Cinnamon Apple Chai Kombucha Recipe
Prep Time:
434 hours
Cook Time:
Servings:
2 Quarts
Ingredients
  • 8 black tea bags
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 gallon water, boiling
  • 1 SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)
  • 2 gala apples, sliced
  • 2 whole cinnamon sticks
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 4 crushed cardamom pods
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
Directions
  1. Brew 1 gallon of black tea by combining the tea bags, sugar, and boiling water.
  2. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
  3. Remove the tea bags and discard.
  4. Pour the cooled tea into a clean, sanitized glass jar and carefully add the SCOBY.
  5. Cover the jar with a clean cloth or coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band.
  6. Place the jar in a warm, dark area and allow it to ferment for 7-10 days, or until it reaches your desired level of tartness (the length of the brewing time can vary by the season and the temperature in the room; taste the tea and stop the brewing when it is tart and sweet enough to your liking).
  7. Once the first fermentation is complete, carefully remove the SCOBY from the jar and set it aside.
  8. Strain the kombucha into two clean, sanitized 1-quart glass jars, leaving about 2 inches of headspace at the top.
  9. Divide the sliced gala apples, whole cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, crushed cardamom pods, ground ginger, and black peppercorn evenly between the jars.
  10. Tightly seal the jars with a lid and allow the kombucha to ferment for an additional 3-5 days at room temperature to infuse the kombucha with the flavors of the apples and spices.
  11. Taste the kombucha periodically to monitor the flavor development.
  12. Once the kombucha has reached the desired flavor, carefully strain out the apples and spices from the liquid.
  13. Pour the flavored kombucha into glass bottles, leaving about 1 inch of headspace at the top of each bottle.
  14. Tightly seal the bottles and allow them to carbonate at room temperature for 1-3 days, depending on the desired level of carbonation.
  15. To serve, pour the chilled kombucha into glasses, garnished with a cinnamon stick or apple slice if desired. Keep leftover kombucha in bottles in the fridge.