Add sugar and tea bags to your jar.
Add boiling hot water so the container is at least half full.
Stir with a wooden spoon to so sugar mixes and dissolves. Let steep for at least 30 mins.
Use a wooden spoon to remove tea bags and then add filtered water, but leave room at the top for starter tea and room for SCOBY to breathe.
Once the new brew of tea is the same temperature as the starter tea the SCOBY is sitting in, you can add the SCOBY with its starter tea.
Cover with muslin wrap or a tea towel and use a rubber band to secure.
Put the kombucha somewhere away from direct sunlight but that is ventilated.
Allow the tea to ferment for at least 7 days and up to 30 days. Temperature affects the fermentation process, so longer is better in colder months. I usually leave mine for about three weeks.
Once the kombucha has fermented for long enough, remove the SCOBYs from the jar and set aside in a glass container. Pour some starter tea into the SCOBYs.You can either keep both SCOBYS and use the second SCOBY to make another jar of kombucha or you can give it to a friend. Each brew of kombucha will result in additional SCOBYs.
Place some muslin cloth over a large jug, to strain the kombucha.
Pour the kombucha into bottles (I use old passata bottles).
Add the flavourings to your kombucha, then place lid on and allow to ferment for 2 - 3 days.
Kombucha is a fizzy drink, so if it is stored in a warm place for too long, it can explode. Keep it in a dark cool place or refrigerate depending on your climate and how soon you will drink the tea.