Homemade kombucha is truly stupid-easy to make, and saves you a lot of money over store-bought.
All you need is tea, sugar, a SCOBY and patience. Okay, so there are a few more details than that but overall, it’s pretty simple.
I started buying kombucha before the great freak-out of 2010 – thanks a lot, Lindsay Lohan – during which the unquantified alcohol that could be in the drink caused it to be suddenly yanked off store shelves. Meanwhile, brewers of homemade kombucha were laughing.
All About Homemade Kombucha
I love fermented foods – I make my own sauerkraut and plan to start making kimchi – and it makes me feel kind of off the grid. Recently, I decided that I’d had enough of spending $4 for a bottle of GT’s. It was high time to get a SCOBY and start fermenting my own homemade kombucha.
How is Kombucha Made?
For those new to kombucha brewing, a SCOBY is a magical Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast which gobble up (ferment) the sugar, metabolizing it into the slightly carbonated, tangy drink that’s rich with probiotics and beneficial acids.
In reality, it looks like a pale, weird, flat pancake and sort of like a science experiment. Click here to read more about kombucha health benefits.
How to Grow Your Own SCOBY at Home
One of the most common questions future kombucha makers want to know is where to get a SCOBY.
Get one from a friend or even better, grow your own at home.
Watch my tutorial and see how easy it is to grow your own kombucha SCOBY:
How to Flavor Your Homemade Kombucha
I used a recipe for plain kombucha to start, then created my own flavor combinations for the second fermentation (to make more carbonation). I came up with ginger-mango and blueberry-raspberry. Both came out freaking delicious!
Since I’m all about stupid-easy stuff, I made a fruit puree (directions below) and froze it in ice cube trays so that I could add it exactly when my homemade kombucha was ready – which happened to be during the week when I was uber-busy.
I ended up with *almost* four full 32 oz jars of homemade kombucha (one ginger-mango, two blueberry-raspberry and half a jar of plain).
How to Start Your Next Batch of Kombucha
You have to reserve at least a cup of homemade kombucha out of each batch to get the next started.
Overall, I was psyched at how easy this was to do at home, and I’m already planning to expand my little operation so I can double or triple my homemade kombucha production.
You can also order pre-made kits for making homemade kombucha, like these.
Bottom line: You’ll have to experiment to see how long each step of process will take based on the conditions in your home and your own tastebuds.
If the homemade kombucha is too sour, you can add more sugar and keep the fermentation going, but that just delays the process.
Homemade Kombucha Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 SCOBY grow your own or order online
- 8 organic green tea bags
- 1 cup sugar organic granulated white sugar
- 1 gallon water
- 1 gallon Mason jar
- 1 old t-shirt
Instructions
- Boil 64 oz of water (8 cups) in a large pot.
- Add 8 green tea bags and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags.
- Add 1 cup of sugar and stir well.
- Allow the tea to come to room temperature and pour into a clean one-gallon mason jar or crock.
- Add 64 oz more water to the jar and place the SCOBY along with any kombucha tea (KT) it came with into the jar.
- Cover with a piece of old t-shirt, and secure with a rubber band.
- Allow the homemade kombucha to ferment in a dark place (mine was in the pantry) for 7-14 days. Mine was ready after 8, but I live in Southern California, and it’s been warm lately. The fermentation time will vary depending on your location, your SCOBY and how sweet or sour you want the homemade kombucha. Sample by moving the SCOBY aside and taking a little out with a clean spoon. After this time, your tea may be slightly carbonated and will be unflavored (only tea-flavored). You may drink the homemade kombucha tea then or to do a second fermentation with different fruits for flavor and more carbonation.
Recipe Video
Ginger-Mango Homemade Kombucha Tea
Making homemade kombucha is simple and easy. Learn how to flavor your homemade kombucha with ginger and mango.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mango fresh or frozen
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled
- 2 tbsp chia seeds optional
Instructions
- Puree the defrosted mango and ginger in a blender, Vitamix or food processor. Or, you can grate the ginger with a microplane grater if your blender isn’t very strong.
- Spoon the mixture into an ice cube tray. Freeze until solid.
- Two cubes will be ~1/4 cup of fruit puree.
- After your unflavored homemade kombucha is done fermenting, transfer it to a 32 oz mason jar. Add two cubes or ¼ cup of ginger-mango puree. Close the lid and allow to ferment again from 1-3 days – again, it depends on your taste. You may want more or less ginger-mango puree or more or less carbonation. Mine took 2 days until I thought it was perfect. When it’s done, add your chia seeds and stir well so they don’t clump together.
- Keep the extra cubes frozen for your next batch.
Blueberry-Raspberry Homemade Kombucha Tea
Making homemade kombucha is simple and easy. Learn how to flavor your homemade kombucha with blueberry and raspberry.
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup raspberries fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp chia seeds optional
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the berries over medium heat until they have released their juices.
- Lightly pureed them in the Vitamix or blender.
- Spoon the mixture into an ice cube tray. Freeze until solid.
- Two cubes will be ~1/4 cup of fruit puree.
- After your unflavored homemade kombucha tea is done fermenting, transfer it to a 32 oz mason jar. Add two cubes or ¼ cup of blueberry-raspberry puree. Close the lid and allow to ferment again from 1-3 days – again, it depends on your taste. You may want more or less blueberry-raspberry puree or more or less carbonation. Mine took 2 days until I thought it was perfect. You may want to strain the flavored kombucha to remove any seed reside. When it’s done, add your chia seeds and stir well so they don’t clump together.
- Keep the extra cubes frozen for your next batch.
Have a question about this Homemade Kombucha Recipe? Leave it in the comments below!
Pin this Homemade Kombucha Recipe for later!
Where is the SCOBY from??
Hi Tracy…I got my SCOBY from a friend but you can find them online or in some health food stores. You can also grow one from scratch from a bottle of pre-made kombucha.
Hi! I just made a gallon last night. I used a scoby that i bought online. I’ve been looking online and a lot of websites say to use 2 cups of preview kombucha with the scoby or to use white vinegar. I used neither. Is my batch still good? Or should I add the white vinegar now?
Thank you!
Hi Andrea. Did your SCOBY come with ANY liquid? There will be cultures in that liquid and of course the SCOBY itself. It’ll ferment but may take a couple more days. Oh, white vinegar is only to rinse out your containers. Don’t add that to your kombucha.
What is it?
I can’t see what you’re referring to. What is what? Please clarify so I can help 🙂
I have the continuous kombucha system which is a big porcelain container and all of me bottles to bottle in. I’m hoping someone in the kambuch a community wants it. I do not want to throw it out
Very interesting! I’m cerluntry growing a 2.5 x 1.5m kombucha scoby. I make leather and traditional egg or brain tanned buckskin, so was interested to put the scoby through the same processes involved. last night I cut off a strip and put it in tanning solution. Will take up to 3 months. If you are interested I will be describing the process at the website of the forager book project or on my blog at wildman wild food. Would be very interested to hear if you have already progressed further with similar experiments.Cheers, Fergus
I’ve never heard of that process before…very curious indeed.
SCOBYs can also be made by using tea, sugar and half a bottle of GTs. Super easy use the same method as described using vinegar but use GTs instead. Keep it at about 70-75 degrees and you will have your own baby SCOBY. Look it up on the web, there lots of sites that talk about it. It’s super healthy and tastes great!
Thanks Lisa…yes, I have a whole tutorial on growing a SCOBY from a bottle of GT’s. Works like a charm!
What’s GT?
A brand of kombucha.
You can start your own SCOBY by making a 1 qt jar of sweet tea and adding 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with the mother to the jar, Braggs works well. Then just put your cloth secured on top and let it grow 1 week or 2 until you see the SCOBY on top of the tea. If you will be using a 1 gallon jar to make future batches then put the quart of the tea with apple cider vinegar in the jar and cover with cloth secured by a rubber band. The longer you let the tea ferment the thicker your SCOBY will become.
Good to know! I’ve never seen ACV with much of a culture inside but I’ll have to test this out! Thanks for sharing 🙂
if you want the mother from unpasteurized ACV to grow you need two things: provide air and food, the vinegar is kinda a finished product with little food for the culture left, also the culture is normally aerobic and needs air to grow and make acetic acid.
Hi there, just wondering Do you leave your scoby in during the fermentation period with the fruit? Cheers!
Hi Jules,
No you pour the plain kombucha out of the jar with the scoby into smaller jars. Then you add fruit. Don’t add fruit to the jar with the scoby in it.
Tracy, I’m about to bottle my first batch o’ booch from a home-grown SCOBY. Growing it was also “stupid easy.” It took about a month, and I used the instructions at Kombucha Kamp. They were really easy to follow. I used a bottle of store-bought plus the dregs from a bottle a friend brewed.
Hey! Nice post. Have you tried doing any kombucha w/ Chia seeds like GTs?
Hi Laura! I have added chia seeds after the second fermentation…it was pretty delicious 🙂
Great! Thx! Looking forward to try it as soon as my jars come in and I can get a hold of a SCOBY.
🙂 I’m excited for you! Let me know how it turns out! I can’t vouch for the reliability of this method but you could always try growing a SCOBY from scratch: http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2010/05/how-to-grow-a-motherscoby-from-store-bought-kombucha/.
I grew mine from ginger flavored from Costco , worked great. I see another post on here the user said they made it from apple cider vinegar ( with the mother). I might try that myself. I’m big in to home brew beer so this sparked my interest for the days that beer won’t do.
Hi Roy, Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I’m sure you’ll find more valuable information exploring the site. Have fun!
I just made my own SCOBY and am on to making my first batch of kambucha! I can’t wait!!!
Did you use the method of using pre-made kombucha? That’s awesome!
Can you do a tutorial for making SCOBY? Like could you make one from a store-bought bottle? I dislike tea but with enough fruit I could make it work for my tastebuds 😉
I’ve never tried it but I’m willing to give it a go!! 🙂 Even the kombucha in the store is based on tea. The green tea that I use is a milder flavor, I think. I’ll get back to you with the results!
Hi! I started to make kombucha too! I love how much money I’m saving!
Isn’t it amazing how simple it really is?! I feel like I’m cheating 🙂 What are your favorite flavors?
I have my first batch of kombucha fermenting now. I have mason jars and will probably use those to bottle it. I have read, however, that you should use plastic caps and not metal for bottling. I also read that mason jar lids are not great to use because they don’t hold a tight enough seal and carbonation leaks through resulting in a flat kombucha. Have you experienced this? I would love to use my mason jar lids and not have to seak out another source of bottling.
Hi Kathie,
I saved up some old GT’s bottles and use that when I can. I’ve also got some growler bottles that I bought from a local brewery that sells kombucha. Both provide a nice firm seal.
A few weeks back when it was very hot here, I had my kombucha in it’s second fermentation in a mason jar and after 24 hours, it built up so much pressure that it dented the lid upward. My suspicion is that if your lids are a bit old and the rubber is dry, it may not hold the seal quite as well.
Hope that helps!
Please tell me what GTs are.
Will kombucha tea raise the blood glucose level for diabetic type ii?
Does kombucha have the same health benefits of other fermented foods such as sauerkraut? It sure seems like an easier way to consume fermented foods. What benefits do you get from it?
Thanks!
GT’s is a commercially available brand of kombucha.
How much it would raise BG would depend on how much sugar had been converted by the SCOBY and how much was left.
It does have the same benefits of probiotics but some folks prefer to drink it as opposed to eating other fermented foods.
I am glad you mentioned not to use metal for bottling its also important when heating it up with tea bags etc not to use metal I use baked enamel dish
That’s a very common recommendation, though I have to say, of all the times I’ve tasted my kombucha with a metal spoon, nothing bad has happened 😉 Guess I’m just a rebel!
I use Mason jars jars for bottling and put a square of freezer or wax paper, wax side down, and don’t loose the carbonation under the plastic lids!
Why does it need to be frozen? I have been putting strawberries in mine. I just cut the strawberries into chunks. I am fairly new to this.
Hi Mona! You can certainly put fresh fruit into your kombucha. I make a large batch of puree ahead of time, and I freeze it so that it keeps or else it would go bad before I could use it all. Hope that helps!
Got it. Yes that helps. Especially this time of year when all of the fruit is soooo good. Need to save some for when it isn’t!
Wanda, FYI not the same! ACV scoby is different than the kombucha scoby and the two have different properties. There are taste differences as well, starting a kombucha brew with ACV mother will lead to much more acidic of a brew, you are way better starting a scoby from store bought plain kombucha than the “rushed” way with the ACV. Also, freezing the fruit and then adding it is ideal for anyone worried about fruit contaminating their brews, plus it “blends” flavors better
Wow this is a great post on flavoring kombucha! I’ve been dabbling in making some for a few months now and sadly, I haven’t found a great combo with juice that I enjoy. Especially since I’ve become pregnant. And boy do I need the probiotics and energy boost right now!!! I’ve done apple and berry juices from Trader Joes (organic even!) and didn’t ferment it a second time, just popped in the fridge after bottling it in glass pop-top bottles. I am never impressed with the flavor, it always tastes to vinegary for me. 🙁 I’ve used a combo of black and green tea.
Is there a particular reason you like green tea better? I’m in SoCal as well, and I will be following your directions exactly this next go around. I’ve never done a fresh fruit puree. Freezing it ahead of time is genius! Do you strain your tea as well? I guess if you add fruit puree you wouldn’t. The little yeasty strings freak me out. But like I said above, I’m pregnant! 😉
Hi Tilly! Thank you!
You know…from the tinkering I’ve done, it seems that juice does not make as fizzy an end product as adding whole fruit chunks or fruit puree. The best result I had in terms of carbonation was from the blueberry-raspberry puree or chunks of strawberry.
I used green tea because that’s what was suggested for a milder flavor. How long were you doing the first fermentation for? Mine seems to take about 8 days and it comes out sweet/sour.
I haven’t strained mine but I can see where you might want to 🙂
Steph
Wow so green tea is milder! I’ve gotten some advice saying it tastes funkier with green tea. I’ve not noticed though because I’ve used a combo black/green tea. I’m going to try with just green.
I fermented same as you, but one day less, around 7 days. I’ve not used fresh juice due to inconvenience (ok, lazy!) and I really think you are right about fizz. Fresh must be better for that. I like a REALLY fizzy kombucha too! Luckily, it’s so cheap to make I can throw out batches without too much money wasted, though I hate to do it.
Going to make your blueberry-raspberry puree tonight– hubs got organic farmers market berries for me! YES! Thank you again!
I think it’s got a milder flavor compared to black tea.
Yours was too sour at 7 days? Or just after the 2nd fermentation? It interesting…ginger-lemon (with fresh, strained ginger juice) also seems to get quite fizzy.
How you’re storing it might make a difference as well. I purchased a few 1/2 liter growler (flip top) bottles from a local brewery here in North Park and it seems to hold the carbonation pretty well.
You’re very welcome. I like being able to have the fruit frozen so when I check my kombucha and it’s done all I have to do is head to the freezer, pop in a couple cubes, and it’s ready to go 🙂
I was very interested in this recipe, but I am so put off by all that sugar! Is kombucha always made with that much? Do you think it would be unpalatable without? I suppose one could use a sugar substitute, huh?
Hi Lisa…great questions. Yes, kombucha’s always made with that much sugar. If you don’t put enough in, the SCOBY won’t any substrate to ferment and the tea will not come out right. Artificial sugars can kill the SCOBY and are not recommended. If you want it less sugary, a simple solution is to let it ferment longer, thereby becoming more acidic/sour.
In regards throwing out kombucha, I use older kombuchas that are really vinegary which is a vinegar for hair rinse, facial toner and salad dressing, kombucha vinegar isn’t as acidic as acv I believe half of it. Google it and you’ll find info. I strain the vinegar and store in bottles for later, some form another scoby some not. Btw the hair/facial one I add herbs like sage, rosemary to get more out of it.
Cool ideas 🙂
I’ve been too intimidated to try making my own kombucha until now! I just saw the link to your YouTube post on growing your own scoby and am definitely gonna give this a try in the next couple of weeks. I love how you break it down so simply! Keep on rockin! -JOJO
Hi Jojo! Awwwww I’m so GLAD to hear that you saw the video and how simple it is. That’s why I love doing what I do. In regards to herbal tea, it won’t work because the oils in the different herbs can actually harm the SCOBY. Caffeine, to my knowledge, will still remain even after the fermentation is over. Decaf tea might be a good bet. Thanks for stopping by!
I know this is a long time later, but maybe this reply will help somebody! My mom is very sensitive to caffeine. She can’t even eat chocolate after lunch or she can’t sleep come nightfall. But the caffeine in kombucha doesn’t bother her at all. Maybe the SCOBY processes it somehow? Anyway, caffeine shouldn’t be a problem
Thank you Becki!
p.s. – do you know if this would work using an herbal tea instead? I’m thinking ginger tea or rooibos tea might be really nice… does the caffeine in the green tea remain in the kombucha?
Hi Joana!
I use to use strictly green tea, but white tea, red tea, and even coffee work! (i haven’t tried coffee yet but some pinterest page said they used coffee, and even mountain dew!)
We brew ours with various combos of flavorful tea blends in addition to the tannin-full tea, and it means as we sample ours, we know exactly how it’s sourness will blend with the flavor combo. Our favorite combos have been the Republic of Tea’s 20 Herbs blend. We like adding a handful of dried hibiscus too! We used a lot of fruity zingers from Celestial Seasonings with great success too.
We started having an issue earlier this year. We were brewing for 8 or so months, hardcore, and after months of reusing the same scobys, allowing them to build up extra thick in the jar (they brew ALOT faster the more scoby/motherjuice to tea that we use!), we left our scobys unattended too long I think. We started having them smell like really strong sulfur when we got back to brewing! After reading up a bit, I think it happens when they start self cannibalizing! We were not sure at first and pulled the scoby, scrubbed it with water only, cleaned the jar out, and started from scratch with the apple cider vinegar (it can work as a starter, which we call “mother juice”, but at the price of it taking a couple batches to not taste like the vinegar). We ended up having another couple batches taste fine, but it came back pretty quick. Thinking of starting over again with just a bought bottle.
I hope this helps someone!
Thanks for the detailed feedback Jason. Love it when you guys help each other 🙂
How long can you keep your bottled kombucha in the fridge?
Hi Karen,
It lasts for a long time…I’ve kept mine for up to a few weeks and it’s fine but truthfully it never lasts very long until I drink it all up. Over time, unless you use a very tightly sealed bottle, it will go flat but is still drinkable!
Steph! Just had to tell you… I grew a SCOBY! And it is lovely. I watched your tutorial almost 2 weeks ago, got a bottle of GTs, dumped it in a jar, and today I peeked, and yay! Thanks again for the super easy instruction.
High five!! It worked 🙂 That’s so exciting!! You’ll have to update me when you make your first batch!
Just started a 2nd ferment with these recipes 🙂
I tried straining the blueberry/raspberry puree, but it didn’t work at all. Everything but a little bit of juice just stuck to the strainer. I just ended up putting all of it in the KT. Should be fine, I’ll just strain it before drinking.
I’d also recommend to people if they are using frozen mango to thaw or warm it before putting it in the blender. I didn’t think to and it was like a handful of rocks in my blender. Blender is fine, but it was quite loud for a second 😉
Hey Justin…ah, you have a good point. I forgot to go back and modify the original instructions (*puts on list*). Thanks for reminding me!
Very good point as well…mango should be thawed. I’ll go back and edit that. Really appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Hi Steph,
I too have followed your instructions on how to make a SCOBY and now have my first batch of kombucha brewing. My question is, after I make this batch, do I have to start the whole process again and grow another SCOBY? Or do I keep the SCOBY from this batch and just plop it into my next round of sweet tea? Do you put some of the SCOBY into each of your smaller jars for the second fermentation?
Thanks so much, so excited to try my kombucha!
Hi there! I’m so psyched you were able to make a SCOBY and get your kombucha started! Just keep the SCOBY from this batch and put it into the next round of sweet tea. Do not put the SCOBY into the smaller jars…there are enough small SCOBY cultures to keep the fermentation going.
I hope it turns out great!!
Steph
So recently finished brewing the mother scoby but when I fed it for the second brewing and put the scoby in the bigger jar, the scoby fell to the bottom of the jar then another scoby started forming in the top! Now I have 2 scobys. I’m kinda nervous about this fermenting to begin with haha! Now I have 2, makes me a little more nervous, what so you suggest?
It’ll be totally fine. Sometimes the SCOBY will sink but that shouldn’t adversely affect the batch 🙂 Leave it as is and ferment away. At the end of the brewing, you can either throw one of the SCOBYs out or keep them both in the same jar (or give one away or make another separate jar).
So can I just leave a cup of kombucha in my gallon jar with the scoby and do another batch of tea? or do I need to start from scratch again?
Save two cups of kombucha in your gallon jar with your SCOBY. Make another batch of new tea (cool 100% to room temperature) and pour it in. The process will start all over again 🙂
Thank You
Maybe this is a silly question, but is there much smell associated with making either the scobi or the kombucha? For the sake of domestic harmony, I promised my husband that I wouldn’t make any overly stinky kitchen experiments. I think the concept of homemade sour kraut scared him. But I’m thinking that tea has to be less offensive than cabbage… Right?
Hi Karoline! If you put your nose in the jar and take a whiff it’ll smell of a weak vinegar but nowhere near like what cabbage smells like. Cabbage releases sulfur compounds when cooked, hence that rotten egg smell that comes with!
Woohoo! Thanks! I’ll have to pick up a kombucha to make a scobi tomorrow! 🙂
My suggestion is to get your husband a beer-making kit, pretty soon he is like to take over the kombucha making operation. 😀
Hi! I’m loving all these tips. I recently got a SCOBY from a friend and she coached me through this process. I made my first batch and it’s really tasty! I added a little fruit juice (organic pomegranate from Trader Joe’s) to the finished Kombucha I made and I like it. I’m going to try adding the fruit to the fermentation process next! I wanted to mention that my husband is VERY sensitive to smells and especially vinegar, which he dislikes very much. I keep the jar away from the kitchen table and there is no smell, and he’s not complaining. Sometimes I can’t smell it even when I put my nose right up to the jar.
Hi Laura….nice! It’s good you had a friend to help you through 🙂 It’s pretty simple once you get your head around the process, right? Oh good! I’m actually very sensitive to smells and the kombucha process usually doesn’t get to me either. Thanks for stopping by!
I’m wondering if you have to use regular sugar, or if you can use honey as the sweetener or another sweetener substitute? Me and sugar really don’t get along so I need a sub!
Hi Jacquie…it’s highly recommended that you not use any liquid sweetener. You could try it with coconut sugar though I haven’t tested it out. Honey can actually harm the SCOBY.
I am soooo excited! I love kombucha, and have read recipes for home brewing, but they seemed much more complicated than yours. I am going to try to grow my own SCOBY, as some of your readers had good luck, but if it doesn’t work, do you have online stores that you recommend for buying?
Also, I would *LOVE* to see more flavor combinations and recipes!
~Serene
Hi Serene…I would recommend putting a message out on Facebook to your friends (if you’re on FB) or spreading the word…you can usually find folks willing to part with some of their SCOBY in your local area. They’re so expensive when you buy them online. Sometimes a local health food store will have some leads…
I actually found a bottle of GTs original kombucha that had a scoby in it at Sprouts whole foods. There were a few bottles with whole scobys in them.
That is a huge win!!!
Oh my gosh oh my gosh! So I read this the day after I went and bought my plain kombucha to get started, so I was bummed I didn’t get a chance to look for it. But when I went to the fridge, one of the bottles has a mini scoby in it!! YAY! BONUS!
With a little care and TLC they can grow very large!
I followed your directions and can’t wait for my tea to ferment! Health benefits sound great! I used a two gallon jar (I hope that’s not too big)… but it has a spigot I can use to drink the tea. Should I pick up a gallon jar and transfer it… or is the spigot okay?
Hi Cheri…great questions. You’ll need to somehow remove the tea and separate it from the SCOBY or else it’ll keep fermenting and get very sour. Once the first fermentation is one, drain it through the spigot into smaller bottles (you can drink it plain or add fruit for another couple days). Be sure to keep some of the completed kombucha in with your SCOBY so it has something to thrive on.
I just tried my first cup of Kombucha tea and I LOVED it!!! It only ‘brewed’ (fermented) seven days, but I could not wait one more day! I am so excited! I will wait until Sunday and bottle the rest and start another batch! YaY */*
Some people add Apple Cider Vinegar… I’m wondering why and should I? Mine is starting to look a little fuzzy on top and is really cloudy… is that okay? I also noticed the SCOBY is still in the middle and hasn’t floated to the top… is this okay? How long will it take before I see a baby? I know, I’m full of questions… and I’ll probably have to name the baby! Hahaha!
Thanks for your great advice! Cheri
I’m creating a Kombucha factory over here! When I woke up I could tell it was time to transfer my tea to smaller jars! Instead of a little fuzzy on top (like yesterday)… it’s really fuzzy and just a teensy bit sour, but I love sour so I’m transferring at the perfect time for me! I left two cups of the original batch along with the SCOBY and will brew a mixture tonight, completely cool… then add it to my two gallon jar! I think this may become a permeate fixture in my kitchen!
When I transferred my tea it left the sides of my jar a bit (ummm) yucky looking. Here’s the plan, I’ll be very careful and… 1) Remove the SCOBY and a cup of the original batch. 2) Clean the jar… I’m thinking the side need cleaned, I’ll only use water and a very clean cloth. 3) Replace the SCOBY and a cup of the original batch along with another mixture of brewed organic tea and organic sugar. 4) Cover with cheese cloth and ferment. Let me know if I need to change things up a bit!
I loved the taste so much I’m drinking 10-12 ounces at one time… is this too much? I teach 5th grade and my kids are so inquisitive about ‘what I’m drinking’ (I’m laughing, but so are the other teachers)… so I’m going to bring my first ‘baby’ to school so they can all watch the process! A few of the teachers have tasted it, liked it, but had a hard time getting past the thought of ‘bacteria’… others ran the other way! Hahaha! I’m a true CrossFitting Paleo’er and I’m having a great time with this tea!!! Soon I’ll try infusing fruit.
The yucky sludge at the bottom is spent yeast produced from the SCOBY.
I like the sound of steps 1-4 but I would also add something after step 2. Rinse your clean jar with some white vinegar.
Most people stick to that amount or less.
That’s so great that the kids are learning from it 🙂 My students (high school) were always inquisitive too. I just call it “probiotics” instead. Sounds “nicer”. Well, if they’re fans of yogurt or sauerkraut, they’re eating bacteria too 🙂
If you add apple cider vinegar I don’t see why it would be a bad thing…just makes it more acidic and well, vinegary. Fuzzy like different colors of fuzz or just cloudy? The SCOBY may not rise and the baby actually forms as a layer attached to the SCOBY.
Fuzzy… like little bubbles on top! My tea is still very cloudy, but taste great!
Vinegar is a great antiseptic, it will keep germs from taking over while allowing the probiotics to flourish, tea is also an antiseptic ingredient, also the heavy sugar content inhibits growth of most disease-causing bacteria at the beginning of fermentation.
What do I do with the SCOBY for the flavoring process? Do I keep it in the jar with some unflavored KT?