DIY Homemade Kombucha (Probiotic Tea)

I have been wanting to make my own kombucha for quite some time now.  After learning of the health benefits of this probiotic drink I wanted to find a cheaper way to be able to enjoy it regularly.  When you buy a bottle of kombucha in the store it can run you upwards of $4 per bottle…yikes.  Healthy habits don’t have to cost a lot and when you can find ways to DIY.  Then you can save a ton of $$$.  What was once a few dollars a bottle can now cost about $0.20 per 16 oz bottle!  Healthy, delicious, easy, and cheap!  A perfect combination.

My in-laws once mentioned that growing up in Poland their parents would make this fermented tea all of the time.  Our ancestors knew better then us about how to be healthy so why not bring traditions like this back?  In fact it was my mother-in-law that started making kombucha herself so I was able to get an extra scoby from her at no cost to me!  Score!!

I posted my first batch on Instagram a few weeks ago and got a lot of requests for a post on how I make my homemade kombucha.  I give the people what they want so here is the easy process so you can do it yourself.

1.  Get your hands on a scoby.  This can happen in a few ways…buy one online, get one from a friend that is already brewing (scobies tend to multiply after a few uses), or grow your own from a store bought bottle of kombucha.  Just make sure that with the scoby you also get 1 cup of the kombucha tea liquid which is essential to the process.

2.  Buy a few other basic supplies.  A large jar that can hold at least 1 gallon of liquid with a wide opening, lid optional.  Loose leaf tea (it’s cheaper than bags).  Organic white sugar (Costco is great for this).  Wooden or silicone spoon (I’ve heard metal is not good to use).  Jars or bottles to store finished kombucha (I simply recycle used jars from my kitchen at no additional cost).

3.  Brew the tea.  This is exactly what I do but do whatever works for you.  If you can boil water then you can brew tea.  I boil 1.5 liters of water in my electric tea kettle.  I add the hot water to a beverage container with 1 tablespoon of the loose leaf tea (a bowl or pot would work too).  I will brew the tea for at least 10 minutes (sometime overnight to let the water come to room temperature on its own).  In the clean large jar I will pour in the brewed tea while running it through a strainer (or towel) to remove the leaves.  I will then add another 1.5 liters of plain cool or iced water to the brewed tea to help cool it off completely if it wasn’t already.  It is essential not to add the scoby to hot water or you risk killing the good bacteria.

4.  Add the sugar..I know gasp!  For someone that hates refined sugar this was a hard one for me but the good bacteria need sugar to thrive so most of the sugar will not be in your end product.  I recommend organic sugar for this step and mixing with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar into the tea.

5.  Pour in the reserved kombucha tea and float the scoby on the top of the tea.  Cover with a lid or top the jar off with a clean towel and secure with a rubber band to prevent bugs from getting into the tea.  If your jar is pretty full I recommend the towel option to make sure enough air is circulating.

6.  Let the tea sit on your counter for about 7-10 days to ferment.  Simply wait….easy! 

7.  Optional 2nd fermentation process.  You can drink the kombucha how it is at this point but the 2nd fermentation process is probably my favorite step.  This is where you can get creative.  Include your favorite ingredients to add additional flavor.  I add everything from 100% fruit juice to fresh fruit to herbs at this step.  This process is super easy.

 Remove the scoby along with 1 cup of the fermented tea (you will need both to brew your next batch).  Divide up the finished tea among jars or bottles and add whatever you would like leaving about 1 inch of room at the top.  Cover tightly with lids and let ferment again for at least 2 more days.  This will add more flavor and create a bubbly fizz to the kombucha.  Store in the fridge and enjoy!