Making homemade kombucha is a real treat! It feels like being a little chemist, with all the brewing and fermenting. There's the freedom to ferment for as long or little as you'd like, and you can add your own flavouring, to vary it up each time. Welcome to the world of homemade brewing!
Place the large glass container in a dark, undisturbed location at room temperature. Ideally, place the container about 10 inches (25 cm) off the floor to allow for ease of bottling. It will be hard to move the vessel when the tea has been added.
If you use a container with a spigot (which makes bottling a lot easier), choose a container with either a plastic spigot or a high-quality stainless steel spigot (304 grade or higher)*.
Make the sweetened tea by dividing the boiled water, sugar, and tea in a clean glass jars**.
Stir to dissolve the sugar and allow it to steep until the tea has cooled to room temperature.
When cooled, remove the tea bags (or strain out the loose leaf tea) and add the sweetened tea to the large glass container with the spigot.
Add the starter tea to the large glass container as well. The starter tea plays a crucial role in acidifying the sweetened tea to a level that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria.
Then gently place the SCOBY on top of the liquid with clean hands.
Cover the container with a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band. Avoid using cheesecloth, as the small openings are large enough for fruit flies to enter.
Ferment for 6 to 10 days***. The SCOBY may not always float at the top, and that's okay. A new "baby" SCOBY layer should start forming on the surface of the kombucha within a few days.
After 6 days, give the brew a taste test. If it hits the spot, it's ready to bottle! For a sweeter beverage, ferment for a shorter time, for a tarter beverage, ferment for longer. The longer the tea is left to ferment, the less sweet and more acidic it becomes as the SCOBY continues to eat up all the sugar.
Using clean glass bottles with plastic lids, gently open the spigot of the large container housing the brew and fill your bottles about ¾ full.
Leave at least 2 cups (480 mL) worth of brew in the large container to serve as the "starter tea" for the next batch.
If you'd like to flavour your kombucha, add a juice of your choice to the bottle, such as strawberry juice or apple and ginger juice, leaving about 1 inch (2 cm) of air at the top of the bottle for carbonation.
Secure the lid and store the bottled kombucha at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for 24 - 48 hours, which will allow for carbonation. After this period, refrigerate to stop fermentation and carbonation.
To make a new batch of kombucha, make the sweetened tea as outlined previously. When cooled, add this to the large container with the SCOBY and starter tea. Cover and seal with a rubber band. Ferment for an additional 6 to 10 days. Enjoy!
Notes
†Substitute every 4 bags of tea for 1 Tbsp of an organic, unflavored loose leaf black or green tea.
†A culture of bacteria and yeast.
* Since the acidity of kombucha can degrade metal, it's advised to use plastic to avoid the possibility of metal leaching into your beverage.
** To protect the plastic spigot from potential damage, it is advisable not to pour boiling water directly into the container with the spigot when preparing the sweetened tea.
*** Check on the kombucha periodically to ensure the SCOBY looks healthy. Light brown spots are normal, but black spots are not.
Avoid using metal throughout the brewing process, but especially when the SCOBY has been introduced to the tea. Metal can leak into the brew and affect the taste and damage the SCOBY's growth.
After each kombucha batch, a new "baby" SCOBY forms on top of the "mother" SCOBY, replicating itself. More SCOBY layers result in shorter fermentation time due to increased bacteria and yeast. To slow fermentation, remove older SCOBY layers and create a "SCOBY hotel" by storing them in a clean, covered glass jar with starter tea in the fridge, sealed with a plastic lid. It always helps to have a backup of SCOBYs in case something goes wrong.
Storage
Store the bottled kombucha in the fridge for up to 1 month.
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Let us know what you think
Nutrition per
serving(1 cup per serving)
Calories 14 kcal
Total fat
0.0 g
Omega-3
0.0 g
Omega-6
0.0 g
Saturated fat
0.0 g
Trans fat
0.0 g
Cholesterol
0.0 mg
Total carbs
3.6 g
Dietary fiber
0.0 g
Total sugars
3.6 g
Added sugars
0.0 g
Protein
0.1 g
Sodium
10 mg
Iron
0.01 mg
Potassium
2.9 mg
Calcium
7.2 mg
Magnesium
2.8 mg
Zinc
0.03 mg
Copper
0.03 mg
Manganese
0.00 mg
Phosphorus
0.0 mg
Selenium
0 μg
Vitamin A
0 μg RAE
Vitamin B6
0.0 mg
Vitamin B12
0 μg
Vitamin C
0.0 mg
Vitamin D
0 μg
Vitamin E
0.0 mg
Vitamin K
0 μg
Folate
0 μg
Thiamin
0.0 mg
Riboflavin
0.0 mg
Niacin
0.0 mg
Choline
0.0 mg
Nutrition info
Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food.
Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul.
For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician.
While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.
I’ve been using this recipe for over a year now! These are perfect base instructions to take care of the scoby and allow for experimentation with brewing time and tastes. Thank you!
PUL Team - May 6, 2024, 8:02 p.m.
Yayy so glad that you're enjoying the the kombucha, Patrycja! It's one of our favourites 🥰
Amazing recipe. Really, love the clear step by step instructions.
Reply
yeshe - Oct. 28, 2023, 11:04 p.m.
Congratulations on the app!!! I have been following you for years. You have come a long way and it has been a pleasure learning from you and watching you grow also 🤗
This is one of your recipes that is saving me money 😂 they are a bit overpriced.
Congratulations again It is going to help a lot of people. Wishing you and your partner a long healthy and prosperous journey .
PUL Team - Oct. 28, 2023, 11:51 p.m.
Gosh, Yeshe, thank you for the glowing review and support 🥹💛 It means so much that you're enjoying the kombucha and mobile app! We couldn't do it without you in our incredible community. I can't wait to continue our culinary journey together 🌱🤗
Reply
Sabrina - Sept. 3, 2023, 9:29 p.m.
Thanks ☺️
Reply
Светлана Карцева - June 26, 2023, 3:55 p.m.
Reply
Ellie - July 11, 2021, 12:15 a.m.
This was my introduction to your YouTube channel. An easy to follow recipe and one that has kept me happy for months.
PUL Team - July 16, 2021, 4:27 a.m.
Aww this means so much, Ellie! Thanks for helping make our PUL community so incredible ✨
Discussion & Rating
I’ve been using this recipe for over a year now! These are perfect base instructions to take care of the scoby and allow for experimentation with brewing time and tastes. Thank you!
I can’t wait to try it!
Amazing recipe. Really, love the clear step by step instructions.
Congratulations on the app!!!
I have been following you for years. You have come a long way and it has been a pleasure learning from you and watching you grow also 🤗
This is one of your recipes that is saving me money 😂 they are a bit overpriced.
Congratulations again It is going to help a lot of people. Wishing you and your partner a long healthy and prosperous journey .
Thanks ☺️
This was my introduction to your YouTube channel. An easy to follow recipe and one that has kept me happy for months.