How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home

 Yields:  2 Quarts  (1/2 gallon)

• 2 Quart Glass Jar

• Stock Pot for brewing tea

• Coffee filter or tightly woven cloth to cover the top of the jar

• Rubber band

• Small funnel

• Bottles:  3 – 16 oz glass bottles with swing tops or clean glass juice or Kombucha bottles

 Ingredients:  

• 1 tbsp loose black or green tea (or a mixture of both) or 4 tea bags

• 1/2 cup white sugar (I use organic cane sugar)

• 6-7 cups of non chlorinated water

• 1 cup of previously made kombucha tea (called “starter tea”) or distilled white vinegar

• Active scoby

Step 1:   Brew Your Tea  

 In a stock pot, bring your water to a boil.  Turn off the heat and add your sugar and loose tea or tea bags.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.   Cover the pot and let your tea cool to room temperature. This could take several hours.  Once your tea has cooled, strain your tea if you used loose tea.

Step 2:   Add Starter Tea or  Distilled White Vinegar

   Add 1 cup of previously made Kombucha tea (starter tea) or distilled white vinegar to a 2 quart jar.

Step 3:   Add Brewed Tea & Scoby 

 Add the cooled, brewed tea to your 2 quart jar and then, using clean hands, add your scoby.

Is is extremely important that your brewed tea be no warmer than room temperature before adding the scoby.  If your tea is too hot, it can damage or kill your scoby.

Step 4:  Cover & Let it Ferment for 7-10 Days

 Cover the jar with a coffee filter or tightly woven fabric and secure with a rubber band.   You want to allow air to your tea but keep out any bugs or dust.   Store your tea at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.  Let it ferment for 7-10 days.

During fermentation, it is not unusual for your scoby to float at the top, bottom, or even sideways.   A new scoby will begin to form at the surface of the kombucha within a few days.  Often the new scoby will attach itself to the old scoby but sometimes a new, separate scoby will form.  Both are normal.  Here’s an example of how very different your scoby can look over time.

 After 7 days, begin tasting the kombucha daily until it reaches your desired taste.  The longer your kombucha ferments, the more sour and vinegary it will become.

Temperature will impact how quickly your kombucha ferments.  The ideal temperature for kombucha-making is between 68-85 degrees F.  You may notice that your kombucha ferments faster during the summer months if your house is warm.

Step 6:   Remove the Scoby 

 Once your kombucha tea is ready, remove your scoby and set it aside on a clean plate or bowl.  Reserve enough starter tea for your next batch of kombucha.  You can make a new batch of kombucha tea immediately or place your scoby and starter tea in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 30 days (usually more.)

Step 7:   Bottle Your Kombucha Tea

 For plain kombucha tea, strain your finished tea (if desired) and using a funnel, pour into glass bottles, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom.

 For flavored kombucha tea, you can add cut up fresh or frozen fruit, ginger, herbs, or juice to your glass bottles before adding your kombucha.   Leave 1/2 inch of headroom.   You can either chill and enjoy right away or you can do a second ferment by leaving the bottles at room temperature for another 2-6 days.  Fermenting a second time will give your bottled kombucha more carbonation.

You can also try your hand at herbal kombucha.  It’s one of my favorite ways to flavor kombucha!    I created this free Kombucha Guide with five easy recipes for herbal kombucha plus a everything you’ll need to brew both large and small batches of kombucha at home.