Making Kombucha
Time Required: 6-15 days
Ingredients
- Gallon glass jug or non lead-based crock
- Linen or cloth napkin that will fit completely over top of jug or crock
- Rubber band to go around neck of jug or crock
- 1-cup sugar (sucanat, white sugar or coconut sugar)
- 4 to 5 tea bags (you can use black green organic is best)
- 3 quarts of filter water (not distilled)
- 1 cup of starter. This will have a kombucha mushroom and 1 cup of already made kombucha tea.
Kombucha Starter
Here’s How:
- Wash all utensils with hot sudsy water and rinse well.
- Boil three quarts of purified water.
- Add 1 cup sugar ( you can use white, sucanat, coconut sugar)to water when a rolling boil is reached. Boil water and sugar for five minutes.
- Turn off heat and add 4-5 tea bags of black or green tea.
- Steep 10-15 minutes and remove tea leaves or bags and let tea cool (it doesn’t hurt to steep the tea longer).
- Pour cooled tea into gallon size glass container.
- Add your Kombucha culture, placing it so that the smooth shiny surface lies up.
- Add 1 cup of fermented Kombucha Tea from a previous batch.
- Place a cloth over the opening of the jar and secure with a rubber band. This keeps dust, mold, spores and vinegar flies out of the fermenting tea.
- Allow to sit undisturbed in a well ventilated and darkened place away from direct sunlight (temp. 65-90 degrees F.) for 6 – 15 days. I highly recommend using a brew belt to keep the temperature stable. You can find this on my store.
A new scoby will form on top
You will notice that a new culture, or “scoby” will begin to form
- To make sure the tea is ready to harvest; pour off a couple of ounces for a taste test.
Taste Test: A taste test on a batch of Kombucha Tea may taste like this: 4-6 Days – Too sweet, not all sugar converted. 7-9 Days – Tastes like sparkling apple cider. 10+ Days – Vinegar taste becoming prominent.
- When the tea is brewed to your taste, pour the tea into glass bottles and cap. Then place in the refrigerator. This can now be second fermented with juices, but is still delicious as is.
- Always leave enough starter tea from your last batch to make another batch of tea. You can remove the two cultures or leave them in the pot to make another batch. Make another pot of tea with sugar and add this to your starter and culture to start the process again.
Sometimes the culture floats on the surface, sometimes it sinks to the bottom of the liquid. Either way is okay. When the culture sinks to the bottom a new culture (baby) will begin to grow on the surface of the tea.
Pouring Kombucha
Zi was given a very large, very thick scoby. I set out to find the shiny surface, but I couldn’t quite tell the difference. What are the implications if I put the wrong side up? I’ve had it going for about 7 days and don’t see a new scoby, nor does the original seem to be growing. Your thoughts?
*I
Also, due to the originals’ large size, I cut it and used but a quarter of it for my jar.
How much starter liquid did you use? Should be shiny side up but it will be fine if you didn’t. The size doesn’t matter either it is the starter liquid that is most important.
About a cup. Pretty much as much as was sent along with it. Saved a very small amount to store the rest of the large scoby given me for future use.
Is the kombucha still sweet tasting?
At 13 days, it’s a tiny bit sweet, but vinegary. I’m not seeing much of a new scoby forming, but for a clear bit stretching outward.
Then It is done if it is vinegary even if you only see a thin scoby. How cold is your kitchen? If its still sweet let it go a few more days and then add double of this starter liquid to the next batch.
Hi Donna, love your site & enthusiasm! I recently started making Kombucha. The first time I didn’t have any starter liquid, but was given a scoby from a friend in a little plastic bag. I brewed up my tea with the sugar & added in some plain apple cider vinegar. I tore the scoby in 1/2 to do 2 batches at once. I’m in Florida & both batches grew fast! (my A/C was off so it’s between 80-85 degrees inside). I tasted it at day 3 & it had fizz to it, but waited to about day 4. I let a couple cups go longer with the scoby & noticed it more vinegar tasting. I used this to add to my next batches.
My questions are in reference to you mentioning a “scoby hotel”.
1) Do I just continuously keep adding them back into the next batch?
2) Could I refrigerate some extra scobies in a baggie to give to a friend later (wasn’t sure how long they keep)?
3) Does the scoby ever lose it potence or eventually die?
Thanks much!
Cindy
1. You can add the new one back or you can leave all of them. It doesn’t matter. They do take up room in your pot though.
2. You can leave some scobys in the kombucha tea on your counter is the best way to store them. They will keep about a month.
3. You should always use the new scoby because it can lose it’s potency.
It looks like my kombucha has sand in it. Is that normal? My first batch didn’t have that.
It is just a process of fermentation. It is the yeast cells that die after they eat the sugars.
thanks!
So…I’ve been letting my first batch of kombucha sit for 3 weeks…a week ago I checked it. The scoby on top was super thin-it looked like a single layer of cheesecloth. It was see-through and had holes in it. So I’ve left it for another week…I just checked it again and it looks exactly the same. THe house has been between 70-73 for the past week. Is it dead? Do I need to start over?
Did you taste it is it still sweet?
Yeah…I just tasted it. It was sweet, but had a weird tang to it too…does it make sense for it to be sweet and vinegary at the same time? It doesn’t taste like the stuff I have bought.
It means it’s still fermenting. Can you put it on a heating pad?
I actually just poured it into jars
Call me impatient 
When I took it out, the top new Scoby was like slime, and the old one was brown and didn’t look all that great. Is what I have drinkable? I have a friend who I might get a new scoby and just try again, unless you think what I have will still work. If so, should I use the brown one, or the ‘slime’ I skimmed off the top? and Is the liquid I have adequate to put in a new batch, or should I get some differnt?
It won’t work to culture because it isn’t strong enough yet. It’s safe to drink but is not really kombucha yet. You can use either scoby but I would pour it back and let it ferment some more or you won’t be able to make more kombucha because your liquid isn’t strong enough yet.
DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH SUGAR IS LEFT IN THE KOMBUCHA AFTER THE FIRST FERMENT?
It depends on how long you let it ferment. It should not be sweet but not vinegary. I do not know the exact amount it varies.
I have a lot of scobies. Any suggestions what I can do with all the extra? Would it be better to give up the mother or the baby?
I’m learning through reading, that I can give Kombucha to my older dogs. The one has been a diabetic for 2yrs. now. Is there anything you know of about diabetics and Kombucha I should be aware of before putting on his food?
I’m hoping the kombucha might help with the kefir for my diabetic/pancreatic 10yo dog as well as his sister who has a UTI or so they think… 2 different strengths of antibiotics don’t seem to help. ugh (I’ve been giving her the kefir cheese for about 4-5 days now)
Kefir is more effective that kombucha for all the things you are listing. The kefir with the whey in it is even stronger than kefir cheese and I would recommend that too. Kombucha in small doses maybe a spoonful if they will take it would be great. Most dog don’t like it.
You should always use and save the newest scoby fr your next batch of kombucha. You can leave the other older scoby’s in the brew it doesn’t hurt anything. They call this a scoby hotel when you have a bunch of scoby’s stacked up together. You can also throw your extra scoby’s in your garden. They work great as fertilizer in your garden.
Last sentence above, a word was left out – could you clarify what’s best to do with the mother and the baby? (save one as extra and keep re-using the other?) Thanks.
Donna,
Can you second ferment your kombucha in a mason jar? Would I seal the jar for the second fermentation or leave it covered loosely by a cloth (coffee filter, in my case). I am only making a quart at a time according to some other instructions that I received–do you think that I can do smaller amounts, but the fermentation will just occur quicker? the instructions that I have said to only set out for 5-7 days for a quart of Kombucha and my SCOBY looks like it’s pretty regular-sized.
Thank you!
Sharla
I would recommend second fermenting in a mason jar. The seal won’t work as well. You can tell if it it is done if it is no longer sweet. Here is the page on how to second ferment your kombucha.http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/make-your-own-bubbly-fruit-flavored-kombucha/
Donna,
i need your advice. i brew my kombucha for 9 days (trying to get rid of most of sugar since i am pre-diabetic).
however it has the buzz of alcohol to it, which i do not feel from drinking gt kombucha from the grocery store.
how can i avoid getting this alcoholic buzz? should i be fermenting for less days? if i brew for 10 days it tastes like vinegar.
thank you so very much,
tina
It shouldn’t give you a buzz of alcohol because there is no fruit juice in it. Most often people who experience this are having a detox effect. It can mimic this because of the powerful liver detox in it. It turns to vinegar and is done aerobically and alcohol ferments need to be done without air in sealed off vessels and extra sugar like fruit juice.
I have felt that “buzz” from a grocery-store bought Kombucha too! That’s really good to know…I was feeling guilty consuming it while driving
GT’S ACTUALLY GOT PULLED FROM GROCERY SHELVES B/C OF TOO MUCH ALCOHOL IN IT FOR MANY MONTHS LAST YEAR. (SORRY FOR THE CAPS, IF I DON’T HAVE CAPS LOCK ON, IT AUTOMATICALLY CAPS THE FIRST LETTER OF EACH WORD. DON’T KNOW WHY.) I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE GOING ON WITH MINE & DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. I WANT TO GIVE IT TO MY KIDS BUT WON’T BECAUSE IT TRULY IS ALCOHOLIC.
First of all there is about 2 ounces or less of fruit juice in kombucha which is what all the fuss is about. Kombucha turns to vinegar the longer it sits because it is made aerobically. There is a lot more than meets the eye here with kombucha. It is causing quite a stir in the beverage business because of its climbing success. I drink a ton of kombucha and have never had these effects. Follow the money. My kids and many other people kids drink it all the time and no problems.
It’s about as “alcoholic” as vinegar, and you and your kids can have have vinegar without problems. I would not be worried about that.
Is it Possible to use other teas like red Zinger tea from celestials?
It is best to use black or green. Those are herbal teas and have other things in them.
Ok, and I was wonder Is it like Kefir where you can Have it forever or do you always have to buy the cultures?
Kefir grains last forever if you take care of them. The cultured packages make about 7 gallons each.
I like Popsicles
But seriously, when I saw your comment it make me wonder what a Kombucha Popsicle would be like. I do realize spell check changed from possible to popsicle.
Does the second ferment happen in the fridge or still on the counter?
It happens on the counter. It needs the warmth to culture.
Donna,
I followed your recipe to make the basic kombucha, and i left it to ferment with the scoby for 1 week.
i have now bottled it and it is in the refrigerator some bottles with mango, some plums, some raisins.
however it is tasting quite like vinegar and is bubbling even in the fridge.
any ideas on hot to make the taste more drinkable like a gt kombucha, or is it too late for that?
thanks in advance,
t
Did you let it sit out and second ferment before you put it in the fridge? You probably let it go to sour when you first made it. You can try and add more juice to the bottles and let them ferment a little longer. It is really best after you make kombucha to get it before it gets really vinegary. Not sweet but not overly sour. Then add you juice and let it ferment in bottles again. If it gets to vinegary it’s hard to bring it back.
Should the scoby be a certain thickness when finished? Mine is at 8 days with a very thin layer. Does the size of the container affect the thickness?
It is the temperature that changes the scoby. The warmer your house the thicker the scoby. It is ok if it is thin. Just make sure your kombucha is not to sweet or tart.
I noticed that 1 cup of kombucha is needed from a previous batch. What if this is your first time making?
You need a starter from your first batch and if you don’t have any you can buy a bottle of GTS synergy kombucha make sure it is the original one and use this as your starter. It will take a lot longer but will still work.
What is GTS synergy kombucha, and where would I find it? And can you be more specific about “it will take a lot longer”? Which part, and how much longer?
You can find GTS at health food stores and some grocery stores. It’s in the refrigerator section. The time it takes depends on how warm you house is and how strong your culture is. 7 to 15 days. the warmer the faster it brews
Hi Donna! I was told that I should not used GT’s Synergy KT to make a scoby because it contains an added probiotic and so doesn’t really make good kombucha. Do you agree with this? I don’t have a scoby and wanted to make one with GT’s Synergy (plain, raw) KT.
Thanks for your input!
I’ve made it with this and it works for me.