Any kombucha brewers out there?

I've recently discovered kombucha - a fizzy, probiotic health drink - and have started brewing it myself. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's similar to vinegar in that it grows from a "mother," a culture of bacteria and yeast, and is quite easy to make yourself. I just bottled a gallon the other day and started a new batch. It sounds weird and looks kinda gross, but it's tasty and supposedly very healthy - although this is debatable.

Any other brewers out there?

 

  Apparently not yet!

Hey Malibu, keep us posted on how you do.  I just recently started drinking that stuff for it's heath benefits but have never thought of brewing it myself. 

So far it's been like a fun science project. I bought a starter kit from a shop here in SF and mother has turned into a 1/2" thick pancake now. It's about to split in 2 - that's part of the process - they split and before you know it, you need to start giving them away. I already have a short list of people waiting for a kombucha mother.
Drinking-wise, it's been successful, resulting in a fizzy texture and sweet/sour taste. You just need to be sure everything is sterile. I wash everything with hot water and white distilled vinegar - no soap!

Here's thebasic recipe:

Boil a gallon of water in a clean metal pot.
Remove from heat and pour in 1 to 1.5 cups of white sugar (the nerds insist everything has to be organic)
Once the sugar is dissolved, drop in 6 to 8 black teabags (I use PG Tips - it's not organic but whatever)
Steep for 10 minutes. Remove teabags.
Pour sweetened tea into a clean and food-safe 1 gallon jar with a wide mouth.
Let cool to blood-temp or room temp as hot water will kill the kombucha.
Pour in the mother which should contain 2 cups of "starter" kombucha from a previous batch (the starter komucha will acidify the tea and prevent mold from growing)

Cover with a clean, lint-free cloth or tea-shirt and put 3 or 4 tight rubber bands around the mouth. This will prevent ants and fruit flies from getting in.
Put in a dark spot out of the way - not in the fridge as it grows better in warmer temps - and let sit for a week.

After a week, the tea should taste pretty sour and a little sweet. Mold is bad. Throw it out if you see or smell any musty mold. It should smell like yeast (bread dough or beer).
If you started with a store-bought starter kit, it's cool because you'll see the mother grow from scratch. It starts out as a thin oily-looking slick on the surface and after a few batches grows into a thick pancake-like culture.

This is when I bottle it and let the bottles sit out of the fridge for 5 more days to allow the carbonation to develop.
Then put in the fridge and drink it!

Sorry I don't have pics.

Anyway, it's supposedly very good for you, but skeptics have said that any health benefits are completely unproven and it could even have negative health effects - again, unproven.