How do we make Kombucha?

... and therefore, how do we teach our customers to make Kombucha?

Well if you're busy, health conscious and love holidays, then our Kombucha brewing method is the one for you.

It's super easy (just read our reviews), it's fun, fascinating and this page contains everything you need to know to get brewing today.

5⭐ Kombucha Starter KitsTaste Our Homemade Kombucha

Our Kombucha brewing method

When deciding to make Kombucha at home, you'll find lots information on two common brewing methods; batch brewing and continuous brewing.

Each has advantages and disadvantages, but we've (accidently) taken the best bits from both methods and put them together to form our own way to make Kombucha!

All of our Kombucha Starter Kits have instructions for this way of brewing.

Shop Our 5⭐ Kombucha Starter Kits

Why use our Kombucha brewing method?

  • Makes the whole process simple - it is literally making a giant cup of tea, letting it go cold and adding it to your jar once a week
  • No fancy equipment needed, or constantly sterilising bottles
  • Very obvious when it has gone wrong - spot the mouldy batch (really rare with Kombucha)
  • You can leave your SCOBY without a refill for 8 weeks (perfect for anyone who likes holidays)
  • It makes the Kombucha itself healthier (lower in sugar), it you know you're drinking fresh, live, authentic Kombucha that is actually good for you
  • All you need to buy to brew a lifetime of Kombucha (after you set your kit up) is tea and sugar (and we can help with that)
  • You can easily adjust how much Kombucha you make to suit your households demand
  • Very low risk of contamination

Step-by-step of how we make our Kombucha

Step 1: Set Up Your Brewing Station
Prepare your glass fermentation vessel, with a tap, by cleaning thoroughly / sterilising (see our advice on how to choose the right equipment here).

Source your SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) with lots of strong starter liquid, tea, sugar, breathable lid and instructions (see our famous Kombucha Starter Kits).

Step 2: Prepare the Sweet Tea
Boil water and pour over the tea and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

See our range of Kombucha Brew Bags here.

For those worried about the sugar content of Kombucha, we have more info on that here, but in short; the sugar is to feed your SCOBY. It consumes the sugar and converts it into organic acids, carbon dioxide and traces of alcohol, and you should end up drinking minimal amounts.

Step 3: Mix your SCOBY and Starter Tea
Add your SCOBY, with all of your starter liquid into your clean fermentation vessel.

Once your sweet tea has cooled to room temperature, pour that in with your SCOBY.

This will kickstart the fermentation process!

Step 4: Fermentation
Cover your vessel with a breathable lid, leave somewhere undisturbed and let the magic happen.

You can normally start tasting after 7-10 days (although the first batch may take a little longer depending on the temperature and amount / strength of starter liquid used).

This is where the tap comes in super handy! You can use it to taste tiny servings at the start, to see how the flavour is adjusting day by day.

This is the best way to ensure you bottle a batch of Kombucha that tastes perfect to you (see our blog on how to know when your Kombucha is ready here).

Using a tap ensures you can do this easily without disturbing the new SCOBY layer growing and risking contamination.

Keep scrolling for step 5!

Let customers speak for us

from 46 reviews
So Easy

I’m loving making my own Kombucha, the first one takes a bit longer but after that you can have a weekly supply & so many flavour combinations to choose from too. Also Hebe is always there for any questions & responds super quick, what’s not to love 🥰

Tracey Adcock
Rooibos & Hibiscus (Caffeine Free) Kombucha Brew Bag
Rooibos & Hibiscus (Caffeine Free) Kombucha Brew Bag
Great selection!

Simple and easy to use! Great taste on the first one!

Clare b
Five Kombucha Brew-Bag Bundle
Five Kombucha Brew-Bag Bundle

Love it. Perfect for brewing kombucha xx

Wendy
Hand Painted Fermentation Vessel
Hand Painted Fermentation Vessel

Excellent Brew-bags x

Wendy
Two Kombucha Brew-Bag Bundle
Two Kombucha Brew-Bag Bundle
Loved the taste

Loved the taste of the free sample and have ordered a starter kit and looking forward to brewing my own. Thank you ☺️

Karen
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample

Absolutely fantastic flavour, a family favourite for us. Super quick delivery too

Kerry
Red Berry Kombucha Brew Bag
Red Berry Kombucha Brew Bag
Delicious

This was my second bottle of kombucha. It’s delicious, I will definitely buy again or.maybe a kit to make my own..🤩

Wendy Loveman
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
Trial of kombucha

I really enjoyed my trial sample and will be purchasing again and will get the starter kit at some point as I’d love to make my own

Natalie Phillipson
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
Great Product

Amazing product and support from Boochacha. Direct contact is there with the owner itself! Great

Lucas
Complete Kombucha Starter Kit
Complete Kombucha Starter Kit
Really enjoying my Kombucha shots!

Have been brewing Kombucha for 6 months now and am very happy with the results.. The whole process is really easy and it is great to know that expert advice from Hebe is just a click away. Am looking forward to trying out some new flavours..

Sue
Sencha Green Tea Kombucha Brew Bag
Sencha Green Tea Kombucha Brew Bag
A great brew

I was surprised how big the bag was, it was a great brew

Sarah Penford
Berry & Rhubarb Kombucha-Brew-Bag
Berry & Rhubarb Kombucha-Brew-Bag
Love love love!

Love boochacha products and Hebe! She is so knowledgeable and approachable whenever I need advice. I only buy from boochacha now, website and products second to none 🤩

Vicki Jones
Two Kombucha Brew-Bag Bundle
Two Kombucha Brew-Bag Bundle
I loved it!

It tasted amazing. Thank you to Hebe for her chat on the radio - I would have not known about this otherwise.

Nicola Hewitt
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
Fermented Green Tea - the original

Wow! I nearly missed out on this great, tasty, refreshing and fizzy mix, having left it in the fridge for 10 days!
So glad I tried it. Must have a go at making it.
I would like to try the elderflower too.

Deryck
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
Very refreshing

Tried the free sample (what a good idea!) and really liked the fresh flavour. Looks like a way of brewing your own without too much stress.

A V H
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample
FREE "Try Before You Brew" Sample

Step 5: Bottle and Repeat

Once your Kombucha tastes just right, you can use the tap to fill a glass bottle (check out our accessories here), or two with your first homemade batch of Kombucha (YAY).

This is where you have the option to add some extra flavours or create some extra carbonation, see our blog and Kombucha Recipe Club for inspiration.

Make sure to always leave approx. 3 inches of Kombucha behind in your jar (with your SCOBY) to help get the next refill of tea going, and keep your SCOBY moist and safe from contamination.

Once you've bottled your batch, you can top up your jar with another batch of sweet tea to keep the process going (which Kombucha Brew Bag will you use next?).

The process basically goes; fill with sweet tea, wait 7-10 days, bottle Kombucha, refill with sweet tea, wait 7-10 days, bottle Kombucha ... and so whilst you drink the bottled Kombucha, you wait for the next batch to ferment.

You can make as much Kombucha, as often as you like, and you can leave without a refill for months at a time - yes it is THAT easy!

We have taken the best parts of batch brewing, and put them in a continuous brewing fermentation vessel, and absolutely got the best out of both worlds!

So what will you call your SCOBY?

Meet Stevie, our SCOBY! Another advantage of our Kombucha brewing method is that you simply leave your SCOBY to grow constantly within the jar.

It will slowly grow new layers on the top surface, and the older ones will push down into the liquid.

These layers trap the carbon dioxide that is created as a by-product of the fermentation process and this will give your Kombucha a light and natural fizz.

Eventually (around 6 months ish) you may need to split your SCOBY (how and when to split your SCOBY instructions here).

You can use spare SCOBYs for tonnes of fun things, see our favourite suggestions here!

You'll only need to clean your jar if you get a build up of sediment, which you can avoid by using whole, large leaf loose tea (like we pack in our Kombucha Brew Bags, instead of 'dust' tea bags).

SCOBY Gallery

How to flavour your homemade Kombucha?

Adding natural flavour, along with extra vitamins and minerals into your homemade Kombucha is super easy and fun!

Our community of Kombucha brewers have helped us to build a Kombucha Recipe Club where there is literally, something for everyone!

All of the recipes are totally natural, involve basic and affordable ingredients, and some feature our famous brewing accessories!

We are always updating the club with seasonal specials, and we know the ones to recommend for your next dinner party too!

Kombucha Recipe Club

Kombucha Brew-Bags

Our Kombucha Brew-Bags are designed to make 2 Litres of kombucha each, fit through your letterbox, are available in bundles, on subscription & come in a selection of different flavours!

Order Brew-Bags Here!

But what is batch brewing and continuous brewing?

Batch brewing

So in short, batch brewing Kombucha is when you make a set amount at once, let it ferment for a week or two, then bottle it all and start over with a new SCOBY and starter liquid for the next batch.

The SCOBY layer grown each time is usually discarded, which feels kind of sad.

This method could work for people who want to make batches of Kombucha just for special occasions, but for people who want a regular serving of Kombucha, this could be tricky.

It’s simple and easy to control but requires cleaning and restarting each time.

Continuous brewing

This is when you keep a larger vessel with a tap, of Kombucha continuously brewing. You regularly (daily normally) drink the Kombucha straight from the fermentation jar, and as you do you simply replace the Kombucha consumed with sweet tea.

This method produces a steady supply to take straight from the fermentation vessel and requires less frequent cleaning, but it can be trickier to balance flavours and acidity over time, and requires regular, small tea top-ups, which could be a faff.

So, I hope that has explained the options you have when it comes to making your own Kombucha!

All of our Kombucha Starter Kits come with a lifetime of brewing support, and all the little extras that I wish I had when I started out.

Let us know if you have any questions (check out our FAQ's), and if you still haven't tried one of our FREE (just pay for the postage) homemade Kombucha sample bottles, order one with the link below.

Try-before-you-brew FREE Kombucha