have been using a large Brita Filter Jug which has given me plenty of healthy Scoby children.
If you want to go the whole hog, then a built in water filter in your kitchen would be ideal.
Stainless Steel Pot and Strainer
A typical household set of utensils. Used for heating the water up and dissolving the sugar, brewing the tea and the final straining.
Ph Strips
These strips become invaluable when testing the brew to ensure that the fermentation has been completed especially when you are new to the whole process. As experience is gained, you can judge by taste alone. Vinoferm and Hydrion ph strips are an example of these.
Bottles
I use standard 500ml glass swing top bottles to store my brews.
Bottle Brushes
Any kitchen shop or Supermarket will have these. The long type are beneficial for the bottles above.
Syphon Tube Comes With Lock
This is not an essential item but can help when using a jar or container without a tap. The added benefit is the lock mechanism which gives you good control .when filling
The Tea
I personally like the Gunpowder or Green Teas as they are renowned for their benefits and produce a lighter almost wine-like colour. As I'm in the Uk, I use both Nothing But Tea and Aurora teas and on the odd occasion in passing I'll use Whittard of Chelsea.
Go by the particular suppliers guidelines, normally 1-2 tsp/litre
Sugar
Nothing too scientific about the type of sugar. I use plane granulated sugar Cordelia or Tate & Lyle what ever is the cheapest. Some people swear by other types but my Kombucha Scoby has had no detrimental effects and has consistently produce many offspring.
I use 80grams/Litre
