Kombucha is a healthy, delicious drink your whole family can enjoy! These simple steps will help you get started.

What is kombucha?

Kombucha is fermented tea that can be made into any flavor you like! Making it at home is much less expensive than buying it at the store and it really is not difficult.

What do I need to get started?

To get started you only need black tea (either bags or loose leaf with a way to strain out the leaves), sugar (white or cane is fine) and a SCOBY (culture of bacteria and yeast). You also will want a gallon jar, thermometer, and a piece of flour sack towel or washcloth and a rubber band for the top of the jar.

Where can I get a SCOBY?

Just like with sourdough starter the easiest way to get started with kombucha is to find someone local who brews kombucha and get a piece of their SCOBY and 2 cups of their kombucha to get started with. If this isn’t an option there are lots of places online you can order some too!

Step by Step Instructions on How to Make Kombucha:

First ferment instructions:

1. To make a gallon of kombucha, brew 6 black tea bags in 6 cups of almost boiling water (temperature is not that important, just the same as you would make regular tea) for 10-15 minutes. 

2. Take out tea bags and throw away

3. Add 1 cup of sugar to tea and stir until dissolved 

4. Add 5 cups of cold water to tea. The goal is for the tea to be 85-95 degrees so you may have to let it sit or add ice to get to the desired temperature.

If this is your first batch of kombucha:

• Add brewed tea to your gallon jar
• Pour SCOBY and the 2 cups of kombucha it came with into the jar
• Add water if needed until the liquid hits right about where the jar starts to curve in at the top
• Cover with a tea towel or washcloth and a rubber band. 

Leave this for around 7 days and your first ferment is complete. Be sure to save 2 cups of liquid and your SCOBY and then just brew more tea and start over! You can pour it right off and drink right away, or to add flavor and carbonation you will want to go on to a second ferment. Click here for my post on how to do a second ferment!

**Kombucha likes to live at about 70-85 degrees. I put mine on top of the fridge and on a seed mat so it’s a little warmer than room temperature. I’ve also seen people wrap it in a towel to hold the heat in. You don’t want it in direct sunlight but it doesn’t need to be in the dark really either.

Are you going to try to add flavor? Check out the post here and let me know what flavor you’re most excited about!

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