Homemade Kombucha

michelle bex
13 minutes ago
4 min read

SCOBY = Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria & Yeast

Kombucha is a fermented, effervescent drink made from tea, sugar, and a "SCOBY" (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). The SCOBY consumes the sugar, creating a fizzy, tangy, low-calorie beverage that contains probiotics, beneficial acids like acetic acid, B vitamins, and some alcohol and caffeine. It is consumed for its tangy taste and for potential health benefits, particularly for the gut and immune system.

Homemade Kombucha

Before we start, some very important key tips & hygiene practices:

Everything should always be very clean. Any contamination can spoil the batch. Keep the extractor hood on while your tea is cooling down.
Use glass containers or food-grade materials; avoid reactive metals, plastics or wooden untensils that can leach or harbor unwanted bacteria.
Maintain a comfortable room temperature (warm but not hot) to allow healthy fermentation. Cooler temps slow things down.
Be careful with pressure in bottles during second fermentation — “burping” (opening to release gas) may be needed to prevent bottles exploding.
If you see mould (i.e. fuzzy stuff, unusual colors) on the SCOBY or brew, discard that batch.

Equipment

Clean glass jars or containers, without the lid

Cheese cloth or paper towel (or other breathable cover)
Rubber band
Flip-top bottles, the ones you can seal well (for the second fermentation)

A SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria + yeast)

Starter kombucha (unflavored, unpasteurized) from a previous batch or from the store

*You can make your own SCOBY, which I will explain below, but they are also surprisingly easy to track down. From online shops and farmers’ markets to local brewers and fermentation communities. Because each batch of kombucha grows a fresh layer, home brewers usually have plenty of extras and are happy to share. Facebook groups are your best starting point!

Ingredients

Making the SCOBY

1.6 L water
4 bags black tea (or ~1 Tbsp loose black tea)
100 g white sugar
235 mL raw, unflavored kombucha (from the store)

First Fermentation

3.3 L water
8 bags black or green tea (or ~2 Tbsp loose)
200 g white sugar
470 mL starter kombucha + one SCOBY

Second Fermentation

Kombucha from first fermentation
Flavoring/sweetener of your choice (fruit, juice, sugar, etc.)

Method

Create the SCOBY

In a pot, boil 1.6 L water. Remove from heat and steep the tea in it for 15 minutes. Make sure to keep the extractor hood on to minimize contamination.
Remove tea leaves or tea bags and stir in 100 g white sugar until dissolved. Let the sweet tea cool to room temperature, still keeping the hood on.
Pour the room temperature tea into a clean glass jar. This can be a beverage dispenser, a large 2 L glass jar, or even multiple jars if you don't have the large size. Add the unflavored, store bought kombucha.
Cover the glass container(s) with clean breathable cloth and secure with a rubber band. Let it sit in a dark, room-temperature spot (~21-24 °C) for 1-4 weeks, until a new SCOBY pellicle of around 0.5 cm thick has formed.

First Fermentation (Kombucha Base)

This is very similar to the SCOBY making step, just double the amounts and add your pre made SCOBY:

In a large pot, boil 3.3 L water. Steep 8 tea bags (or 2 Tbsp loose tea) for 15 minutes. Make sure to keep the extractor hood on to minimize contamination.

Remove tea, stir in 200 g sugar while still warm. Let the sweetened tea cool to room temperature, still keeping the hood on.
Pour the cooled sweet tea into a clean fermenting jar. I like to use a large drink dispenser because it has a spout that makes it easy to take out a tiny sip once the fermtation is going.

Add in the SCOBY and 470 mL starter kombucha from a previous batch, or from a store bought bottle.

Cover with cloth and rubber band, and ferment at room temperature (~21-24 °C) for 6-10 days. Start tasting from around day 6. You want a mild tanginess, not overly sweet nor too vinegary. If you don't have a drink dispenser with spout, you can use a clean straw to extract a sip from the top of your jar.

Second Fermentation (Flavor + Carbonation)

Once you are happy with your first fermentation, you can start the second one. For this you will need the flip-top bottles, a funnel, a glass jug and a sieve.
Transfer your kombucha from the large glass container through a sieve into a glass jug, all at once or in a few steps if needed.

Reserve a portion of about 500 mL for use as starter for future batches. The rest is ready for flavouring and can be added to the flip-top bottles with the help of a funnel.

Add flavoring / sweetener to the bottles: this could be fruit purée or juice, sugar, ginger, etc. Make sure to leave some headspace.

Seal bottles and leave them at room temperature for 3-10 days to build up carbonation. Open the bottles at least once a day to release pressure. If you don't, you might end up with an explosive fountain coming out of your bottles.