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bottled kombucha
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5 from 18 votes

How to Make Kombucha

Want to learn how to make kombucha? This tutorial will walk you through each step, plus check out our tips on equipment, carbonating, continuous brew, and more!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time7 days
Total Time7 days 30 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Chinese
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 6 bottles (20-ounce servings)
Calories: 75kcal

Equipment

  • large pot to boil water / steep tea
  • 1 gallon glass jar (or multiple smaller jars)
  • paper towels or napkins (avoid using cheesecloth if you have a problem with fruit-flies)
  • rubber bands
  • funnel
  • 6 pressure-resistant glass bottles

Ingredients

Basic Kombucha Recipe:

  • 14 cups water
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar Do not substitute raw sugar
  • 2 tablespoons organic black loose leaf tea Or use 8 tea bags
  • 2 cups starter kombucha Use plain kombucha from last batch OR store-bought raw kombucha (unflavored, unpasteurized)
  • 1 scoby per fermentation jar

Optional Flavoring Add-Ins:

  • fruit, spices
  • juice

Instructions

Fermenting:

  • Bring water to a boil. Turn off heat and add tea leaves and sugar.
    Allow tea to steep until sugar has dissolved and water has cooled to room temperature. Remove the tea bags (or strain out loose tea).
    Do not proceed to the next step until the tea has completely cooled, or you risk hurting the good bacteria in the kombucha.
    Make Black Sweet Tea
  • Pour into the glass jar (or divide among multiple glass jars).   
    Add store-bought kombucha (or starter kombucha from a previous batch) and the SCOBY and stir. 
    Cover the jar(s) with a napkin or paper towel, and secure with the rubber band.
    Tip: If using multiple jars, make sure to have 1 SCOBY per jar.
    Fermenting Black Tea with SCOBY
  • Set the jar(s) out of direct sunlight (sunlight can keep the tea from fermenting), at room temperature (around 70ºF), and avoid bumping or jostling the jar(s).
  • Allow tea to ferment for 7 - 10 days.  The longer tea ferments, the stronger the vinegar flavor will be, but fermentation is also affected by the temperature where you live.  Smell the tea after 7 days, and let it ferment longer if desired.
  • Next, pour 2 cups of the fermented tea into a container and set aside.  This is your starter for the next batch.  
    Place your SCOBY inside this starter kombucha until your next batch of tea is ready.

Make Flavored Kombucha (Optional):

  • Technique 1 (2nd Fermentation):
    Add whatever flavoring you want to the jars-- such as fruit, hot peppers, herbs-- and then recover the jars with napkins and rubber bands.  Store jars at room temperature for another 2-3 days.  
    Strain out all of the added flavorings from the tea. Proceed to the bottling or carbonation steps.
    Technique 2 (Flavor Added to Final Bottling):
    Add desired amount of juice to the kombucha.

Bottling Kombucha:

  • Use a funnel to pour the remaining kombucha into bottles.
    Refrigerate immediately, or move onto the carbonation steps.

Carbonating Kombucha: (Optional)

  • Seal the bottles, and let them sit at room temperature for 1 - 3 days, until fully carbonated.  
    If using plastic bottles, your kombucha is ready when the bottle feels rock-hard.  If using glass bottles, "burp" the bottles twice a day to release air. 
    Tip: It is highly recommended to use at least one plastic bottle when you're learning how to make kombucha, because it's harder to tell when kombucha in glass bottles has finished carbonating. 
    The kombucha has finished carbonating when the plastic bottle is hard.  Store kombucha in the fridge to slow fermentation, and drink within a month.

Video

Notes

General Tips: 
  • Keep it clean! Always wash your hands before handling the SCOBY, and use clean jars and equipment. Do not, however use antibacterial soap to clean your supplies.
  • Label everything! A lot of this process is trial and error, so it’s helpful to know exactly what you did. 
  • Have fun! Ultimately, this is a learning process from start to finish. Experiment with new flavors, gush about your kombucha fermentation station to your friends, and share your baby SCOBY with them!
Safety Tip: Do not use decorative glass bottles to carbonate your kombucha. They are not meant to deal with pressure and may burst.
SCOBY Tips:
  • Remove the SCOBY before adding juice/fruit etc to the tea. The SCOBY doesn’t like it when the environment changes.
  • Going out of town? Simply leave your SCOBY in a batch of kombucha. That batch might be too vinegary to use, but the SCOBY will be fine, and you can start over after your trip. If it’s for a longer time-period, either have someone babysit your kombucha, or start over when you get back in town.
Troubleshooting:
  • This is normal: A new, transparent scoby disk appearing on the top of the kombucha batch; stringy pieces of scoby floating in the drink (like with a vinegar mother); the scoby floating on top, on the side, on the bottom-- It doesn't matter where it is, it's working.
  • This is not normal: The SCOBY is black. The tea has mold or smells rotten. Throw away your SCOBY and tea and start over.
Note: Avoid prolonged contact with metal once the fermentation process begins.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Sodium: 25mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2500IU