Step by Step Kombucha Brewing Photo Tutorial

I started making kombucha five years ago in a foreign country and have been hooked ever since. Even though, I don’t have access to store bought kombucha where I live now, I’m especially grateful that I am able to make it under the circumstances of lockdown.

Once you put in the initial investment of a few items to make kombucha, it takes only cents to make an entire gallon or two for you to sip on throughout the week.

I’ve had my struggles with it—times where I’ve not known how to flavor it, when my house was so cold that the scoby looked like it had scales growing on it, where I was convinced I’d have to throw it away, and times where I just didn’t know how to make it taste better. But I made it to the other side. It’s worth it. It is not only great for your health and packed with probiotics but it’s actually really simple to make.

Since I’m a picture person, I decided to put together a Kombucha Brewing Photo Tutorial for you. There are small variations to this process that are different from person to person but this is the basic process and how I’ve been brewing Kombucha throughout the years.

What you will need to make Kombucha

• SCOBY AKA: symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.. This is the slimy thing (it’s okay… you CAN do this) full of healthy bacteria that interact with tea and sugar to make kombucha. I bought mine from an online site but have also given part of my SCOBY to others so they can make kombucha. If you know someone who is making Kombucha, you can get your SCOBY & start your kombucha process from them.
• 1 cup kombucha tea. You can get this from a bottle of kombucha at the store, from someone else who makes kombucha, or from the scoby that you purchase or get from a friend. If you get a scoby from someone or purchase one, it will come with some kombucha tea.
• black tea bags
• green tea bags (optional)
• sugar This can be granulated sugar or sugar crystals like what is sold in many parts of the world. Not honey or other sweeteners.
• white vinegar for sanitizing your hands and a plate

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• Large glass jar for brewing. mine is 3 liters or about 1 gallon
• medium sized-glass jars. I use 1 liter honey jars. After my honey jar is empty, I boil it in a pot of water to cleanly peel the label off.
• medium sized bowl (optional)
• Strainer. metal or plastic
• Rubber Band
• small cloth such as a tea towel

Step 1: boil large pot of water, stir in sugar, & add tea bags

I usually do this at the beginning of the day so the water has all day to cool to room temperature before I add it to the scoby kombucha jar.

• add about 2.5 liters of water to a large pot over high heat
• when it reaches a rolling boil, turn off heat
• add 1 cup sugar and stir
• add 4 black tea bags and 2 green tea bags (cut off paper tags so you aren’t smoking the paper labels). You can replace the green tea bags with black tea bags if you prefer.
• cover and let sit until completely cooled

Step 2: remove scoby from kombucha brew jar & transfer kombucha to medium-sized jars

When you are first starting out, you can skip this step, since you don’t have any kombucha to transfer and save.

I like to wait until the large pot of water, tea, and sugar has completely cooled before I do this. That way, I am not picking up the scoby twice in a day and can do the whole process at one time.

• clean your counter space
• place 3 or 4 medium sized jars and a medium sized bowl on your work space

• put a plate on your work/counter space and pour a small amount of white vinegar over one hand that is also over the plate. Then rub your hands together, spreading the vinegar over them. This helps sanitize your hands and the place that the scoby will be temporarily put while you work.
• gently pick up the scoby with your hands and place it on the sanitized plate
• save 1 cup of the mature kombucha from the top of the jar and set aside!! (it has the least amount of yeast and is the best kombucha to keep for starter liquid…aka: your next batch)

• place the jar inside the medium sized bowl in order to catch any kombucha that might drip as you pour
• go for it. commit to the pour. Leave some room at the top of the jar if you plan on flavoring your kombucha. Transfer your kombucha to each jar until your kombucha brewing jar is empty. There might be floating stringy parts from the scoby that you are pouring into the smaller jars. Don’t worry about it. You will strain it later.

• pour any kombucha that dripped into the medium sized bowl back into one of your 3 or 4 jars

• rinse out the kombucha brewing jar with filtered water (usually there is residue of yeast on the bottom of it).

Step 3: once pot of water, tea bags, and sugar has cooled to room temperature (insert several hours), transfer to kombucha brewing jar

• once pot of water, tea bags, and sugar has completely cooled, take out tea bags. You can use your clean hands or a spoon.

• pour the sweet tea (tea and sugar) into your kombucha brewing jar

Step 4: fill remainder of kombucha brewing jar with water & put scoby back in

• if your kombucha brewing jar isn’t quite full yet, fill the rest up with water, leaving a little room for the scoby to float at the top. Don’t worry about exact measurements; you can just fill the jar up. (side note: it’s okay if the scoby doesn’t always float. It might sit at the bottom of the jar for a while, and that is perfectly okay too)

• pick up the scoby and carefully put it back into the kombucha brewing jar

Step 5: Pour the 1 cup of mature kombucha on top of the SCOBY

The mature kombucha that you set aside earlier, can now be poured on top of the SCOBY. This provides a protective covering for the SCOBY, which is the most vulnerable item of the brewing process.

Step 6: cover kombucha jar with cloth and rubber band. Let sit for 7-10 days

• cover your jar with a tea towel or clean cloth and rubber band. This will ensure no tiny flying creatures can make their way into the jar and that it gets the air circulation it needs.
• leave it at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 7-10 days. It can be left for up to about 21 days. The longer it sits, the more vinegary it will probably taste.

The best brewing temperature is 24 to 29 degrees C (75 to 84 degrees F). Your brew might take longer in the winter when your house is cooler.

Step 7: flavor your medium-sized jars of kombucha & let sit for 2-4 days

• flavor with fruit, spices, herbs or anything that sounds good to you
• stir together
• put lids on each jar and let it set on the counter for 2-4 days (depending on how strong you want your flavoring and how much carbonation you want)

NOTE: Keep in mind that when you get started, the carbonation and flavor of the kombucha might not be very strong. Keep pressing on. The more you brew, the stronger and better it usually gets.

NOTE: The first few brewing cycles, save 2 cups of the mature kombucha and use that instead of just 1 cup.

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There are lots of recipes online for how to flavor your kombucha or you can just experiment like I usually do and throw in whatever you have and whatever sounds good to you. Here are a few of my favorites…

The kombucha pictured above is one I came up with called It’s a Grape Thyme. 😉

GRAPE THYME KOMBUCHA:
--blend up 3/4 cup grapes in a blender. 
--distribute crushed grape evenly throughout the jars
-- added 1/2 t dried thyme to each jar
--stir. put lids on each jar and let sit on counter for 2-4 days 

MANGO KOMBUCHA 
--1 or 2 mangos (diced) 
--distribute diced mango evenly throughout the jars
--stir. put lids on each jar and let sit on counter for 2-4 days

CHAI SPICED KOMBUCHA 
--4 cloves
--pinch of ginger powder
--2 cardamom seeds (crushed until pod is open)
--1 cinnamon stick or 10 scraps of various sized cinnamon bark or 1/2 tsp cinnamon powderer or 10 scraps of various sized cinnamon bark (how it is often sold in South Asia)
--stir. put lids on each jar and let sit on counter for 2-4 days

Step 8: strain flavored kombucha and put in refrigerator

• strain flavored kombucha into medium-sized bowl with a plastic or metal strainer. I like using the larger strainer since it tends to strain quicker and not get stopped up.
• pour back into jars. Put lids on and store in fridge. Once in the fridge, it will not keep fermenting.
• You can also make kombucha floats, kombucha palmers, or learn about more creative kombucha concoctions by reading The Big Book of Kombucha.
• drink and enjoy

Enjoy never having to spend $3.99 on another bottle of kombucha again.