How to Brew Kombucha at Home: A Simple, Nourishing Tradition
Kombucha is one of the easiest and most rewarding ferments to keep in your home kitchen. This bubbly, tangy tea is not only refreshing — it’s also full of life: living cultures, beneficial acids, and gut-friendly microbes. Making your own kombucha means you get to control every ingredient and every step, while avoiding unnecessary sugar, pasteurization, and plastic waste.
Here’s everything you need to know to confidently brew your first batch (and keep it going)!
What Is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a naturally fermented tea made with a SCOBY (short for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). When you combine sweet tea with this living culture, it sets off a gentle fermentation process. Over about a week, the SCOBY transforms the sugars into beneficial acids and probiotics, leaving you with a lightly tart, lightly fizzy drink full of gut-friendly bacteria.
Why Make Kombucha at Home?
When you brew at home, you:
Save money (store-bought bottles can add up quickly)
Avoid added sugars and pasteurization
Choose your own ingredients
Reduce packaging waste
And get to flavor it exactly how you like
Best of all, it becomes part of your natural kitchen rhythm — like sourdough, broth, or garden produce — and connects you to a living tradition.
What You’ll Need
Equipment:
A breathable cover (like a tightly woven cloth or coffee filter)
A rubber band or twine
A medium stainless steel or enamel pot
Bottles with tight-sealing lids for storing finished kombucha
Ingredients:
14 cups filtered water
1 cup cane sugar (organic if possible)
6–8 black or green tea bags (or 2 tablespoons loose-leaf)
2 cups of starter liquid (unflavored kombucha from a previous batch or a raw, store-bought bottle)
Brewing Your First Batch
✨ Step 1: Make Sweet Tea
Bring 4 cups of water to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and steep your tea for about 10–15 minutes. Stir in the sugar until completely dissolved. Then, add the remaining 10 cups of cool, filtered water to bring the temperature down.
✨ Step 2: Add Your SCOBY
Once the tea has cooled to room temperature (around 70–75°F), pour it into your fermentation jar. Stir in your starter liquid. Gently place your SCOBY on top — it may float, sink, or tilt — all of that is normal!
✨ Step 3: Cover and Ferment
Secure your jar with the cloth and rubber band. Place it in a warm, well-ventilated spot out of direct sunlight. Leave it undisturbed for 7–10 days. Taste around day 7 — it should be slightly sour with a hint of sweetness. The longer it ferments, the tangier it gets.
Optional Second Ferment (F2): Add Flavors + Bubbles
If you want a carbonated kombucha with fruit or herbs, you can do a second ferment.
Remove the SCOBY and set aside with 2 cups of the finished kombucha to start your next batch.
Pour the rest into clean swing-top bottles. Add a tablespoon or two of fruit purée, fresh herbs (like mint or basil), ginger, or citrus.
Seal the bottles and let them sit at room temp for 2–4 days. Then refrigerate to stop fermentation and enjoy cold.
⚠️ Always “burp” the bottles daily to prevent pressure buildup.
Troubleshooting & Tips
SCOBYs can look weird! Cloudy layers, brown strands, or floating sideways are all normal.
If you see fuzzy mold (white, black, or green spots), discard the batch and start over.
Cleanliness matters — sanitize your tools and always wash your hands before handling the SCOBY.
Room temp matters: Kombucha ferments best between 70–75°F.
Each new batch will grow a new SCOBY — you can gift it, compost it, or use it in other ferments.
A Living Drink, A Simple Practice
Kombucha is more than just a drink — it’s a relationship. Once you get into a rhythm, it becomes part of your weekly flow, offering a nutrient-dense, fizzy drink that feels alive because it is. With just a few tools and a little patience, you can keep your SCOBY going indefinitely, flavoring your brew with the seasons.
Let it be fun, simple, and low-pressure — and before you know it, you’ll be sipping your own homemade kombucha with pride.
