How To Make Homemade Kombucha- Simple Recipe

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Kombucha is a fermented sweet tea drink. It tastes like tart soda but with added health benefits of postbiotics that help your gut microbiome. Kombucha has gained popularity as a health drink because the fermentation process can infuse antioxidants and vitamins into the drink.

The flavor, sweetness, and bubbles of kombucha can be personalized to your specific preference. Even if you don’t like store-bought kombucha, don’t give up – you can still tweak it to your liking. Making your own kombucha cost pennies compared to store bought bottle of kombucha. 

How do you brew your own kombucha?

You need a starter called a SCOBY. It stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast. SCOBY are living microbes that grow with each batch of kombucha you make. They contain acetic acid bacteria and various yeasts, including Saccharomyces. The benefits of these microbes can improve gut digestion. Thank you good bacteria! 

Just a warning the SCOBY looks disgusting – like a layer thick layer of brown Jello with strings.

Don’t have access to a SCOBY? order one here

How to Care and Store a Kombucha SCOBY (A SCOBY Hotel):

• keep your scoby in a large glass jar
• always keep kombucha tea or starter liquid in the bottle at all times
• cover it with fabric or coffee filter 
• secure with a rubber band
• keep glass jar on the counter or in a closet out of direct sunlight at room temperature
• you can either save it to brew your next batch or grow your own scoby 
• some people name their SCOBY to remember to feed it

Making kombucha is a two-step process. 

The first fermentation process brews sweet tea in kombucha. Black tea or green tea are typically used but herbal or flavored teas can be used too. This kombucha fermentation process can take a week to 2 weeks. The SCOBY will feed on all the available sugar in the sweet tea.

The second fermentation process turns the fermented sweet tea into carbonated kombucha. The carbonation in kombucha is created by the SCOBY converting sugar into carbon dioxide CO2. The sugar comes from fruit used to flavor it. Store-bought fruit juice or fresh fruit purees can add different flavor. 

If the flavoring combination used isn’t high in sugar like ginger or spices, additional sugar can be added. The second fermentation takes 2-4 days.  Once carbonated to your preference, be cautious opening up the flip top bottle!

Looking for a Kombucha Starter pack with all the supplies needed? Shop here

How to Complete the First Fermentation

You need:

• A large, clean glass gallon jar
• fabric square 
• rubber band
• sugar
• 8 tea bags- black or green tea
• 14 cups of water
• SCOBY
• ~1 cup of starter tea

Directions

• First, make sweet tea- bring to a boil 8 cups of water. Once boiling, add 8 tea bags and 1 cup of sugar. After the sweet tea mixture cools, add 6 cups of cold water because hot water will kill the SCOBY.
• Next, pour the room temperature sweet tea mixture into the glass jar, add the SCOBY and starter kombucha tea
• Put the fabric square over the opening and secure with the rubber band around the top of the jar. The SCOBY needs to breathe but you also don’t want fruit flies to gather.
• Set the jar on the counter or in a closet out of direct sunlight at room temperature
• Let it sit for about a week. Your first batch could take about 10 days.
• A new scoby layer will form on top. You can take a clean spoon and occasionally taste the kombucha to taste how it is brewing.

Too sweet = needs to ferment longer

Too vinegary = overdone

• Once the kombucha is done brewing, remove the SCOBY with clean hands, keep one cup of the kombucha tea
• Strain to ensure you remove all parts of the SCOBY

Now it is time for the next step, secondary fermentation.

How to complete the Second Fermentation  

You need:

• air-tight glass jars- flip-top bottle are recommended
• fruit or fruit juice of your choice 
• strainer
• large bowl with pouring spout 
• funnel
• blender (optional)
• sugar (optional)

Directions:

• First, prepare the flavoring of your choice. By blending the fruit or spices in a blender make the pouring process easier into narrow bottle neck jars.
• Bonus: fruit juice or fresh fruit puree flavors faster compared to breaking down a whole fruit.
• Next, pour about cup of fruit purée into air-tight glass jars- narrow bottle neck pop.
• Do not fill to the top, leave at least 2 inches of head space. The fruit pulp will settle at the top or bottom.
• Let it sit for 3-4 days depending on how fizzy you like it. Bubbles will start to appear at the top.
• There is going to be some carbonation built up so be careful when opening the lids! I had some batches explode out the top while opening.
• When finished you can strain out the fruit puree or keep it.
• Finally, store in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Slower fermentation: by placing the bottles in the refrigerator will stop carbonation.

Faster Fermentation: kombucha will ferment more quickly when it is warmer and when there is more sugar/fruit.

Now that you made your first batch of kombucha you can take this recipe and personalize any way you want.

Need a kombucha recipe? Check out this Hibiscus Kombucha Recipe