Kombucha has become immensely popular the last decade for all of its health properties as well as its ability to mix with virtually any flavor you can come up with. This beverage started from Traditional Chinese Medicine over 2000 years ago and it’s well-known all around the world by health-conscious people. It’s quite simple to make at home, and the best part is you can add cannabis very easily. Follow this recipe to have your own home-brewed Cannabucha, Real Functional style.
This recipe will make 1.125 gallons, or 1.375 gallons if you want to add a fruit juice for flavoring. I recommend 100mg of THC to start with and see how you feel. This will yield 12.5mg of THC in 16 fl. oz of your kombucha.
- 10 cannabis-infused tea packets (I recommend the California-based brand They currently have 4 varieties.)
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast)
- 1 cup liquid from pre-made, unflavored kombucha (store-bought)
- 1 gallon purified water
- 1 quart juice of choice (optional, for flavoring)
- Large glass jug with a dispenser attachment – The attachment will make things much easier for you.
- Cheesecloth
- Large Rubber Band or hemp string
- Fermentation bottles (optional)
If you’re unfamiliar about what a SCOBY is, or if you just Googled it and you’re like “WTF is that?” don’t be alarmed. It’s a completely friendly and edible culture that works along the lines of kefir, vinegar, and sourdough. It’s a crucial ingredient and your best bet is to buy one from a trusted site like the one in the link rather than trying to grow your own from a store-brand kombucha. If all goes well it will keep growing to the width of the container you put it in. You can keep using this same SCOBY for future brews so you really only need to buy one and keep this one submerged in liquid at the proper temperature range to keep it alive.
- Start with making tea as you normally would. Boil the purified water and the cane sugar. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved, then, add all of the tea bags and steep for at least 15 minutes.
- Allow tea mixture to fully cool to room temperature. Allow to cool all the way to room temperature because higher temps are harmful to the SCOBY. When it’s fully cool, transfer the tea into your glass jug. Leave a few inches empty at the top.
- Add ½ cup of unflavored store-bought kombucha.
- Make sure your hands are clean and add the SCOBY to the jug.
- Cover the jug with cheesecloth and use the rubber band or hemp string to securely fasten it over the jug. Now you’re ready to ferment it, and you want it stored at about 75–85˚F. If your house is generally cold, you can keep the jug warm with a kombucha heater. Great investment.
- Some people prefer to use an airtight lid for this part of the process but the SCOBY needs ventilation. It’s also best to keep the jug in an open part of your kitchen rather than a cupboard. Leave a window cracked as well for fresh air because it will start to develop a vinegar sort of smell.
- Let it ferment for 7–10 days.
- Now it’s ready to enjoy, but you have 2 options: you can refrigerate it and start drinking it, or you can do a second fermentation process to add more flavors. This is where you can incorporate another fruit juice or add herbs or ginger.
To add flavors and carbonation:
- Fill a fermentation bottle with a quart of your choice of juice (make sure it’s not from concentrate) and top off with your brewed kombucha.
- Repeat this process as many times as you like until you run out of the kombucha. If you save ½ cup of your original kombucha with the SCOBY in the jug, you can make an entire new batch just by adding more tea and sugar, and you don’t need to add any store-bought kombucha this time.
- For the fermentation bottles, you do want them to be air-tight for this part of the process. Keep them at room temperature for another 7-10 days, then refrigerate.
- Enjoy!