4/12/13 How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home | The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858 1/5

How to Make Kombucha Tea at HomeRead online at http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858

Kombucha is a sugary tea fermented with the help of a scoby . Scoby is

actually an acrony m for "sy mbiotic culture of bacteria and y east."

I've been addicted to kombucha from first sip. It wasn't really the

probiotics or other health promises that did it for me — although I'll

take those, too! It was the way it tasted: like tart green apple mixed

with sour stone fruits, but with an underly ing sweetness that keeps it

all together. And fizzy ! I couldn't believe that something this could

actually be made from tea, of all things. Or that I could make it at

home with a few very basic ingredients.

What Is Kom bucha T ea?

Kombucha starts out as a sugary tea, which is then fermented with the

help of a scoby. "SCOBY " is actually an acrony m for "sy mbiotic culture

of bacteria and y east." It's very close cousins to the mother used to

make v inegar [http://w w w .thekitchn.com/how -to-make-your-ow n-vinegar-96977] .

The scoby bacteria and y east eat most of the sugar in the tea,

transforming the tea into a refreshingly fizzy , slightly sour fermented

(but mostly non-alcoholic) beverage that is relatively low in calories

and sugar.

T he SCOBY

Let's talk about that scoby . It's weird, right?! It floats, it's rubbery and

slightly spongy , brown stringy bits hang from it, and it transforms

sugary tea into something fizzy and sour. It's totally weird. But if y ou

take a step back, it's also pretty awesome.

There are a lot of theories about why the bacteria and y east form this

jelly -like lay er of cellulose at the top of the kombucha. The most

plausible that I've found is that it protects the fermenting tea from the air and helps maintain a very specific

environment inside the jar that is shielded from outsiders, aka unfriendly bacteria.

Probiotics?

Which brings us to the next question: what's actually in kombucha? Kombucha is indisputably full of probiotics

and other happy things that our intestines love and that help boost our overall health. Claims that kombucha

cures things like arthritis, depression, and heart burn have less of a proven track record, but hey , our bodies are

all different and I say go for it if it works for y ou.

Kom bucha Safety

And while the homebrewed nature of kombucha makes some home cooks nervous, is unlikely that kombucha

will ever make y ou sick. I spoke with Eric Child of Kombucha Brookly n when I first started working on my

homebrewing book, True Brews (Ten Speed, 2013) [http://emmaelizabethchristensen.blogspot.com/2012/06/true-brew s-

cover.html] , and he said something that has really stuck with me: "Kombucha has been around for a very long time

4/12/13 How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home | The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858 2/5

and been brewed in environments that were even dirtier than our

own." Like all things, y ou need to use common sense when brewing it

and pay attention to what y ou're doing. It's natural to feel nervous and

unsure at first. Bottom line: if the scoby is healthy , then the kombucha

will be healthy . (See the Troubleshooting section below.)

Is T here Alcohol in Kom bucha?

Kombucha does contain a little bit of alcohol as a by -product of the

fermentation process. It is usually no more than 1%. Unless y ou drink

a lot of it back to back, y ou won't get drunk. But people with alcohol

sensitiv ities should be aware of its presence.

I'm breaking the kombucha-making process into very small steps

here. It looks long and complicated, but this is actually a very

straightforward and streamlined process. Once y ou get into the

rhy thm of it, bottling a finished batch of kombucha and preparing the next only takes about 20 minutes every 7

to 10 day s.

Where to Find Kom bucha Brewing Supplies

Y ou can use regular, store-bought tea and sugar for brewing kombucha. Y ou can pick up a scoby from a

kombucha-brewing friend or even make y our own (more on that soon). If y ou're hav ing trouble finding a scoby

or any other supplies, check out these sources:

• Kom bucha Brookly n [http://kombuchabrooklyn.com/]

• Cultures for Health [http://w w w .culturesforhealth.com/]

→ Order T rue Brews! T rue Brews: How to Craft Ferm ented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda, Mead,

Kefir, and Kom bucha at Hom e [http://amzn.to/10hifzW] by Em m a Christensen

How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home

Makes about 1 gallon

What You Need

Ingredients

3 1/2 quarts water

1 cup white sugar

8 bags black tea (or 2 tablespoons loose tea)

2 cups starter tea from last batch of kombucha or store-bought

(unpasteurized, neutral-flavored) kombucha

1 scoby per fermentation jar

Optional flavoring extras for bottling: 1 to 2 cups chopped fruit, 2 to 3

cups fruit juice, 1 to 2 tablespoons flavored tea (like hibiscus or Earl

Grey ), 1/4 cup honey , 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh herbs or spices

Equipm ent

Stock pot

1-gallon glass jar or two 2-quart glass jars

Bottles: Six 16-oz glass bottles with plastic lids, 6 swing-top bottles, or clean soda bottles

4/12/13 How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home | The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858 3/5

Instructions

Note: Avoid prolonged contact between the kombucha and metal both during and after brewing. This can affect

the flavor of y our kombucha and weaken the scoby over time.

1. Make the T ea Base: Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Drop in the

tea and allow it to steep until the water has cooled. Depending on the size of y our pot, this will take a few hours.

Y ou can speed up the cooling process by placing the pot in an ice bath.

2. Add the Starter T ea: Once the tea is cool, remove the tea bags or strain out the loose tea. Stir in the starter

tea. (The starter tea makes the liquid acidic, which prevents unfriendly bacteria from taking up residence in the

first few day s of fermentation.)

3. T ransfer to Jars and Add the Scoby : Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon glass jar (or div ide between two 2-

quart jars, in which case y ou'll need 2 scoby s) and gently slide the scoby into the jar with clean hands. Cover the

mouth of the jar with a few lay ers of cheesecloth or paper towels secured with a rubber band.

4. Ferm ent for 7 to 10 Day s: Keep the jar at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and where it won't get

jostled. Ferment for 7 to 10 day s, checking the kombucha and the scoby periodically .

It's not unusual for the scoby to float at the top, bottom, or even sideway s. A new cream-colored lay er of scoby

should start forming on the surface of the kombucha within a few day s. It usually attaches to the old scoby , but

it's ok if they separate. Y ou may also see brown stringy bits floating beneath the scoby , sediment collecting at

the bottom, and bubbles collecting around the scoby . This is all normal and signs of healthy fermentation.

After seven day s, begin tasting the kombucha daily by pouring a little out of the jar and into a cup. When it

reaches a balance of sweetness and tartness that is pleasant to y ou, the kombucha is ready to bottle.

5. Rem ove the Scoby : Before proceeding, prepare and cool another pot of strong tea for y our next batch of

kombucha, as outlined above. With clean hands, gently lift the scoby out of the kombucha and set it on a clean

plate. As y ou do, check it over and remove the bottom lay er if the scoby is getting very thick.

6. Bottle the Finished Kom bucha: Measure out y our starter tea from this batch of kombucha and set it

aside for the next batch. Pour the fermented kombucha (straining, if desired) into bottles, along with any juice,

herbs, or fruit y ou may want to use as flavoring. Leave about a half inch of head room in each bottle.

(Alternatively , infuse the kombucha with flavorings for a day or two in another jar covered with cheesecloth,

strain, and then bottle. This makes a cleaner kombucha without "stuff" in it.)

7 . Carbonate and Refrigerate the Finished Kom bucha: Store the bottled kombucha at room-

temperature out of direct sunlight and allow 1 to 3 day s for the kombucha to carbonate. Until y ou get a feel for

how quickly y our kombucha carbonates, it's helpful to keep it in plastic bottles; the kombucha is carbonated

when the bottles feel rock solid. Refrigerate to stop fermentation and carbonation, and then consume y our

kombucha within a month.

8. Make a Fresh Batch of Kom bucha: Clean the jar being used for kombucha fermentation. Combine the

starter tea from y our last batch of kombucha with the fresh batch of sugary tea, and pour it into the fermentation

jar. Slide the scoby on top, cover, and ferment for 7 to 10 day s.

Additional Notes:

• Batch Size: To increase or decrease the amount of kombucha y ou make, maintain the basic ratio of 1 cup of

sugar, 8 bags of tea, and 2 cups starter tea per gallon batch. One scoby will ferment any size batch, though larger

4/12/13 How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home | The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858 4/5

batches may take longer.

• Putting Kom bucha on Pause: If y ou'll be away for 3 weeks or less, just make a fresh batch and leave it on

y our counter. It will likely be too v inegary to drink by the time y ou get back, but the scoby will be fine. For

longer breaks, store the scoby in a fresh batch of the tea base with starter tea in the fridge. Change out the tea for

a fresh batch every 4 to 6 weeks.

• Other T ea Options: Black tea tends to be the easiest and most reliable for the scoby to ferment into

kombucha, but once y our scoby is going strong, y ou can try branching out into other kinds. Green tea, white

tea, oolong tea, or a even mix of these make especially good kombucha. Herbal teas are ok, but be sure to use at

least a few bags of black tea in the mix to make sure the scoby is getting all the nutrients it needs. Avoid any teas

that contain oils, like earl grey or flavored teas.

• Avoid Prolonged Contact with Metal: Using metal utensils is generally fine, but avoid fermenting or

bottling the kombucha in any thing that brings them into contact with metal. Metals, especially reactive metals

like aluminum, can give the kombucha a metallic flavor and weaken the scoby over time.

T roubleshooting Kom bucha

• It is normal for the scoby to float on the top, bottom, or sideway s in the jar. It is also normal for brown strings

to form below the scoby or to collect on the bottom. If y our scoby develops a hole, bumps, dried patches,

darker brown patches, or clear jelly -like patches, it is still fine to use. Usually these are all indicative of changes

in the environment of y our kitchen and not a problem with the scoby itself.

• Kombucha will start off with a neutral aroma and then smell progressively more v inegary as brewing

progresses. If it starts to smell cheesy , rotten, or otherwise unpleasant, this is a sign that something has gone

wrong. If y ou see no signs of mold on the scoby , discard the liquid and begin again with fresh tea. If y ou do see

signs of mold, discard both the scoby and the liquid and begin again with new ingredients.

• A scoby will last a very long time, but it's not indestructible. If the scoby becomes black, that is a sign that it

has passed its lifespan. If it develops green or black mold, it is has become infected. In both of these cases, throw

away the scoby and begin again.

• To prolong the life and maintain the health of y our scoby , stick to the ratio of sugar, tea, starter tea, and water

outlined in the recipe. Y ou should also peel off the bottom (oldest) lay er every few batches. This can be

discarded, composted, used to start a new batch of kombucha, or given to a friend to start their own.

• If y ou're ever in doubt about whether there is a problem with y our scoby , just continue brewing batches but

discard the kombucha they make. If there's a problem, it will get worse over time and become very apparent. If

it's just a natural aspect of the scoby , then it will stay consistent from batch to batch and the kombucha is fine for

drinking.

Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home?

See more How To posts [http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/category/2852/how-to]

We're looking for great examples of y our own household intelligence too!

Subm it y our own tutorials or ideas here! [../contact]

(Im a g es: Em m a Ch r isten sen )

Categories: Main, Drinks, Beverages, Email, Healthy Liv ing, How To, Recipe, Tea

4/12/13 How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home | The Kitchn

www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858 5/5

07 .10.12 12:30PM

Emma Christensen

[http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?

url=http%3A%2F%2Fw w w .thekitchn.com%2Fhow -

to-

make-

kombucha-

tea-at-

home-

173858&description=How %20to%20Make%20Kombucha%20Tea%20at%20Home&media=http://g-

ec1.apartmenttherapy.com/3530738/2012-

07-10-

Kombucha01v2_rect540.jpg]