How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home

If you’ve ever wondered how to make kombucha tea at home, this is your guide. This kombucha for beginners guide and recipe walks you through the process.

What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented, lightly sweetened and slightly effervescent black or green tea. It’s exploded in popularity and my Sprouts has it’s own kombucha aisle now.

The taste can vary greatly depending upon the brewer. It can be mild or it can be tart. If you let it ferment too long it tastes a lot like vinegar.

What is the benefit to making your own kombucha?

Like most store-bought, processed foods it can also contain significant amounts of sugar. One of the benefits to making your own kombucha is that you can control the sweetness. You can also control the amount of fermentation and the flavor.

Do you have to use a sweetener?

Yes, there is no such thing as a sugar free kombucha. The scoby grows off of the sugar or honey. If you don’t have those things then the scoby wouldn’t grow and the fermentation process wouldn’t take place.

Is there alcohol in kombucha?

Yes, but very little. It’s not a noticeable amount unless you drink a large amount but if you are sensitive to alcohol then it should probably be avoided.

Is this a difficult or complicated process?

Yes and no. The first batch is a little nerve-racking. Handling the scoby can be intimidating. There are a lot of steps that are spread out over a few days. However, once you get the feel for the process, it becomes a lot easier.

Is kombucha AIP compliant?

Yes but between the honey and the tea, it should be used in moderation. I think this is especially true of store bought kombucha as it uses refined sugar. I prefer making kombucha with honey to keep is closer to the AIP template.

Additionally, everyone is different. Like all foods, if you notice an adverse reaction you’ll need to eliminate it until a later date when you can try and reintroduce it again. If you have bad reactions to caffeine, tea or honey then maybe kombucha isn’t for you.

What tea can you use for kombucha?

You can use any kind of tea except herbal teas. You can always add a few herbals tea bags in addition to the black or green tea for added flavor. I’ve added a few mint tea bags to green tea and it worked just fine. You just can’t soly rely on them because they don’t have the same chemical makeup to help the fermentation process. You have to avoid any teas that contain oils, like earl grey or flavored teas.

Kombucha Green tea vs Black Tea

Black tea works the best but I use green tea a lot as well. Kombucha made with green tea (and honey) is technically called Jun but I use the phrase kombucha interchangeably.

For your first batch of tea, I would stick to black tea. The SCOBY reacts the quickest to black tea.

What is a SCOBY?

It’s legit and real thing. Its not a made up word. Scoby is an acronym for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast. It’s the home for the good bacteria and yeast that help transform the sweet tea to kombucha. It will sometimes be referred to as ‘the mother’ or ‘starter.’ It kinda reminds me of a sourdough starter as it has the similar principles.

You can buy a SCOBY online, get one from a kombucha making friend or grow your own. I got one from a friend and have been using it for close to a year. It’s grown lots of SCOBY babies, which I have passed onto my friends as well.

SCOBY’s are ugly on a good day. SCOBY’s will grow as you use them. Sometimes they will have strings hanging off of it which looks gross but it’s just part of the process. It may also sink or float. Either is fine. During a second ferment, the smaller bottles may also form small SCOBYs in each container, which is totally normal.

A healthy SCOBY will never be dry, moldy or smell rancid. The kombucha should always have a whiff of vinegar smell to the liquid. If it looks or smells bad, then discard the SCOBY and all the liquid. You’ll have to get a new SCOBY and start over.

What to do with extra SCOBY?

I always store at least one extra in my fridge in a resealable container of at least 2 cups kombucha (this is how to make a kombucha hotel) as a backup. Beyond that, I like to share extras with kombucha curious friends.

How to make kombucha tea at home

Bring 12 cups of water to boil in a stockpot. Remove from heat, then add the honey to the pot and stir until dissolved. Add in the tea bags then let it steep for 30 minutes. Let the tea cool completely to room temperature, which normally takes a few hours. Once cooled, pour the tea into the glass jar.

Add the vinegar or kombucha to the jar. With clean hands place the SCOBY on top. You can try and use tongs but SCOBY’s are slippery so good luck.

Cover with your cloth and secure with a rubber band. Place somewhere at room temperature out of direct sunlight (such as a cabinet) and let ferment for 5-10 days. The temperature greatly affects the speed at which the tea will ferment hence the span of time. Start taste testing after 2-3 days. Taste it everyday until it’s just the right amount of tart. The longer you leave it, the more it will taste like vinegar.

Remove the SCOBY and 2 cups of liquid for your next batch. Before you transfer the kombucha to bottles, it’s time to add flavoring. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup of honey to the kombucha if you want a little additional sweetness. You can also add fruit or herbs. The SCOBY feeds off the sugar so while there was a cup of honey in the tea, it won’t taste that sweet. Check out my recipes for Mango Kombucha and Honey Lavender Kombucha.

I like to strain the kombucha into a large measuring up before pouring into the bottles. The measuring cup makes it easy to pour into the bottles as well. Bottle the kombucha using a funnel, leaving some room at the top of the bottles, cover tightly then place in the fridge. If you like carbonated kombucha you’ll need to do a second fermentation.

How to make homemade kombucha fizzy

You’ll need to do a second fermentation to add carbonation to the kombucha.

To do a second fermentation, instead of placing the bottles in the fridge, place the bottles somewhere at room temperature out of direct sunlight (such as a cabinet). Let them continue to ferment for 1-2 days. Once they are at your desired carbonation then move them to the refrigerator. Take care to ‘burp’ the bottles each day. Burping means that you need to open the bottles and release the pressure the fermentation creates. This is no joke. Do not forget because if the pressure builds up, the bottles could explode.

How to stop kombucha fermentation

Once you place the finished kombucha in the fridge, it will slow down the fermentation process. However, it won’t actually stop it. That’s a common misconception. Your kombucha will continue to ferment but at a much slower rate. You may notice that if you don’t consume your kombucha within a few weeks of putting into the fridge that the flavors change. That’s because it’s continued to ferment.

If you like my How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home then you will love these kombucha recipe flavors

• Honey Lavender Kombucha
• Mango Kombucha
• Raspberry Thyme Kombucha
• Apple Cider Kombucha

Tips on making the best kombucha tea at home

• When you’re covering the liquid, make sure to use a breathable fabric. A thick dishtowel may not allow enough air to get through. I have cotton and loosely woven dishtowels that I use that are perfect. You can use cheesecloth however, you’ll need to make sure that you use a few layers. A single layer of cheesecloth is too breathable because the loose weave would allow flies to get through the cloth.
• Make sure to use clean hands and utensils when making kombucha. It keeps the kombucha safe to drink.
• Always leave a little room at the top of the container when you are ready to bottle the kombucha. That helps keep the pressure from building inside the container and prevents it exploding.
• Take care to ‘burp’ the bottles each day during your second fermentation. Burping means that you need to open the bottles and release the pressure the fermentation creates. This is no joke. Do not forget because if the pressure builds up, the bottles could explode.
• Click here for the exact glass container I used to make the kombucha.
• Click here for the same type of flip tip bottles I use to bottle my kombucha. I find these bottles allow for better carbonation.

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5 from 2 votes

How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home

If you’ve ever wondered how to make kombucha tea at home, this is your guide. It is a step-by-step guide to show you the kombucha brewing process plus tips and tricks to make your first batch a good one. This recipe is allergy friendly (gluten, dairy, shellfish, nut, egg, and soy free) and suits the autoimmune protocol diet (AIP), and paleo diets.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Fermentation Time7 days d

Total Time7 days d 30 minutes mins

Course: Drink

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 cups approx.

Calories: 113kcal

Author: Beth Chen

Ingredients

• 1 gallon Glass Jar
• 8 Black or Green Tea bags
• 1 SCOBY where to buy or how to grow your own
• 1 cup Honey
• 2 cups Vinegar or Kombucha store bought or leftover
• Breathable fabric such as a multiple layers of cheesecloth or an all cotton towel and a rubberband
• Bottles for storage

Instructions

• Bring 12 cups of water to boil in a stock pot.
• Remove from heat, then add the honey to the pot and stir until dissolved.
• Add in the tea bags then let it steep for 30 minutes.
• Let the tea cool completely to room temperature, which normally takes a few hours.
• Once cooled, pour the tea into the glass jar.
• Add the vinegar or kombucha to the jar.
• With clean hands place the SCOBY on top. You can try and use tongs but SCOBY’s are slippery so good luck.
• Cover with your cloth and secure with a rubber band.
• Place somewhere at room temperature out of direct sunlight (such as a cabinet) and let ferment for 5-10 days. The temperature greatly affects the speed at which the tea will ferment hence the span of time.
• Start taste testing after 2-3 days. Taste it everyday until it’s just the right amount of tart. The longer you leave it, the more it will taste like vinegar.
• Remove the SCOBY and 2 cups of liquid for your next batch.
• Before you transfer the kombucha to bottles, it’s time to add flavoring. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup of honey to the kombucha if you want a little additional sweetness. You can also add fruit or herbs. The scoby feeds off the sugar so while there was a cup of honey in the tea, it won’t taste that sweet. Check out my recipes for Mango Kombucha and Honey Lavender Kombucha (coming soon).
• Bottle the kombucha leaving some room at the top of the bottles, cover tightly then place in the fridge.
• If you like carbonated kombucha you’ll need to do a second fermentation.
• To do a second fermentation, instead of placing the bottles in the fridge, place the bottles somewhere at room temperature out of direct sunlight (such as a cabinet). Let them continue to ferment for 1-2 days.

Helpful Info for All Recipes

• I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise.
• I always use Himalayan sea salt or Celtic sea salt, unless otherwise noted.
• The majority of my recipes are strict AIP or include notations for reintroductions. However while I make every effort to label non-AIP ingredients and recipes sometimes they slip past me. If you have questions, please ask in advance.

Did you make this recipe? I love hearing your thoughts on my recipes so please rate and comment below.