How to Make Kombucha

How to make your own homemade Kombucha! It’s much easier than you think – just follow our simplified method and you’ll have your own batch of kombucha in no time flat! Video.

I’ve completely embraced Kombucha as of late. Cutting back on alcohol has been effortless with this fizzy drink in hand! It’s like champagne on a health retreat—effervescent, celebratory, and vibrant, yet packed with probiotics.

I understand how fermenting can feel intimidating to newbies, but if you’ve been here a while, you’ll know how simple we like to make things to ensure success on your very first try!

After teaching thousands of people how to ferment Water Kefir (just read all the reviews) and our Probiotic Gut Shot– I wanted to show you our fool-proof method for kombucha and why you’ll love it:

1. The process is simple! We break it down into 3 easy steps, so you can’t go wrong!
2. No fancy equipment is needed!
3. Kombucha only takes 15 minutes of hands-on time and 10-18 days to ferment, depending on the temperature—warmer places ferment faster, while colder ones ferment slower.

What you’ll need!

• Filtered Water– filtered tap water works best. Regular tap water can contain chlorine, which can inhibit fermentation. If you must use it, set it out overnight so the chlorine can evaporate.
• Sugar – use organic cane sugar.
• Black tea or green tea– avoid flavored teas or decaffeinated tea, which can alter the fermentation. Tea bags are easy, but loose-leaf tea works well too. Use one tablespoon loose leaf in place of a tea bag.
• Starter kombucha from a previous batch, or neutral-flavored, store-bought kombucha 
• SCOBY (store-bought) A SCOBY stands for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.” It’s the mother starter or culture that is used to brew kombucha. The SCOBY contains the necessary bacteria and yeast to ferment the sweetened tea into kombucha. We recommend buying a hydrated SCOBY (vs. hydrated).
• Optional add-ins (2nd fermentation only): ginger, lemon juice, honey fruit, spices, berries, and fruit juice.

Supplies Needed to Make Kombucha

TIP: Ensure all your supplies (and hands!) are clean with hot, soapy water (no need to sterilize) to prevent any unwanted contaminants from interfering with fermentation.

• Gallon jar (or halve the recipe and use a 2-quart jar). Note: You’ll need one SCOBY per jar.
• Kitchen towel or paper towel or coffee filter, for covering, preventing fruit flies, but allowing it to breath.
• Swing-top bottles (or smaller mason jars) – you’ll need 6 x 16-ounce bottles or 3 x 25 ounces bottles.
• Strainer
• Small funnel

How to make Kombucha

Step 1: Make the Sweet Tea.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves.

Add tea bags and steep until tea has come to room temperature. 

Once cooled, remove the tea bags using a slotted spoon.

Stir in starter kombucha– make sure the water has cooled first!

Step 2: First Fermentation Instructions

Transfer the mixture to a gallon jar and gently place the SCOBY on top, using clean hands. If you’re using two glass jars, you will need two SCOBYs, one for each.

Cover the jar with a kitchen towel, paper towels, or coffee filter and secure with a rubber band. You want it to breathe while preventing fruit flies from going in.

Place the jar of kombucha in a cool, dry place at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. This is known as the primary fermentation. Ferment for 7 to 10 days. After a week, begin tasting daily by pouring a sample into a glass to test.

It’s ready when there is a pleasant balance of sweetness and acidity. The longer it ferments, the sourer or tangier it will become. Find your perfect balance.

Note: During this time, your SCOBY may develop a “baby” that forms and attaches to the underside of the SCOBY.

Using clean hands, gently remove the primary SCOBY and place it into a bowl, removing the “baby” as you do- and take the baby to the SCOBY HOTEL. (Scroll down to “SCOBY Hotel” below.)

Pour 1 cup of kombucha over the primary SCOBY.  This is your new starter. You can brew another batch of sweet tea now, and add the primary SCOBY to the cooled tea to begin brewing another batch. Alternatively, you can place the primary SCOBY and baby SCOBY in the SCOBY HOTEL if you want to pause or wait.

Step 3: Second Fermentation Instructions

Now, we will make the kombucha fizzy in swing-top bottles! Add 10 slices of ginger and  ½ tablespoon of lemon juice to each flip-top bottle. Note: Adding ginger, mashed fruit or fruit juice helps promote fizziness!

Strain fermented kombucha into a pitcher in batches. Then, using a small funnel, transfer it into bottles, leaving 1 ½ inches of headroom at the top. 

Secure bottle tops and place bottles in a cool, dry place, at room temperature, and out of direct sunlight. Let it sit for 1 to 7 days to carbonate to your liking. The warmer it is the faster they will ferment.

*Burp your bottles daily by opening and closing the top to release pressure. This is very important to prevent an explosion.

Once you are happy with the fizz level, refrigerate to chill and stop the fermentation. You now have your very first batch of kombucha ready to serve!

Kombucha Variations and Flavorings

Create your own flavors by adding to the secondary fermentation. These additions also help make the kombucha fizzy – so at the very least add the ginger.

• Fruit: add mashed berries or fruit to the swing-top bottles. A good rule of thumb is 1-2 tablespoons of fruit per cup of kombucha. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, pineapple, guava, etc.
• Fruit Juice: Add 1-2 tablespoons of fruit juice per cup of kombucha. Pomegranate, cherry, lemon, pineapple, orange, grapefruit, black currant, etc.
• Other Additions: honey, ginger root, vanilla pods, whole spices, fresh herbs

Tips for SCOBY Hotel Success

• Use a 1-quart glass jar, or larger, to give SCOBYs room. 
• SCOBYs feed on sweetened tea. Use the ratio of ¼ cup sugar to 4 cups water and 2 tea bags. Green or black tea works well. Add fermented kombucha as starter liquid. This introduces the bacteria and acitity needed to prevent unwanted bacteria or mold.
• Cover with a tightly woven cloth and rubber band to keep out bugs but allow airflow.
• Leave the jar in a cool, dry place, at room temperature, and out of direct sunlight. Do not place this in the fridge.
• They may float, sink, stick to the sides, or grow brown, stringy bits—there is no need to clean them off. If you have yeast overgrowth (if it’s covering most of your SCOBY), you can remove some of it, but don’t get rid of it all!
• Check it monthly and add fresh sweet tea as needed to keep the SCOBYs fed.
• When you need a SCOBY for brewing, just remove one from the hotel.
• They may develop layers: when overly large, use scissors to trim SCOBYs or separate them from each other if you’d like to use or share them with a friend. 
• Avoid prolonged contact with metal during the brewing process. Using metal utensils is ok, but once the starter tea is added, you’ll want to transfer into glass jars. Metal can erode the SCOBY and alter the flavor of the kombucha by leaching metals into the brew or negatively reacting with the tea.

Enjoy the process of making your own kombucha at home! I can’t wait to hear about all your creative flavorings- share in the comments below. xoxo

Sylvia

More Favorite Fermented Drinks!

How to make WATER KEFIR | an easy guide!

Probiotic Gut Shot

How to Make Beet Kvass!

Watch How to make Kombucha!

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