Super Easy Kombucha Base Recipe

DJ
Jul 31, 2024
8 min read

Updated: Aug 14, 2024

Jump to-Easy & Cheap Kombucha Recipe (First Fermentation)

Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage known for its gut health benefits and has recently gained popularity in mainstream culture. While store-bought kombucha can be pricey, ranging from $2 to $5 per bottle, making kombucha at home is both cost-effective and straightforward. Although the brewing process might seem intimidating initially, it’s quite easy once you get the hang of it. Homemade kombucha can be flavored in many ways, with berry lemonade kombucha being a personal favorite, but it generally has a slightly tart flavor and is perfect homemade drink with light carbonation

So what exactly is a SCOBY? SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. It is a sort of gelatinous blob that is responsible for the fermentation of the tea creating Kombucha. I know, really making this sound delicious, right? You can technically eat the SCOBY too if you want, but I'm not quite that adventurous. If you've ever made Sourdough, the SCOBY is sort of similar to your Sourdough starter.

Now that you know what a SCOBY is, let’s go over how to make Kombucha using it. The process involves two main phases: the first fermentation and the second fermentation. I’ll give a brief overview of both, but we’ll focus mostly on the first fermentation.

First Fermentation: This is where you introduce the SCOBY to sweet tea. The sugar in the tea fuels the fermentation process. This stage typically lasts between 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the temperature and how active your SCOBY is. Once this phase is complete, the Kombucha is technically ready to drink. However, if you want to add flavors or build carbonation, you’ll need to move on to the second fermentation.

Second Fermentation: Here, you bottle the Kombucha with your choice of flavorings, such as fresh fruit or juice, and let it sit for a few days to build carbonation. Once it reaches the desired flavor and fizz, store it in the fridge. This slows down the fermentation process, helping to maintain the flavor and prevent it from becoming too vinegary. Then, it’s ready to drink.

Detailed Look at the First Fermentation:

First, clean everything thoroughly. This step can be intimidating, but with practice, you'll learn to tell if a batch has gone bad. It’s crucial to keep your workspace, materials, and hands clean to prevent mold from developing on your SCOBY or Kombucha. I use scalding hot water and vinegar to clean jars, bottles, and ladles. For stubborn residues, I use a bottle brush and dish soap, followed by a thorough hot water and vinegar rinse to ensure no soap residue remains, as soap can harm your SCOBY.

Materials Needed:

For the first fermentation, you’ll need:

A 1-gallon glass jar
A breathable cloth or paper towel
A rubber band
A SCOBY

I usually make a double batch, so just double the quantities of everything. You can get these materials individually or purchase a Kombucha starter kit. SCOBYs are available online or from someone you know who makes Kombucha. You only need a small piece of a SCOBY to start, but a piece about 2"x2" or larger is ideal. SCOBYs will grow over time, so don’t worry if you start with a smaller piece. It’s also useful to get about a cup of finished Kombucha (before flavoring) from a friend to help kickstart your batch. Many SCOBY sellers include this with their SCOBY.

Once you have your SCOBY, making the sweet tea is straightforward. Start by boiling water in a stockpot on the stove. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and add granulated cane sugar. It’s important to use real sugar here because the SCOBY needs it to ferment. Avoid sugar substitutes like monk fruit or stevia, as they won’t work. Don’t worry about the final product being too sweet; most of the sugar will be consumed during fermentation. Note that honey isn’t suitable for Kombucha, but you can use it in a similar drink called Jun.

Stir the mixture until the sugar is fully dissolved. Then, remove the pot from heat and add plain black tea bags. Avoid teas with added flavors, such as Earl Grey, as they contain oils that can hinder fermentation. You can experiment with flavors during the second fermentation stage.

Let the sweet tea cool to room temperature before adding it to the SCOBY. Hot tea can harm the SCOBY. With my stainless steel stockpot, cooling can take a few hours, so I cover the pot to keep dust and oil out. If you’re in a hurry, you can speed up cooling by placing the pot in a larger container filled with ice water.

Once the tea is at room temperature, you’re ready to add it to the SCOBY. The next steps will vary depending on whether this is your first batch of Kombucha or if you’re making a subsequent batch.

If this is your first batch of Kombucha, start with a clean, sterilized 1-gallon jar. Add the SCOBY and about a cup of starter Kombucha that came with it. It’s important to inspect the SCOBY for mold; this can be tricky at first because SCOBYs can look unusual, but you’ll get used to identifying a healthy one over time.

Once you’ve confirmed the SCOBY is mold-free, add it and the starter Kombucha to your jar. Then, pour in the sweet tea, leaving about an inch of space at the top to avoid spills. Cover the jar with a clean, breathable cloth or paper towel secured with a rubber band. Using a double layer of paper towel works well. Avoid using a metal lid, as the jar needs to release CO2 during fermentation to prevent pressure buildup and possible explosion.

Next, place the jar in a spot at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. A rarely used kitchen cabinet is ideal. Fermentation time varies; in San Diego, it usually takes 1-2 weeks in summer and 2-3 weeks in winter. To check if the Kombucha is ready, taste it. Before tasting, inspect it visually to ensure it's mold-free. Use a clean ladle to scoop out a small amount and pour it into a cup. If it still tastes like sweet tea, it needs more time. If it tastes too vinegary, it has fermented too long but is still drinkable. The ideal Kombucha is slightly sweet, mostly tart, and not yet vinegar-like. If it’s not ready, cover it and let it ferment for a few more days. Once it’s to your liking, you can bottle it and move on to the second fermentation to add flavors and carbonation.

For subsequent batches, the process is similar, but you won't start with an empty jar. After bottling your previous batch, leave the SCOBY and about 1 cup of the finished Kombucha in the jar. Then, add the new sweet tea following the same steps as above.

Easy & Cheap Kombucha Recipe (First Fermentation)

Yield: about 1 gallon

Ingredients

1 cup of granulated sugar (cannot be sugar substitute - see notes above for why)
12-14 cups of water
10 tea bags of plain black tea (cannot use flavored tea - see notes above for why)
1 SCOBY
1 cup of previous kombucha brew (if available)

Materials

1 gallon glass jar (cleaned with vinegar and hot water before first use)
1 clean and breathable cloth, or a few clean paper towels
1 rubber band

Instructions

Before starting Kombucha, ensure that workspace is thoroughly cleaned. As with making any fermented food or beverage, extra care needs to be taken to ensure cleanliness, so that mold does not develop.
Bring water to boil in a large stockpot on high heat.
After water has reached a boil, turn down heat and whisk in sugar. Keep mixing until the sugar is fully dissolved (usually a few minutes).
Remove the pot from heat. Add tea bags to the water.
Let tea steep per the directions on the packaging.
Once tea has finished steeping, remove tea bags and discard.
Place lid over pot. This will ensure that no dust or kitchen grease gets into the tea while it is cooling.
Let tea cool down to room temperature. This step is very important. If the tea is too hot, it will kill your SCOBY. With my thick stainless steel pot, this typically takes up to several hours. To speed up the cooling process, you can place your pot inside of another pot or pan full of ice water.
If this is your first batch of Kombucha:
1. Take your cleaned 1 gallon jar and place it on the counter or in the kitchen sink. Make sure that your jar is at room temperature. If it is still hot from when you cleaned it, wait until it has cooled off.
2. Inspect your SCOBY to ensure it is not moldy. If your SCOBY is moldy, discard, and replace with a new SCOBY.
3. Add your SCOBY to the jar. Typically when you buy a SCOBY, it comes with some kombucha brew. Add this into the jar with the SCOBY. Ideally, you want about 1 cup of kombucha brew to go with the SCOBY.
4. Proceed to step 11.
If this is not your first batch of Kombucha:
1. Take the jar that you made your previous batch of Kombucha in, and place it on the counter or in the kitchen sink. Inspect the jar and SCOBY to ensure that it is not moldy. If either are moldy, discard the SCOBY and thoroughly clean and sanitize the jar. You will need to obtain a new SCOBY to continue.
2. If the SCOBY and Kombucha brew are good, ladle or pour your finished Kombucha brew into glass bottles. You can either drink as-is, or proceed to the second fermentation to add carbonation and flavor to your Kombucha.
3. Leave about 1 cup of the finished Kombucha brew and the SCOBY in the jar.
Pour the room temperature tea into the jar with the SCOBY and previous Kombucha brew.
Place a clean cloth or paper towel over the opening of the jar and secure with a rubber band. It is important to cover the jar to keep the kombucha free of dust and debris, but you want to make sure that you cover it with a breathable material and not a tightly secured lid since the fermentation process creates CO2, which can become pressurized if not allowed to escape.
Find a place to store the jar that is out of direct sunlight and will stay at mostly room temperature. An ideal place is inside an infrequently used kitchen cabinet.
Let Kombucha brew for about 7-21 days. The amount of time will depend on how hot it is, and how active your SCOBY is. For reference, during the summer in San Diego, my Kombucha tends to take around 7-10 days, and during the winter it tends to take closer to 2-3 weeks.
You can do a taste test to determine if the Kombucha is ready or not. Again, make sure to always visually inspect the SCOBY and Kombucha before drinking to make sure that no mold is present. If there is mold, do not drink. If the Kombucha tastes like sweet tea, it is not ready yet, and needs more time to ferment. If the Kombucha tastes strongly like vinegar, it has fermented too long. It's still drinkable, but the flavor won't be as good. The ideal Kombucha will still be slightly sweet, but will be balanced with a more tart flavor. It may also be very lightly carbonated.
Once the Kombucha is ready, ladle or pour the finished Kombucha into round glass bottles with a pop-top or lid, leaving the SCOBY and about 1 cup of the finished Kombucha in the jar. You can either drink the finished Kombucha as-is, or proceed to the second fermentation to add carbonation and flavor. The finished bottled Kombucha can be left on the counter for a few days to build carbonation, and then stored in the fridge to maintain peak flavor. If left on the counter too long, the flavor will become more vinegary. Once bottled, it is important to open the Kombucha bottles every day to every couple of days to "burp" the Kombucha. Pressure will build inside of the bottle due to the fermentation, and if not released often, can cause the bottle to explode. Messy, and not fun.
Proceed to step 1 to make a new batch of Kombucha.