How To Brew Homemade Kombucha

To brew kombucha, you will need the following ingredients: 1 cup of sugar, 8 tea bags (black or green tea), 2 cups of starter tea or vinegar, and 14 cups of water. Equipment includes a large glass jar (2-3 liters), a breathable cloth or coffee filter, a rubber band, a wooden spoon, and sterilized bottles for storing the finished kombucha.

Start by boiling 14 cups of water in a large pot. Once boiling, remove it from heat and let it cool for a minute before adding the tea bags.

Add the tea bags to the hot water and let them steep for about 15 minutes. Once steeped, remove the bags and stir in 1 cup of sugar until dissolved. Allow the sweetened tea to cool to room temperature.

In your large glass jar, combine the cooled sweetened tea with 2 cups of starter tea or vinegar. This helps to ensure the right acidity for fermentation. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to mix.

Carefully add the SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) into the mixture. It may float or sink, which is normal. The SCOBY will help ferment the tea into kombucha.

Cover the jar with a breathable fabric such as a coffee filter or cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band. This allows air to flow but keeps dirt and bugs out.

Place the jar in a warm, dark place (around 75-85°F or 24-29°C) where it will not be disturbed. Let it ferment for 7-30 days, depending on your taste preference. The longer it ferments, the less sweet and more vinegary it will taste.

After about a week, taste your kombucha with a clean straw, being careful not to disturb the SCOBY. Continue tasting every few days until it reaches your preferred balance of sweetness and tartness.

Once your kombucha is at the desired taste, carefully remove the SCOBY and put it in a clean dish. Use a funnel to pour the kombucha into sterilized bottles, leaving about an inch of headspace at the top.

To add flavor and carbonation, you can do a secondary fermentation. Add fruits, herbs, or spices to your bottles, then seal them with caps and let them ferment for an additional 3-7 days at room temperature.

After the secondary fermentation, refrigerate the bottles to slow carbonation. Your homemade kombucha is now ready to enjoy! Remember to leave some kombucha in a jar for your next batch and to make more SCOBY if needed.

After brewing, clean your work area and sterilize any tools used. Store the SCOBY in a cup of sweet tea or in the fridge if you aren’t brewing immediately again.