A query regarding the nature of Kombucha.
Discover the art of making your own kombucha at home with this easy-to-follow guide. This fermented tea beverage, rich in probiotics, offers a refreshing taste and numerous health benefits.
Ingredients and Equipment
To brew your own kombucha, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Filtered and chlorine-free water (approximately 14 cups or 3.5 litres)
- Black or green tea (8 tea bags or 2 tablespoons of loose tea)
- Granulated white sugar (1 cup)
- A SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) with starter liquid
Equipment-wise, you'll need a large glass jar (1 gallon or more), a pot for boiling water, a cloth or coffee filter, and rubber band for covering, and bottles for storing finished kombucha (optional, for second fermentation).
Preparing the Sweet Tea Base
- Boil water and steep tea bags or loose tea for 10–15 minutes to make a strong brew.
- Add sugar to the hot tea and stir until fully dissolved. The sugar feeds the SCOBY during fermentation.
- Dilute the strong sweet tea with cold filtered water to reach the desired volume (often 1 gallon or about 14 cups in total).
- Cool the tea completely to room temperature (around 68°F to 78°F or 20°C to 25°C), as hot tea can kill the SCOBY.
Adding the SCOBY and Starter Liquid
- Once the tea is cool, transfer it to a clean glass jar.
- Add the SCOBY along with some starter kombucha liquid (about 1/4 cup per quart of tea). This helps acidify the brew to prevent harmful bacteria growth.
- Cover the jar with a breathable cloth or coffee filter secured with a rubber band to allow airflow but keep contaminants out.
Fermentation
Place the jar in a warm, draft-free area away from direct sunlight. Let it ferment for roughly 7 days, though fermentation duration can range from 5 to 12 days depending on taste preference; longer fermentation produces more sour kombucha. During fermentation, a new SCOBY will form on top of the liquid.
Tasting and Bottling
Taste the kombucha starting around day 5 to find your preferred balance of sweetness and acidity. Once ready, you can bottle the kombucha for a second fermentation if desired, which can add carbonation. Save some of the kombucha and SCOBY for the next batch.
Summary of Ingredients per Gallon:
| Ingredient | Quantity | Purpose | |------------------|---------------------|--------------------------------| | Water | ~14 cups (3.5 L) | Dilute tea, fermentation base | | Black or Green Tea | 8 tea bags or 2 tbsp loose tea | Flavor and nutrition for SCOBY | | Sugar | 1 cup (granulated) | Feeds SCOBY during fermentation| | SCOBY | 1 culture | Fermentation starter | | Starter Kombucha liquid | 1-2 cups (from previous batch or store-bought raw kombucha) | Acidifies brew, aids fermentation|
Some variations like Jun kombucha substitute honey for sugar and green tea, but traditional kombucha uses sugar and black or green tea.
Enjoy the unique and delicious taste of homemade kombucha, with popular flavours including ginger, maple syrup, hibiscus, root beer, strawberry, lime, clementine, balsam fir, and more. This refreshing drink can be enjoyed at any time of the day. Making homemade kombucha is a simple, safe, and quick DIY project.
[1] Source: Kombucha Kamp [2] Source: Cultures for Health [3] Source: The Spruce Eats [4] Source: Brew Dr. Kombucha [5] Source: The Kombucha Shop
- Exploring the world of health-and-wellness, homemade kombucha, rich in probiotics, offers a refreshing taste and numerous health benefits.
- To make a healthy-diets friendly kombucha at home, the art of cooking involves using ingredients like filtered water, black or green tea, granulated white sugar, a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), and starter kombucha liquid.
- As part of a balanced lifestyle, incorporating food-and-drink like homemade kombucha, with flavors such as ginger, maple syrup, hibiscus, and more, can contribute to maintaining a nutrient-rich diet and promoting overall health.
