DIY Kombucha

The only problem I have with kombucha is how expensive it can be. I found myself buying a bottle every time I went to the grocery store and I knew I was spending way too much money on it. So thats why I decided I wanted to try to make my own and it couldn’t have turned out any better! I love how every batch turns out and I don’t find myself spending so much money on kombucha anymore because I know I have a couple of bottles at home waiting for me in the fridge.

So now I am going to try to explain to y’all how to make your own kombucha at home. I found a website and youtube video that I found really helpful in explaining the whole process that I will link below.

Step 1: Find someone who has a extra scoby from making their own kombucha. After each batch of kombucha, another scoby is formed. I know not everyone has access to someone who makes their own kombucha, but if you are in the Anderson, SC area, I would love to give you a scoby from one of my batches to help you start your own batch of kombucha. But there are ways to make your own scoby if you google it. For those who don’t know, a scoby is just a acronym for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast. This is what ferments the tea to make kombucha and supplies all the healthy probiotics that is in your kombucha. You can see the scoby in the picture above. If you are anything like me, when I first heard the world scoby, I thought that was the cutest name EVER!

PLEASE READ: One thing you need to note before you start the kombucha process is that a scoby is made of bacteria and yeast so you need to be careful with handling it. A scoby CANNOT come in contact with:

1. Metal (so NO metal utensils or bowls)

2. Soap (wash your bowls with warm water and vinegar)

3. NO heat (so make sure the boiled water in the next step is COMPLETELY cooled before adding in the scoby)

Step 2: Once you have a scoby in some starter tea, then you are ready to make your own kombucha. Below is a great chart to go by when determining how much of everything you need. My first batch I went by the 1 quart ratios. So on my stove top, I put 3 cups of water in a pan and boiled it. Then I placed the water in in a glass bowl with 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 green tea bags. You can use whatever tea you like, but black and green teas are best for making kombucha. Let the tea COMPLETELY cool! Could take a couple hours depending on the type bowl you use.

This might look like a lot of sugar and I thought the same thing. But the scoby actually eats the sugar so the amount of sugar you actually put in isn’t the same once the batch of kombucha is complete.

Chart adapted by: https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/kombucha/how-to-make-kombucha/ 

Step 3: Once the tea is COMPLETELY cooled, then it is time to add in the scoby. If you are doing the 1 quart batch then with the scoby you would need 1/2 cup of starter tea. I put my scoby and tea in a glass mason jar and covered it with a paper towel (or cheesecloth) and sealed it with a hair band. Remember that the scoby cannot come in contact with metal!!!!! (so NO metal lids unless covered with a paper towel)

Step 4: Let the kombucha sit in a cool and dry place for about a week or longer. The longer you let it sit, the more vinegary it will taste, so that depends on your preference. Once you are ready then it is time to flavor it and let it get fizzy (like store bought kombucha). This is an optional step but highly recommended!

Step 5: Place your kombucha in a glass jar that has a NON-metal lid (I used old kombucha jars). For flavoring you can add anything you want! You can try to recreate your favorite kombucha flavor or try something completely different! My favorite flavor I have tried was lemon raspberry. I used fresh squeezed lemon juice and whole raspberries and placed them in the jar with my kombucha. I also used 100% pomegranate juice for flavoring as well. For flavoring, you want to use the ratio 80% kombucha and 20% flavoring for the best flavor. Once you have it flavored the way you like, seal the jar tightly and let sit in a cool and dry place for another week.

Step 5: FINALLY you are done and can enjoy your kombucha! I usually let my kombucha sit in the fridge before I open it so it tastes more refreshing.  Once you make your first batch you can make bigger batches or more than 1 batch at a time, because after each batch another scoby is formed, so you can either pass it off to a friend or create another batch. I have been making gallon size batches, so once my kombucha is flavored, I bottle it up in old kombucha jars and leave in the fridge until I am ready to enjoy it!

I hope y’all enjoyed this blog post and learned a thing or two about making your own kombucha at home!

Haley Newton

Sources:

https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/kombucha/how-to-make-kombucha/ 

Youtube video by Caitlin Shoemaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GecpHAzvVjI