Make Your Own Homemade Kombucha

Do you love the flavors of store-bought kombucha, but wish you could make your own?

Or maybe you’ve heard everyone talking about the great health benefits of kombucha and would like to start drinking it?

For several years, I was interested in making kombucha too. One day I was talking with a friend and she told me about the kombucha she was brewing. She not only offered me a scoby, but handed over a box of flip-top bottles for making second-brews! What a great friend!

Now, I’m hooked on kombucha brewing and all it’s wonderful flavor options.

Here’s how you too, can brew your own homemade kombucha.

Brewing kombucha is so easy! I’ve added it to my weekly routine right along with feeding my sourdough. Here’s how to simply brew a batch of kombucha.

• What You’ll Need
• Directions for Brewing
• Brew Tips
• FAQs

What You’ll Need

• 1 starter scoby (1 scoby with 1-2 cups of its tea/culture)
• 8 teaspoons loose leaf tea (preferably organic)
• 1 cup organic white sugar
• 1 gallon filtered water
• 1 gallon glass container
• Cheesecloth or other breathable cloth
• 1 glass container 1 -2 quart size
• 4-6 swing-top bottles (for storage and second ferment)

Directions

Heat 1 quart of the water to almost boiling. Steep the tea in a glass container (a 1-quart glass measuring cup is perfect!) for 5-15 minutes depending on the type of tea. (You can find a tea type brewing guide here.)

After the brewing time, remove the tea leaves (either remove tea bags or strain the tea) and stir in one cup of sugar until dissolved.

Pour the sweet tea mix and the additional water into the gallon glass jar. (Make sure there’s enough room for the scoby and its liquid.)

Once the tea is at room temperature, it’s safe to put the scoby and starter tea back into the jar with the fresh brew.

Cover with a breathable cloth such as cheesecloth or tea towel. It keeps out bugs and dust, and allows the ferment to breathe. I use several layers of cheesecloth held onto the jar with rubber bands.

Let the kombucha ferment from 7 – 21 days depending on your flavor preference. Taste it every few days after 7 days until you find the best flavor. Note the amount of days it took to get to that point. Once you’ve made the it a few times, you’ll have a good idea of your time frame.

Our kitchen is fairly warm so my kombucha is always ready to drink or second-ferment within a week’s time. The cooler the room, the slower the kombucha will ferment.

When your kombucha is ready to drink, store it in swing-top bottles to build up that fizz that makes kombucha so special. Let sit on the kitchen counter or in a dark cupboard for 3-5 days to build up the carbonation. If you are flavoring the kombucha, this is when you’d add the flavors.

To prevent a fizzy explosion, burp the bottles once every 24 hours, or let sit 12-24 hours in the fridge to calm the carbonation. Trust me, you don’t want an explosion in your kitchen! To this day, I still open flip-tops in the kitchen sink (just in case! 😉)

Once you’ve built up that fizz, your kombucha is ready to enjoy!

Brew Tips

Flavoring Kombucha

Even though kombucha can be enjoyed straight from the jar, most people like additional flavors added.

The easiest way I’ve found to flavor kombucha is with pre-mixed flavorings from Farmhouse Teas. They come in many different blends and complete instructions for how to flavor your kombucha. My favorites are the rosemary citrus and the root beer flavoring.

I’ll also puree fruit to add to my second ferments. I add about 2 tablespoons to each flip-top bottle. So far, I’ve had success with passionfruit, blackberry, loquat, and chopped ginger. The best fruit is fruit that is in-season, and very ripe to slightly overripe.

Cleanliness for a Healthy Brew

Before brewing, make sure all your utensils and containers are very clean to protect your scoby and brew from unwanted bacteria and mold spores.

It’s oaky to use stainless steel tools or other metal containers for very short amounts of time. However, prolonged use will cause the heavy metals to leech into the kombucha. This is due to the acid nature of the kombucha and its effect on metals. I avoid metal except for heating the water in a stainless steel pot on the stove, or when I use my electric tea pot.

Keeping Kombucha at an Idea Temperature

The process of fermenting is faster or slower based on temperature. The warmer the kombucha, the faster it will ferment. Optimal temperature is between 68°F and 78°F (20°C and 25°C). The first few times you brew kombucha, track your room temperature. Taste it every few days to learn how long it takes to get to the best flavor. Once you know the time frame, it’s much easier to plan your next brewing session.

FAQs