Welcome to the ultimate beginners guide to brewing perfect Kombucha at home, every time! This guide contains all the handy tips and tricks you need to ensure you master the art of kombucha brewing at home first time, even if you're new to the world of fermenting!
We ALWAYS use, & teach the continuous Kombucha brew method. This method is super easy, it doesn't need any fancy equipment, produces powerful, delicious, fresh kombucha that is packed with health benefits, and is perfectly suited to those who find themselves a little on the busy side of life, or people who like going on holidays!
What You'll Need:
This kit list should brew Kombucha to fuel 1 - 2 people with a 50 - 100ml serving, each day:
- 3 (could be bigger) Litre Glass Fermentation Jar with a Tap: The vessel for your fermentation. Make sure you clean thoroughly with warm soapy water, or use a sterilising agent
- 1 ish Litre glass bottle that fits upright in your fridge
- A high quality SCOBY: The heart of kombucha fermentation, containing live bacteria and yeast, this is your starter culture
- Green or Black Tea (8-10 high quality tea bags or 12 grams large leaf loose tea) and White Cane Sugar (120 grams). These provide fuel and nutrients for the SCOBY to grow and are vital to kickstart the fermentation process
- Clean Cotton / Muslin / Cloth Cover & Rubber Band: A breathable lid to protect your Kombucha during fermentation
- We also recommend a clean one litre measuring jug and a clean spoon to brew, and cool the tea before you add to the SCOBY
Here's the steps to your beginners Kombucha brewing guide.
Here at BooChaCha, we specialise in providing Complete Kombucha Starter Kits which have specifically been designed with beginners in mind.
These starter kits contain everything you need for the first month-ish of brewing, as well as a life time of Kombucha brewing support from us, & include our welcome pack that includes a few fun extras to make your brewing life super easy!
Step 1: Crafting the Foundation
Begin by brewing your sweet tea in the amounts detailed above, in your measuring jug.
Make sure to stir the mixture until the sugar has fully dissolved, and then set somewhere to cool to room temperature.
We always use green tea, both for its flavour profile, but also for higher levels of polyphenols and antioxidants.
Step 2: Introducing the SCOBY
Add the SCOBY and all the liquid it is stored in (starter liquid) to your clean 3 Litre fermentation vessel.
This wonderful, symbiotic culture of bacteria & yeasts, is the engine that kickstarts the fermentation process, it introduces the live bacteria to your brew, and transforms your sweet tea into a probiotic-rich Kombucha.
Step 3: Fermentation Process
Cover the jar with the cloth cover / breathable lid, securing it with the rubber band.
This allows your Kombucha to breathe while keeping contaminants out. The fermentation period will typically range from 7 to 14 days, depending on your flavour preferences and environmental conditions, such as temperature.
You should aim to keep the brew at a consistent temperature, between 22 - 24 degrees Celcius for the best results.
Step 4: Monitoring Fermentation
Taste your first brew after 10 days (see where that tap comes in VERY useful), and then subsequent days until it reaches a balance of sweetness and tartness that suits your palate.
The first brew typically takes a little longer than the next ones as the SCOBY has to move out of its dormant state, and start to grow.
You should see this new growth as a thin, slimy looking layer on the surface of the liquid in the jar. This is a really good sign of a strong fermentation, but should never look dry and fluffy.
Step 5: Bottling Your Brew
Transfer the Kombucha into a clean glass bottle that fits upright in your fridge (this is where a tap comes in useful), leaving the SCOBY and some Kombucha to act as the starter liquid (enough to keep the full SCOBY submerged) to balance the next refill of sweet tea in your fermentation vessel ready for your next batch.
Check out our Kombucha Recipe Club for some easy, natural Kombucha flavouring options, and let us know if you create something delicious you think we should know about!
By brewing Kombucha at home, you are creating a habit that is both the maximum environmentally sustainable option, as well as extremely beneficial to your well-being, as with anything that you can create for yourself at home.
Each batch of Kombucha you create will be slightly different.
You'll learn that it isn't an exact science, but by setting out with an intent to provide your body with quality, fresh, authentic Kombucha, that offers probiotics, digestive enzymes, and detoxifying acids with every glass.
If you have any questions about our Kombucha Starter Kits, the continuous kombucha brewing method, or anything else Kombucha related, email us at guru@boochacha.co.uk or contact us over one of our social media channels.
Let us embark on this fermentation journey together.