Homemade Kombucha: A Beginner's Recipe

Kombucha Guide: 10 Steps to Your Drink! Let's Go!

1. First, bring 1 liter of water to a boil in a large pot. Then, you can add 8 g of black or green tea and let it steep for 12 to 15 minutes (while the water is gently simmering).

2. Afterward, strain the tea and then add 100 g of sugar. The sugar should be stirred until it has completely dissolved in the tea.

3. When making your own kombucha, it's very important to let the sugared tea cool down to at least 25 degrees room temperature in a glass jar. The sensitive SCOBY must not be immersed in hot water. The living bacteria and yeasts, as well as proteins, can be destroyed this way.

4. Now add 100 ml of the starter liquid (starter culture) to the tea mixture.

5. Afterward, carefully and gently add the previously rinsed SCOBY into the vessel.

6. You can now cover the opening of the brewing vessel with a breathable cloth and secure it with a rubber band.

After completing these first steps of the kombucha guide, the SCOBY (at a comfortable room temperature) now has about a week to process the ingredients of the tea, essentially "eating them up." If it lies at the bottom of the vessel, the SCOBY will grow a bit larger and usually form more SCOBY offspring. Often, however, the SCOBY floats, and over time, a thicker kombucha mushroom forms at the top edge of the glass.

1. Once the kombucha mushroom has reached the correct fermentation level after about 7 days (depending on preference and taste, we recommend a pH value between 2.9 and 3.1), you can carefully remove the SCOBY from the kombucha liquid and rinse off any tea residues with lukewarm water.
   
2. You can store the SCOBY in some bottled kombucha liquid (new starter liquid) for the next round of making your own kombucha.
   
3. Before you bottle the kombucha, we recommend filtering the liquid through a very fine sieve or, alternatively, through a layer of paper towel to remove any small SCOBY pieces. However, this is not absolutely necessary.
   
4. Then, the kombucha should be left at room temperature for another approx. 2 days in a closed bottle for secondary fermentation. This is when the natural carbonation can form.

Hooray! You've now fermented your first kombucha yourself and can enjoy a similarly delicious and refreshing drink like our Kombuchery Kombucha.

Factbox – Making your own Kombucha

Yields: Following these instructions, you will get 1 liter of kombucha. You can use your SCOBY to make new kombucha again and again. If well-maintained, it can last for months, even years.

Nutritional values per 100 ml:
Fat < 0.5 g
of which saturated fatty acids < 0.1 g
Carbohydrates 3.6 – 11.8 g
of which sugar 3.6 – 11.8 g
Protein < 0.5 g

Preparation time: approx. 20 minutes (plus cooling time for the tea)

Fermentation time: approx. 7 days (depending on desired pH value)

Tips & Tricks for Kombucha Fermentation

Even if it involves only a few ingredients and a short working time, diligence, hygiene, and the quality of the components make for good kombucha fermentation.

Starter Liquid for Kombucha

The amount of starter liquid should not be too small. Your SCOBY should always be completely covered by it when it rests, so that no mold can form.

When making your own kombucha, a rule of thumb is: 100 ml of starter liquid per liter of tea.

The more acidic the starter liquid, i.e., the lower the pH value, the less is needed to start your kombucha. However, it's better to be generous than too frugal with it. This way, the growth of the SCOBYs can be guaranteed.

Do's & Don'ts in Tea Selection

• Do not use tea with a high content of essential oils or artificial flavors (e.g., fruit tea, sage or lemon balm tea).
• Prefer loose leaf tea over tea bags.
• If you use fruit tea or other tea besides black, green, or white tea – only mix it in – do not use it purely!

Hygiene & Cleanliness

To minimize the risk of unwanted microorganisms or foreign bodies, you should carefully clean all used items and your hands. It is best to use vinegar for cleaning all items and tools. You can also clean your hands with vinegar water.

The best water for brewing tea

It's hard to believe, but the quality of the water plays a big role in kombucha production. This rather inconspicuous ingredient can positively and negatively influence your SCOBY. Conventional tap water may contain residues of chlorine and chemicals, as well as fluorides. These substances can harm the SCOBY. Therefore, it is always best to use filtered water.

Kombucha Storage & Kombucha Care

For homemade kombucha, a general shelf life of six months cannot be given; it depends on hygiene, acidity, bottling, and storage, among other things. Bottling kombucha does not automatically stop the fermentation process. Over time, kombucha becomes a bit more acidic and develops more sparkling natural carbonation.

Kombucha should be stored as cool and dark as possible. This is best done in the refrigerator or a cold cellar. Here, kombucha is exposed to only a few external influences and can store peacefully. This can extend the shelf life for some time. Constant cooling slows down fermentation, and the kombucha only slowly becomes more acidic.

Starting Kombucha Anew: Can I Make the Tea Fungus Myself?

You can also grow your own kombucha culture without a starter kit from the internet. The ingredients are the same, and it just takes a bit more time and patience.

With tea, cane sugar, and our Kombuchery Original as starter liquid, the kombucha mushroom can form on its own within 7 to 21 days, depending on the conditions.

It's exciting to observe how small foam bubbles form on the surface of the liquid. These become denser over time until the kombucha mushroom slowly becomes visible. The patience is worth it! Making your own kombucha is really exciting!

FAQs: Making Your Own Kombucha Drink

How much kombucha is healthy?

With kombucha, it's like with all other foods: you shouldn't overdo it. Start with a small glass per day and see how your body reacts to kombucha. After a few days, you can drink more.

A universally applicable maximum or optimal daily amount for kombucha cannot be determined; individual tolerance can vary.

Can you split the kombucha SCOBY?

You can separate individual layers of the kombucha SCOBY with clean hands. Simply peel them apart very carefully. Or use a standard pair of scissors cleaned with vinegar and carefully cut the SCOBY into pieces. You can use the individual pieces to create new kombucha in a brewing vessel or give them away.

Which tea is suitable for kombucha?

For making your own kombucha, black tea is particularly suitable, but oolong tea or green tea are also good choices for successful fermentation. A combination of green and black tea is also one of many possible alternatives.

Our Favorites:

• Black Tea Golden Monkey: Darjeeling, Friesenmischung (Assam, Ceylon, Indian Himalayas)
• White Tea: Silver Needle, Shou-Mei, Oolong Tea
• Green Tea: Sencha & Matcha, New Spring, Chun Mee

Sugar in Kombucha

The added sugar is primarily needed by the microorganisms during fermentation. Yeasts and bacteria require sugar as a food source for their metabolic processes. At the end, depending on the fermentation technique, a sugar content of 3 g to 12 g of sugar per 100 ml of kombucha remains. You can also experiment with different types of sugar yourself.

If you prefer it more tart and less sweet, like us, you can vary the amount of sugar, but you should never go below 80 g of sugar per liter, otherwise the microorganisms will not get enough nutrients.