Ever wondered how to brew your own kombucha at home without prior experience? If so then you're in the right place! 

Making kombucha at home is not only rewarding but also a fun way to explore the benefits of fermented drinks.

This guide will walk you through the exact process, from start to finish, so you can create delicious kombucha right in your kitchen.

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What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented tea known for its tangy taste and potential health benefits. It is made by fermenting sweetened tea using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). This process yields a beverage rich in probiotics, which are great for your gut health.

Ingredients Needed to Make Kombucha

• Tea: Black or green tea works best.
• Sugar: Regular white sugar feeds the SCOBY.
• SCOBY: This is the heart of your kombucha brew, available online or from fellow brewers.
• Starter Tea: Use tea from a previous batch or store-bought kombucha.

Equipments Needed to Brew Kombucha

• Large Glass Jar: A 1-gallon jar is ideal.
• Tea Towel or Coffee Filter: To cover your jar.
• Rubber Bands: To secure the cover.

Step-by-Step Process To Brew Kombucha at Home

Step 1: Brewing Tea

Boil about a gallon of water and steep 4-6 tea bags (or equivalent loose leaf) for about 10 minutes. The stronger the tea, the more robust the final flavor of your kombucha will be.

Step 2: Sweetening the Brewed Tea

While the tea is still hot, dissolve around a cup of sugar into it. This is crucial as the sugar acts as the primary food source for the SCOBY during the fermentation process.

Step 3: Transferring the Sweetened Tea to a Jar

Let the tea cool to room temperature to avoid harming the SCOBY. Once cooled, transfer the tea into your clean brewing jar. It's crucial to ensure the tea is not too warm to maintain the health of the SCOBY.

Step 4: Adding the SCOBY

With clean hands, gently place the SCOBY into the jar of cooled tea. The SCOBY should float, but if it sinks, it will still ferment the tea effectively.

Step 5: Covering It

Cover the jar with a tea towel or coffee filter secured with a rubber band. This setup allows the kombucha to breathe and release gases during fermentation while keeping out contaminants like dust and insects.

Step 6: Keep It Covered for 1 to 4 Weeks

Store the jar in a dark, warm place (68-78°F is ideal). The duration of this phase depends on your taste preference; a longer fermentation makes a less sweet and more vinegary kombucha.

Step 7: Taste It to Check if Kombucha is Ready

Start tasting your kombucha after 7 days by inserting a straw beneath the SCOBY to extract some liquid. If it’s too sweet, let it ferment a few more days; it should be tangy but not overly sour.

Step 8: Transfer Scoby

Once your kombucha is to your liking, prepare to transfer the SCOBY to a new batch or store it if taking a break. Always handle the SCOBY with clean hands and use some of the kombucha as starter tea for the next batch.

Step 9: Collect Bottles

Gather some clean glass bottles for bottling your kombucha. Ensure they are sterilised to avoid any contamination that could affect the taste or safety of your kombucha.

Step 10: Flavour & Bottle

This is where you can get creative with flavours. Pour the kombucha into bottles and add any additional flavours before sealing. Leave some headspace at the top for gases.

Step 11: Wait & Enjoy

Allow your bottled kombucha to sit at room temperature for 2-3 days for carbonation to develop. Refrigerate to stop the fermentation process and enjoy.

Different Flavours You Can Add to Your Kombucha

Buy Ginger Lime Kombucha

Buy Berry Basil Kombucha

Buy Hibiscus Rose Kombucha

Buy Mango Passion Kombucha

Buy Classic Darjeeling Kombucha

Maintenance and Continuing Your Brew

You can still reuse the Scoby, once you have brewed your first batch of Kombucha. 

You can follow the below steps to properly store and maintain the Scoby:

After bottling your kombucha, the SCOBY along with a small amount of the kombucha (about one to two cups) should be stored in a clean glass jar. This kombucha acts as a starter for your next batch and keeps the SCOBY alive. The liquid’s acidic environment helps prevent mould and bacterial contamination.

Keep your SCOBY jar at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. The ideal temperature range is between 68-78°F (20-26°C). Extreme temperatures can stress the SCOBY, slowing down fermentation or making it susceptible to harmful microbes.

Regularly check your SCOBY for signs of mould or unusual odours. A healthy SCOBY is thick, light tan, and has a smooth, gelatinous texture. Black spots, fuzzy mould, or a pronounced sour smell may indicate contamination. In such cases, it’s best to discard the SCOBY and start anew.

Regular brewing is key to keeping your SCOBY healthy. If you're not planning to brew for a while, consider storing your SCOBY in a SCOBY hotel—a larger jar with multiple SCOBYs and enough starter tea to keep them submerged. Change the tea every four to six weeks to keep the SCOBYs fresh.

As you continue brewing, your SCOBY will naturally thicken and can be separated into multiple layers. You can share these with friends or use them to start multiple batches. This not only propagates the brewing cycle but also serves as a backup in case one batch fails.

Conclusion

Making kombucha at home is a simple, enjoyable way to produce a healthy drink that can be customised to suit any palate. Start brewing today and experiment with different flavours to find the one which you will enjoy drinking!