Homemade Kombucha

Homemade kombucha is packed with immune boosting minerals and probiotics. It’s easy to start and maintain, it’s cost effective, and it will keep your family enjoying tasty bubbly drinks full of health benefits for years to come!

Boost your immune system with this easy and delicious homemade probiotic drink.

My first crack at fermenting anything was kombucha. My mother-in-law gave me some of her SCOBY and off I went. SCOBY? Pardon… And don’t be scared of how it looks!

SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. Those words excite me now, but five years ago when it was all new, I was just confused and a bit overwhelmed.

I tried anyway because I was told how beneficial kombucha is to our bodies and I just wanted to try something new.

Like any living culture, there is some commitment involved, but don’t let that scare you either. You can do it! Trust me.

How to get started

If you are the only person in your life who has embarked on this little kombucha adventure, you may need to find your nearest health food store and buy some raw organic unflavoured kombucha. This will be your starting point.

You can create your very own SCOBY from scratch. Think of how proud you will be… you might even name it!

Is it worth the work?

The health benefits of homemade kombucha totally make it worth your time. One glass of homemade kombucha probably contains more probiotics than one store-bought probiotic capsule – and it doesn’t contain the added fillers that supplements do. But that’s a topic for another day!

Is it cheaper to make your own?

It costs next to nothing… I mean you need your cane sugar and your tea, but the amount you are using is pennies.

Think, 1 small bottle of kombucha costs about $4. Well I did the math and my organic cane sugar from Costco and organic tea from Superstore costs about $25 total. That makes me approximately 19 BATCHES of homemade kombucha!

That works out to be about $1 per batch! A batch gives me about 6 small bottles. That makes each bottle cost about $0.21. So okay, not pennies…but dimes!

Ingredients:

1. 12 cups of filtered water
2. 1 layer of SCOBY from a friend or off of Facebook Marketplace OR 1 cup of store-bought organic unflavoured raw kombucha
3. 1 cup of organic cane sugar
4. 5 tea bags of your choice

Instructions:

1. Boil 12 cups of water

2. Add 1 cup of organic cane sugar and let it dissolve

3. Remove from heat

4. Add 5 tea bags and wait 20 minutes

5. Remove tea bags

6. Let cool to room temperature

7. Pour tea into desired vessel

8. Add 1 cup of purchased organic raw kombucha or newfound SCOBY or both!

9. Cover with a tea towel and elastic and allow to ferment for a weekISH in a dry, dark place.

10. Bottle it! Some people like the mother (parts of the SCOBY) in their drink and others do not. If you do not, you can use a strainer when bottling

How a few things should look:

How do I know my kombucha is ready?

• Taste test. If it is very sweet, it needs more time to ferment.
• Tangy, tart and only a bit sweet means it’s ready.
• It’s up to you! These are guidelines but you and your family are the ones who decide how tangy or vinegary you like it.

Note: Each batch will have a slightly different taste. Kombucha is a living thing, therefore it has a mind of its own!

How do I bottle my kombucha?

IMPORTANT: Be sure to leave headspace for carbon dioxide and fermentation pressure. Leaving about 2 inches or filling only to the neck will prevent bottle leakage, foaming when opening and even bottle explosion. See below:

Helpful Tools for Homemade Kombucha

1. Skimmer spoon (any type of ladle with holes in it). I avoid using plastic when handling heat

2. Funnels and strainers. I use plastic when handling ferments.

3. Bottles (flip tops or screw ons will work great)

4. Brewing vessel

Tips to get your family to drink homemade kombucha

1. Add a little kombucha to flavoured carbonated water
2. Do a second ferment of your kombucha with fruit or juice
3. Add kombucha (and even some SCOBY) to smoothies
4. Combine it with beer. My husband and I call it buchabeer…or should it be beerbucha? We always have this debate as well as who came up with the idea in the first place (it was me).

How long does homemade kombucha keep?

It depends on its environment. The warmer it is, the faster it will ferment, making it taste more and more like vinegar. If you ever let it go that far, don’t fret. It can still be used as house cleaner!

Mine usually keeps for a week or 2, but it’s hard to say because we drink it so fast!

How do you store homemade kombucha?

• Cover tightly with a tea towel to prevent fruit flies from getting in.
• Store in a dry, dark place.
• Once fermentation is complete to your liking, bottles can be kept in a cool, dark place or in the fridge.

Can I drink kombucha if I’m pregnant or nursing? What about my kids?

• Kombucha contains on average 25% less caffeine than a typical cup of black tea. This is a VERY rough estimate since it depends on the type of tea used, how long it steeps, how long it ferments, etc.
• Consuming small portions in each sitting will reduce your caffeine intake.
• In my opinion, the benefits outweigh the risks!

Want to ferment more? You could try your hand at sauerkraut or, my easy fermented carrot recipe is great for beginners!

Have you ever brewed homemade kombucha?

Do you brew it differently? Have you flavoured it? Any tips I forgot? Share in the comments!