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): You can also click to jump to a few useful resources:
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!
No metal or plastic containers. Metal can react with the acidic kombucha and hurt your SCOBY, while plastic can house nasty bacteria that you don’t want sneaking in. Clean is key. A recurring theme in kombucha brewing is that EVERYTHING must be CLEAN! We’re creating the perfect environment for good bacterial growth, but if a bad bacteria sneaks in it could ruin your batch (and make you pretty sick). Temperature plays a role. Fermentation goes a bit quicker in warmer temperatures and a bit slower in colder. No mold zone. If you see any mold growing on your SCOBY or in the tea (which I understand can be difficult to discern from the hideous SCOBY but will generally be green, white, or black), then toss your whole batch.
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: 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: 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: 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
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).
