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Homemade kombucha in swing-top bottles with natural carbonation and a light amber-orange color.

How to Make Kombucha at Home (Homemade Kombucha Recipe)

This homemade kombucha recipe is a simple way to make fizzy, fermented tea right in your own kitchen. Made with sweet tea, a SCOBY, and a little patience, it creates a tangy, lightly sparkling drink that can be enjoyed plain or flavored in a second fermentation with fruit, juice, ginger, or herbs.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 0
Author: Stephanie

Equipment

  • gallon jar
  • rubber band
  • coffee filter or clean tightly woven cloth
  • pot for heating water
  • wooden or non-reactive spoon
  • bottles for second fermentation
  • funnel, if needed for bottling

Ingredients

  • 16 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 8 tea bags organic black tea
  • 1 kombucha scoby
  • 1 cup starter tea from a previous batch or plain raw kombucha store-bought will work

Instructions

  • In a pot, bring the water to a boil. Remove it from the heat and stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Add the tea bags or tea leaves and let the tea steep until strong.
  • Once the tea has steeped, remove the tea bags or strain out the tea leaves. Let the sweet tea cool completely to room temperature. This part matters because adding a scoby to hot tea can damage the culture.
  • Pour the cooled sweetened tea into a clean glass jar. Add the starter tea, then gently place the kombucha scoby into the jar.
  • The starter helps lower the pH and gives the batch a good beginning for fermentation. If the scoby floats, sinks, or sits sideways, that is all normal.
  • Place a coffee filter or clean cloth over the top of the jar and secure it with a rubber band. This keeps dust and insects out while still allowing airflow.
  • Set the jar in a warm room temperature area out of direct sunlight. Place it in a room temp spot that stays around 70 to 78 degrees. Temperature makes a big difference in how quickly kombucha will ferment. Let the first fermentation continue for 7 to 14 days. I start tasting around day 7. If I want a sweeter brew, I stop earlier. If I want a more tangy homemade kombucha, I let it go longer.
  • Once the first ferment tastes the way I like it, I remove the scoby and set aside 1 cup of kombucha as starter tea for the next batch.
  • At this point, you can drink the kombucha as-is, or you can pour it into bottles for a second fermentation. If I am doing a second ferment, I like to add a small amount of fruit juice or sugar to each bottle before filling it with kombucha.
  • Seal the bottles and let them sit at room temperature for 1 to 3 days. This second fermentation helps build carbonation and deepen the flavor.

Notes

 

  • Always let the sweet tea cool to room temperature before adding the scoby.
  • Use plain black tea for the most dependable results.
  • Save enough starter tea from each batch for the next one.
  • Keep the jar covered with a coffee filter and secured with a rubber band.
  • Start tasting after about 7 days so the kombucha does not become more sour than you like.
  • Use sturdy bottles for second fermentation.
  • Refrigerate after the second ferment if you want to slow the process down.