The Chemistry of The Perfect Brew

Recipe Card

Servings: ​One jar; 3-5 servings

Introduction:
Kombucha is a type of tea with a tangy, sweet, and vinegar like taste. Kombucha
is created by adding a SCOBY into sweetened black or green tea, then letting it ferment
for 1–4 weeks. SCOBY stands for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast”. SCOBY is
made of multiple bacterial and yeast species which work together to turn sugars into
organic acids, ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide gas, and a multiplication of the bacteria and
yeasts within the sweetened tea. The SCOBY feeds on sugars to create a tangy,
semi-sweet flavored tea. Longer
fermentation periods will result in more
sour tangy tea because the SCOBY will
have more time to process the sugars
and create organic acids.
This recipe reviews different
fermentation periods, and uses
qualitative and quantitative results to
prove the best way to brew kombucha.

Ingredients:
● 90g of an original mother SCOBY
● ¼ cup of the original kombucha
starter brew
● ¼ cup of dissolved sugar
● 3 cups of water
● 2 tea bags of black tea (these need to fully steeped and then removed before
adding the SCOBY)
● 16 ounce Mason jar

Instructions:
Kombucha can be brewed for any time
period, with either green or black tea, with
varied amounts of sugar, and in different
sized containers. There are many ways in
which the drink can be made, for this recipe
I created a fairly easy process which could
be recreated by anyone and altered to fit
any type of kombucha preference. To brew
 one small batch of kombucha you will need
to first steep two black tea bags in 3 cups of
water. Then, add ¼ cup of dissolved sugar
to the water. This mixture should go in a 16
ounce mason jar. Once the liquid has been
added to your mason jar you will need to
add a SCOBY and ¼ cup of the original
brew. I used 90g of a larger mother SCOBY
that was cut into several pieces. The size of the SCOBY will vary depending on how big
the original mother SCOBY was. The size is often uncontrollable, but generally, the
larger the SCOBY, the faster the fermentation. It is also very important to add some of
the brew from the last batch (the starter brew), this substance contains acids and
bacteria that will keep the SCOBY alive help start the fermentation process in a new
brew of kombucha.

Experiment Methods:
To create the perfect brew of Kombucha I chose to research how fermentation
affects flavor. The question that I created to conduct my research was: “How does the
fermentation duration of kombucha affect the flavor of the drink?”
To complete my experiment. I chose to brew 4 different batches of Kombucha for
four different time periods and compare how pH and sweetness were affected. I tested
each kombucha brew by testing for pH (acidity) and by doing a blind taste test to test for
sweetness and preference. Because the sugar is dissolved into the drink, I could not
test for the amount of sugar within each brew quantitatively, but I used a blind taste test
to to find qualitative results. I used both quantitative and qualitative results to determine
the characteristics of each brew and why there was a preference for a certain brew.

Results:
Kombucha Kombucha Kombucha Kombucha
Brew #1 Brew #2 Brew #3 Brew #4
(Week Long (2 Week Long (3 Week Long (4 Week Long
Fermentation) Fermentation) Fermentation) Fermentation)

pH 4 3.5 3 2

Sweetness Sweatest Semi-sweet Semi-souar Most Sour

Least Sour Least sweet
Blind Taste Test Preferences:
Kombucha Kombucha Kombucha Kombucha
Brew #1 Brew #2 Brew #3 Brew #4
(Week Long (2 Week Long (3 Week Long (4 Week Long
Fermentation) Fermentation) Fermentation) Fermentation)

Preferences Least Third Most Most Prefered Second Most

Preferred Preferred Preferred

Conclusions:
The most preferred brew was brew #3. This brew had a pH of 3 and had a
semi-sour taste. This brew was reviewed as the best because it contained a high level
of acidity but still had a sweet taste which created a balanced flavor.
My results are based off of the most simple recipe for brewing kombucha. I used
only black tea bags and sugar. I did not add any extra flavoring. Though I can not
confirm that the 3 week long brew will be preferred with added flavoring, I can
recommend adding flavors such as ginger, lemon, and berries to this recipe to create a
tasty unique brew that still has the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity.
One popular element of kombucha is carbonation. I did not test for carbonation,
but, the longer the kombucha brews, the more CO2 is produced. If you desire a very
fizzy carbonated brew, I recommend brewing the kombucha for longer periods of time.
However, it is important to release pressure throughout the fermentation of the
kombucha so that the jar does not explode from too much pressure.
Brew #3 created the most balanced flavor between sweet and sour, however, I
would recommend experimenting with different amounts of sugar and different
fermentation periods to find the brew most perfect for you!