Part I: What is Kombucha and Why Do I Drink It?
Now you know what kombucha is, how do you make it?
If you aren’t lucky enough to inherit a scoby from a friend, you can make your own with a few simple ingredients. (Scoby is the mother who turns the sweet tea into kombucha).
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Large 1 or 2 gallon glass jar, preferably with a spigot because it is easier to use. (I bought mine at Tuesday Morning for $20)
- Paper towels or cheese cloth
- 2 bottles regular kombucha
- black or green tea
- sugar, organic or white
Steps:
- Brew enough black or green tea to fill up half of your jar. For example, if you have a 2 gallon jar, brew 1 gallon of tea.
- For each gallon of tea, use 5-6 tea bags and dissolve in 2 cups of sugar.
- Let tea cool completely before pouring into your glass jar.
- Add the bottles or pre-made kombucha to the jar.
- Put a paper towel or cheesecloth on the top of the glass jar, and attach with a rubber band. Your kombucha scoby needs to breathe while growing.
- Place the jar in a dark, warm place to let the scoby grow. Do not disturb.
- It will take approximately 3-4 weeks for the scoby to grow. Once it is 1/4 inch thick, it is ready to brew!
- The kombucha you have in the jar now is probably too strong and vinegary to drink, so pour half of it out before starting the brew. (Stay tuned for part III on how to brew your kombucha).
Notes:
- Do Not use metal jars or metal utensils when brewing kombucha.
- White sugar or raw turbinado are both fine to use. Do not use honey because it has extra bacteria in it that can affect the kombucha. Do not use stevia or xylitol because the kombucha needs real sugar to eat.
- Use green or black tea when making the scoby. Do not use decaffeinated teas because it needs the caffeine for food.
- Keep kombucha in a dark, warm place when brewing for an optimum brew. Preferably 70*-80* F.
- It is okay if the scoby sinks sometimes. Within a couple days, it will usually come back to the top.
- The brown stringy things are perfectly normal, and are a part of the scoby.
- If your kombucha develops mold (which will be black or green), throw it out immediately.
- Kombucha scoby mothers usually reproduce babies about every week or so. If you see a film developing on the top of the jar, that is the new baby.
This is what the top of a healthy kombucha scoby looks like.
Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:
Have you ever made your own scoby before? If not, what is stopping you?
P.S. Sign up for the June Sugar-Free Challenge!
I have like 6 babies at this point and don’t know what to do with them haha. I’m thinking of starting a mini business out of my house
I’ve read lots of different brewing strategies, all with success. I did mine differently but as long as they both produce a scoby it’s good news!
Katie,
You should open a kombucha shop! haha…I’ve had a few requests for my babies so far, so I’m good to go for now…
I’ve wanted to do this for a while.. not sure why I haven’t, I guess I thought it was harder. Thanks for the easy step by step, I’m about to start making some today!
Lauren,
Yay! Good luck and let me know how it goes
Have you ever tried making water kefir? It’s similar to kombucha but is made with just sugar water and kefir “grains”. It’s more mild, less vinegar-y tasting than kombucha but has all the probiotics like kombucha. I’ve been making it for a couple of years. The turnover time is just 2-3 days, or even 24 hours if you put the grains directly into juice, which makes it fizzy and delicious! I ordered them from here
http://waterkefirgrains.com/
I actually have never heard of it. Sounds really interesting, though…Thanks for the link! I’ll check it out.
Id be willing to take one of your babies off your hands
I’ve been meaning to make my own kombucha for a while now
Molly,
If you live close, I will definitely give you one! I’m in Tampa, Fl
Thats so sweet! I usually live in Charleston, SC but will be gone for most of the summer so im going to postpone my brewing unfortunately. Maybe I’ll be in touch with you in a few months and purchasing one from ya!
Molly,
Sure thing! Have a great summer
Thanks for this – quite timely too as I think my inherited scoby is possibly on the wane (I need to be better at babysitting it!). Now that I know how to make another, things are looking up!
Mark,
Oh no! Things live and die, I guess…Good luck with your next one!
I love kombucha and a friend of mine is giving me some scoby this week. I will definitely be referencing your post when attempting to make my own kombucha. Thanks for the info!
Tracie,
Good luck! It really isn’t hard at all
Alex – I know I’m a little behind on this one but I just recently had my first store bought Kombucha and it was AWESOME! I want to make my own (so expensive!). So, I have a couple of questions:
1. You said no mental jars or utensils – is it okay to use a metal pot to brew the tea?
2. How long with the final product last in the fridge? I would like to make a big batch of this and I’m hoping it lasts awhile.
Thank you so much for your blog, I appreciate the time and effort you put into it!
- Heather
Heather,
I am so glad you like it! For your questions,
1. yes, it is ok to use a metal pot to brew the tea (I do)
2. Kombucha can actually last a month or two in the fridge because it is a fermented beverage.
Hope this helps, and good luck!
Hi I live in Tampa can we be in contact to get some Scoby?
Hi Nela,
I am no longer in Tampa right now, sorry!