The Simple Guide to Kickass Kombucha

Have you ever wondered how to brew kombucha at home? This easy guide will teach you how to transform tea into kombucha in just a few easy steps! This is the most popular guide to brewing kombucha on the internet and has helped over 10,000 home brewers make kombucha in kitchens around the world. Yours next?

It’s a big day everyone! The day your intestinal microbiota have been begging you for. The day you say goodbye to expensive store-bought kombucha. The day you become a brewmaster!

The goal of this guide is to be your one stop shop for homemade kombucha brewage, from SCOBY-less to fermented perfection. No hopping around the internet or buying unnecessary gear. No fuss. No confusion. Because making homemade kombucha is so simple, and I hope after reading this you’ll give it a whirl! Let’s hop right to it.

The process looks like this:

This post will go into detail about each step in the process of making kombucha. For succinct instructions and metric measurements, scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post. The general order of things goes something like this (you can jump around this tutorial by clicking the links below):

1. Make SCOBY (1 to 4 weeks) – to make the “mother”
2. First Fermentation (6 to 10 days) – to make the actual kombucha
3. Second Fermentation (3 to 10 days) – to carbonate the kombucha

@liveeatlearn

It’s Day 3 of Fermentation Week! Let’s make kombucha 🍺 Have you ever wondered how to brew kombucha at home? My easy guide will teach you how to transform tea into kombucha in just a few easy steps! This is the most popular guide to brewing kombucha on the internet and has helped over 10,000 home brewers make kombucha in kitchens around the world. Yours next? (The full guide is at the link in my profile!) #kombucha #kombuchalover #kombuchabrewing #kombuchaontap #fermentationstation #FermentationMagic #lactofermentation #FermentationFun #fermentationworkshop #fermentationisfun

♬ Piel De Azúcar – Sahm.zc 🎧

You can also click to jump to a few useful resources:

• Supplies needed – My top tools for brewing ‘buch
• Kombucha FAQ – Be sure to check out the comments section as well for answers to many questions

Step 1: How to make a kombucha SCOBY

The SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is the mother of the kombucha, providing bacteria and yeast to ferment the sweet tea, protecting the tea from outside contaminants, and providing a loose seal to keep a bit of the carbonation in. Yes, it’s hideous…but it’s the very essence of kombucha! And the best part? You can make one at home!

Making a SCOBY Ingredients:

• 7 cups water
• ½ cup white sugar
• 4 bags black tea (or 1 Tbsp loose tea)
• 1 cup unpasteurized, unflavored store-bought kombucha

As far as gear goes, you’ll need a large glass container (holding at least 1 gallon). You’ll also need a clean cloth (like a dishtowel) and a rubberband.

Making a SCOBY Instructions:

1. Make Some Tea: Bring water to a boil and add your tea. Let it steep for about 15 minutes, then remove the tea and stir in sugar. Let it cool to room temperature—only when the water is at room temperature is it ready to work with.
2. Add Starter Kombucha: Pour the sweetened tea into your jar, then pour store-bought kombucha in, making sure to include any little gunkies that may be at the bottom – these are yeast! (This is the only time you’ll ever need to buy a bottle of kombucha – after this point you’ll be making your own starter!)
3. Ferment: Cover with a cloth to keep out bugs and debris, and secure with a rubber band. Set somewhere dark, still, and room temperature (70-75°F), like a cupboard, for 1 to 4 weeks, until a ¼ inch SCOBY has formed.

Keep your SCOBY in its original tea until you’re ready to brew your first batch. The SCOBY should live and grow for years if treated with love. The tea you used to make the SCOBY can be used as a starter for future batches.

Things to note when making your SCOBY:

• No decaf. The SCOBY doesn’t like decaf tea and will not grow as well if fed it (SCOBY = my spirit animal).
• Only black tea. Similarly, the SCOBY doesn’t grow as well with green or fruity teas. By all means, once your SCOBY is big and strong, you can use green tea, but for now, stick with black.
• No honey. Honey can contain botulism bacteria that, when grown exponentially as bacteria and yeast tend to do in kombucha, can be dangerous. You can use honey in the second fermentation once there is a higher number of good bacteria to fight off the bad, but for now, stick to sugar.
• Don’t mess with it! You won’t see anything but a few bubbles in the first few days. But then one day a thin, translucent layer will form, eventually thickening into a full on SCOBY. If it floats sideways or sinks, leave it! It’s just doing it’s SCOBY thang.
• It’s all in the proportions. As long as you keep the proportions in check you can scale this recipe up or down as needed. Also note that this is the same proportion we’ll use in the first fermentation, but on a larger scale to make more ‘buch!
• Got leftovers? Never throw your SCOBY away! Share the kombucha love by gifting it to a friend or make it into a delicious SCOBY gummy candy!

Step 2: The first fermentation

So you’ve got a newbie SCOBY and you’re ready to get this komboo-choo train rollin’. This first fermentation is where you actually make the kombucha.

First Fermentation Ingredients:

• 14 cups water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 8 bags black or green tea (or 2 Tbsp loose leaf)
• 2 cups unflavored kombucha (either from a previous batch or unpasteurized, unflavored store-bought kombucha
• 1 SCOBY

The gear you’ll need here is the same as what you needed to make the SCOBY: a large jug, cloth to cover the jug, and a rubberband!

First Fermentation Instructions:

1. Make Some Tea: Bring water to a boil and add your tea. Let it steep for about 15 minutes, then remove the tea and stir in your sugar. Let it cool to room temperature
2. Combine With The Starter + SCOBY: If your SCOBY is in the jar you made it in, use a clean spoon to push it down into the tea, then pour out all but 2 cups of the tea that’s in that jar (you can bottle it to keep as a strong starter kombucha). Finally, pour in your freshly made cooled tea.
3. Ferment: Cover with a cloth and secure with a rubber band. Set the jar(s) somewhere dark, still, and room temperature (70-75 F) for 6 to 10 days. Begin tasting the tea at about 6 days – it should be mildly sweet and slightly vinegary. The warmer the air temperature, the faster the kombucha will ferment. The longer the tea ferments, the more sugar molecules will be eaten up, the less sweet it will be.
4. And Repeat: Reserve 2 cups from this batch to use as starter kombucha for your next batch (just leave it in the jar with SCOBY). The rest can move into the second and final fermentation.

Things to note about the first fermentation:

• In this step, unlike in the making of the SCOBY, you can use other teas besides black. Feel free to experiment with green, white, oolong, or combinations of them. Fruit teas should be mixed with a few black tea bags to ensure the SCOBY mama gets what she needs to thrive.
• Once the SCOBY gets to be about an inch thick, peel off a few layers to create a second SCOBY (you can share the love and gift this to a friend!)

Step 3: The Second fermentation

The final step and negotiably the best part of the process! The second fermentation is where the real magic happens. It’s where you can play around with sweet, fruity flavors that will not only make your homemade kombucha taste better than store-bought but will give those good bacteria the power to kick it into high carbonation gear, bringing everything together into effervescent bliss. Let’s finish this.

Second Fermentation Ingredients:

• Homemade kombucha from the first fermentation
• Sweetener (fruit, honey, or sugar). Here are a few ideas per 1 cup kombucha:
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp mashed fruit or fruit juice
  • A slice of orange
  • 1 to 2 tsp honey
  • a piece of peppermint candy
  • a piece of candied ginger

You’ll also need a few fermentation bottles that will keep all the carbonation in! I recommend these flip-top fermentation bottles.

Second Fermentation Instructions:

1. Flavor: Strain kombucha and funnel into bottles, leaving about 1 ½ inches at the top. Add your chosen sweetener and seal tightly.
2. Ferment: Let ferment somewhere dark and room temperature for 3 to 10 days.
3. Strain: If desired, you can strain out fruit before serving. Place in fridge to slow the carbonation process.

Things to note about the second fermentation:

• Your jars can explode if the pressure becomes too high! For your first few batches while you’re still getting the hang of how kombucha reacts to your environment, bottle a portion of it in a plastic bottle. This will act as a gauge for how the others are doing. When the plastic bottle is rock solid, the rest are probably done. “Burp” them by opening each to release some pressure, then place them in the refrigerator to slow fermentation.
• Carefully open bottles over the sink with a towel in hand.
• The more sugar/fruit you add, the faster the kombucha will ferment and become carbonated.

Favorite Kombucha Flavors

I’m always experimenting with new flavors of kombucha. I’m always adding new kombucha flavors to this list, but here are a few of my favorites:

• Mango Kombucha
• Blueberry Kombucha
• Ginger Pepper Kombucha
• Pineapple Basil Kombucha
• Peach Pie Kombucha
• Apple Cinnamon Kombucha

Supplies Needed for Making Kombucha

• Black Tea: Plain black tea lays the base for your kombucha (buy on Amazon or my preferred shop).
• Store-Bought Starter Tea: You’ll need a starter tea to get things going (buy on Amazon or in most organic food stores).
• Large Glass Jug: It should hold at least 1 gallon (buy on Amazon or in most homeware stores)
• Fermentation Bottles: These bottles have a tight seal specifically designed to keep the carbonation in (hellooo fizz!) (buy flip-top bottles here or collect and reuse GT’s bottles)
• I’ve been loving these carbonation caps that prevent my bottles from exploding (left photo). Once you get going, pH strips can be helpful for monitoring your batches (right photo).

Common Questions About Brewing

Can you get drunk off of kombucha? Most kombucha contains less than 0.5% ABV (for reference, beer has about 5% ABV), so it is not likely that you will get drunk from kombucha.Add image

What are the side effects of kombucha? The high amount of probiotics in kombucha mean that drinking too much can lead to GI discomfort (bloating and in some cases diarrhea). Kombucha also contains caffeine and sugar, which may also effect you.

What are the health benefits of kombucha? Kombucha contains probiotics, which contribute to a healthy gut microbiome (and in turn, help regulate weight and obesity). It also contains antioxidants and polyphenols.

Can you put kombucha in the refrigerator? When you put kombucha in the refrigerator, fermentation slows down dramatically. You can therefore store it in the fridge if you need to take a break from fermenting, or to chill it prior to serving.

Can you use no-calorie sugars (like Stevia, Splenda etc.)? This is one of few recipes where you really cannot use sugar substitutes. BUT you won’t actually be consuming that whole 1 cup of sugar. The sugar is food for the bacteria and yeast. They’ll basically eat it all up and produce wonderful things like acidity and carbonation, and the finished kombucha will be much lower in sugar as a result.

My SCOBY sank to the bottom! Is it okay? Yes! Your kombucha SCOBY may sink or float around the container. This is totally normal and nothing to worry about. It will likely float back to the top eventually, or a second SCOBY may form on top (which is also okay).