How Do You Make Kombucha Tea At Home? Kombucha Brewing 101

If you enjoy kombucha on a regular basis, you’ve probably thought ‘how do you make kombucha tea, exactly?’ It’s a fascinating process, and today we show you how to make kombucha at home using common kitchen tools and ingredients.

Kombucha is a centuries-old fermented tea enjoyed by people of various cultures for its probiotic benefits. While nowadays you can find it in an assortment of flavors, its richness remains rooted in tradition.

Feeling intrigued by the idea of making your very own gut-friendly, health-boosting beverage? If you’ve at anytime time wondered how do you make kombucha tea, then its time to say goodbye to shelling out $6 a pop for store-bought bottles and whip up your own brew at home for a fraction of the cost.

In this post, we’ll break down the basics of kombucha-making step by step! And the best part? You don’t need any fancy gadgets or ingredients to get started. So, grab your apron, and let’s brew!

How Do You Make Kombucha Tea? Preparation Steps

Making your kombucha tea is as easy as one-two-three:

1. Make the SCOBY (1 to 4 weeks) or buy one
2. First fermentation: making the actual kombucha tea (6 to 10 days)
3. Second fermentation: carbonating the kombucha tea (3 to 10 days)

Essential Ingredients for Making Kombucha Tea

The three main ingredients for making kombucha are:

• SCOBY
• Tea
• Sugar
• Water
• Kombucha (use this as starter liquid)

What is a SCOBY?

If you’ve done any research into how do you make kombucha tea, you would have encountered the term SCOBY, and probably wondered what the hell is that?

Like the role of brewers yeast in making beer, the SCOBY facilitates the fermentation process in making kombucha. The SCOBY is a rubbery, mushroom-like slimy disc, consisting of yeast and bacterial cultures. The name itself reveals this, since SCOBY stands for: Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast.

Most people buy a SCOBY and add it to their kombucha tea, like how you add brewers yeast to wort, to brew beer. However, you can make your own SCOBY using a bottle of store-bought kombucha, if you have time and patience to do so.

Related Article: How to Grow a Kombucha SCOBY at Home.

What Tea for Kombucha?

Make sure to choose a tea that will support the health and growth of your SCOBY!

When starting your new SCOBY use only black tea. Your SCOBY won’t thrive with green or fruity teas. Once it’s larger, you can experiment with green tea, but for now, stick with black.

Black Tea (BEST): Black tea leaves undergo a longer oxidation process than green or oolong teas, resulting in a stronger flavor. Popular varieties like Ceylon and English Breakfast are great choices. After your SCOBY has matured through 4 or 5 batches, you can experiment with other tea types.

Green Tea: Green tea undergoes minimal oxidation, resulting in a gentle, earthy taste. It is great on its own or mixed with other teas for a unique blend.

Oolong Tea: These tea leaves are partially oxidized, falling between green and black tea flavors, offering a subtle blend of grassy and fruity notes.

White Tea: Black, green, and oolong teas come from mature leaves, but white tea is derived from young leaves with minimal oxidation. This gives it a gentle flavor and a pale hue.

Some Herbal Teas: These teas can be crafted from various herbs, spices, or plants. Although many herbal teas are NOT ideal for fermentation, a select few can be used in brewing kombucha, including rooibos tea, hibiscus tea, and butterfly pea flowers.

Decaf Tea (AVOID): Don’t use decaf. The SCOBY isn’t a fan of decaffeinated tea and won’t thrive as much if you feed it that.

What Sugar for Kombucha?

Although we have a wide range of teas to try out in our kombucha, the sugar options are a bit more limited. Don’t hesitate to explore the different sugar types, but remember, they might influence your SCOBY and fermentation process.

White Table Sugar (BEST): This is just plain white sugar, typically made from cane or beets. It’s our top choice for brewing kombucha because its results are reliable and consistent.

Raw or Whole Cane Sugar: These sugars are recommended with caution. They are less refined and might be tough on your SCOBY, but plenty of brewers still prefer using them.

Organic Cane Juice: This unbleached sugar gets the job done for those who lean towards organic options. It even contains trace minerals, unlike regular white table sugar, which has none.

Honey (AVOID): Skip the honey. Honey may contain botulism bacteria, which can multiply rapidly in kombucha, so be cautious. It’s safer to wait until the second fermentation when there are more good bacteria to balance things out. Stick with sugar for now.

How Do You Make Kombucha Tea? Fermentation Instructions

Alright, you’ve got your hands on a SCOBY and the other bits, and you’re probably thinking, how do you make kombucha tea?

That’s what we’ll do next. We’ll step you through the full process including first fermentation and second fermentation. Some brewers only do the first fermentation, but it’s in the second fermentation that you’ll get all the delicious flavors and bubbles, so it’s worth going through the full process.

The First Fermentation (6 to 10 Days)

In the initial fermentation stage, we’ll turn that SCOBY into the delicious beverage we’ll soon be drinking.

Equipment Needed for the First Fermentation

• A big glass or ceramic container, ideally holding at least 1 gallon or around 3.7 liters
• A tightly woven cloth such as paper towels, coffee filters, napkins, or cheesecloth
• Grab some rubber bands
• Get a big pot for boiling water

Ingredients for the First Fermentation

You can get creative with the tea selection for this step! Don’t hesitate to try out green, white, oolong, or even a combination of them to yield unique flavors. If you are using fruit teas, blending them with a few black tea bags is a good idea to provide the necessary nutrients for your SCOBY to flourish.

Instructions for First Fermentation

Step 1: Start by Making Some Sweet Tea

1. First, bring 14 cups of water to a boil.
2. Then, take it off the heat, add sugar, and stir until it’s completely blended.
3. Toss in the tea bags and let them steep for around 20 minutes or until the tea has cooled down.
4. Allow the hot tea to cool down to room temperature.

We can speed up this process by initially boiling 4 cups of water, dissolving the sugar, and steeping the tea for 20 minutes. Then, add the remaining 10 cups of cold water. This will help bring our mixture to room temperature faster.

CAUTION: Don’t rush this step. Hot water can kill your SCOBY, so it’s worth being patient and letting the tea cool down completely before moving to the next step.

Step 2: Empty Your SCOBY Jar

Using very clean hands, carefully transfer the SCOBY onto a clean plate.

If you made your own SCOBY, keep 2 cups of the liquid the SCOBY was in (that will be your starter kombucha). You can discard the rest of the liquid since it’s highly acidic and unsuitable for drinking.

Step 3: Pour in the Tea and Starter

1. Gently pour the sweetened tea into your jar
2. Then add the unflavored starter kombucha.
3. Using clean hands, place the SCOBY into the jar.

Step 4: Wrap it Up

Drape it snugly with several layers of tightly woven cloth and secure it with a rubber band.

Step 5: Ferment

Place the jar in a dark spot and maintain room temperature (around 70-75°F or 21-24°C) for about 6 to 10 days. Monitor the fermentation.

Monitoring the First Fermentation

Start tasting around the 6-day mark by carefully sipping some of the tea with a straw. Make sure not to let any liquid go back into your mixture when you sip by using your finger to block the end of the straw.

At this point, your kombucha should have a gentle sweetness with a hint of tanginess. Warmer temperatures will speed up the fermentation process. As time passes, its sweetness will subside as more sugar gets consumed during fermentation.

Set aside 2 cups from this batch to use as starter kombucha for your next batch. You can simply keep it in the jar with the SCOBY.

Got a big SCOBY? Once it grows to about an inch thick, you can peel off a few layers to create a second SCOBY. You can use it to start another kombucha batch or share it with a brewer friend!

Now, it’s time to move into the second and final fermentation stage.

The Second Fermentation (3 to 10 Days)

Onto the final and most exciting step in our homemade kombucha-making process! We’ve finished the first fermentation and now you’re wondering how do you make kombucha tea taste delicious, rather than boring cold tea. The second fermentation is where all the magic unfolds, infusing your brew with delicious flavors and fizz, turning it into a delightful, bubbly drink.

Equipment Needed for the Second Fermentation

We’ll need a few flip-top fermentation bottles for the second fermentation. These bottles are designed specifically for fermentation, featuring a tight seal that keeps carbonation locked in. If you don’t have these, regular canning or mason jars can work, too, although they might not seal as tightly.

Ingredients for the Second Fermentation

For the second fermentation, the only ingredients we need are:

• Kombucha, from first fermentation
• Sweetener

We’ll be using the homemade kombucha from our initial fermentation process.

For sweetening, we can use sugar, honey, or fruits. While there are a variety of flavor combinations, we’ll use a ratio of 1 cup of kombucha to:

• 1 to 2 tablespoons of mashed fruit or fruit juice
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey or sugar

Instructions For Second Fermentation

Step 1: Pour Your Kombucha Into the Bottles

Use a funnel to transfer the kombucha gently into the bottles. Be sure to leave about 1 ½ inches or about 3.8 cm of space at the top.

Step 2: Add Sweetener

Add your preferred sweetener (sugar, honey, or fruit), and make sure to seal the bottles tightly.

Step 3: Ferment

Allow your mixture to ferment in a dark spot at room temperature for 3 to 10 more days.

Step 4: Serve Chilled

You can strain out the fruit before serving, depending on how you prefer your kombucha. Then, pop the bottles in the fridge to slow down the carbonation process and chill them before serving.

Now comes the most exciting part of the brewing process – finally enjoying your creation! Pop open a bottle and savor it sip by sip. Cheers!

What to Keep in Mind About the Second Fermentation

Be cautious because your jars might explode if the pressure builds up too much. It may be wise to bottle some of it in a plastic container, especially in your first attempts as you figure out how kombucha responds to your surroundings.

You may want to use this as a gauge: once the plastic bottle feels firm, the rest are likely ready. Open each one to release some pressure, then pop them in the fridge to slow down the fermentation.

Also, remember that kombucha ferments faster in warmer temperatures and with higher fruit or sugar content. On the other hand, it slows down in cooler conditions or with less fruit/sugar.

Wait, wait, wait… does Kombucha Tea contain alcohol?

Those of you with brewing experience probably noticed that we’re using a fair bit of sugar. And with SCOBY being a type of yeast culture consuming that sugar, you might wonder if that means kombucha contains alcohol. Yes, a little, and if you want to learn more, check out out article Does Kombucha Contain Alcohol? were we explain how, why and how much.

Conclusion

Kombucha claims plenty of shelf space in stores. But what’s the big deal with this drink? Well, it’s got that crisp, fizzy taste that we love, all those supposed health benefits, and it’s pretty easy to make your own batch at home.

If you are a die-hard fan of this drink, brewing it at home can be cost-effective. But since kombucha is created through fermentation, there are a few food safety rules you’ll want to stick to for a brew that’s safe to sip. By following this easy recipe and keeping our safety tips in mind, you’ll be a pro at brewing kombucha in no time.

How do YOU make Kombucha Tea?

We’d love to hear your brewing tips and blends!

Have you tried a few batches already? How do YOU make kombucha tea? We’d love to hear about your awesome flavor infusions and tips, to help other fellow kombucha brewers. Drop us a line on our contact page or connect with us on Facebook.

Happy fermenting!

Related posts:

Fermented Non Alcoholic Drinks You Can Brew at Home What is Cordial Drink? Easy Introduction to Non-Alcoholic Cordials What is an Elixir Drink? Easy Introduction to Non-Alcoholic Elixirs FAQ: Is Cordial Alcoholic? Cordial vs Liqueur Explained