I have been making Kombucha since the summer of 2014. I had been on a real health kick and started trying all sorts of new things. Initially, I think my husband thought I was crazy. I don’t know how much he really liked it, but he drank it.
Kombucha Benefits
You see, Kombucha is a probiotic fermented tea. Its primary purpose is to improve your gut health by introducing healthy bacteria and yeast to the gut. I like to think of the good bacteria as your gut’s militia. You need a good militia to take care of any intruders that may come your way. And they will!
However, there are so many more benefits of drinking Kombucha, besides just introducing healthy bacteria and yeast to the gut. Here is a list of benefits, just to name a few:
- Rebalances homeostasis (internal stability) in the body
- Supports healthy liver function
- Boosts metabolism
- Improves digestion and bowel function
- Rebuilds connective tissue
- Boosts energy
- Reduces blood pressure
- Relieves headaches and migraines
- Reduces occurrence and size of kidney stones
- Destroys free radicals, which cause cell damage
- Aids healthy cell regeneration
- Improves eyesight
- Heals eczema
- Prevents arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
- Speeds healing of ulcers
- Helps clear up candidiasis (i.e. yeast infections)
- Lowers glucose levels by preventing energy spikes
Wow! Who wouldn’t want to drink something with this many health benefits? Right? It sure wasn’t difficult to get my husband to drink it. We both wanted to be healthier. And if made well, it tastes great, too. We soon switched our morning juice to Kombucha for both ourselves and our children.
Flavoring Kombucha
For four years, I made our Kombucha by doing a first fermentation of plain Kombucha tea and then a second fermentation using flavored juices. I had considered using fresh fruit, but wasn’t really sure how to do that. And, quite frankly, I was afraid to try!
I had tried making Kombucha with many juice flavors (Black Cherry, Pomegranate, Cranberry, etc.), but they all ended up tasting like dirty feet and I didn’t know why. Through trial and error, I had found a recipe that my whole family really liked. It included using Aroniaberry juice sold by R.W.Knudsen. However, when the company stopped selling this brand of juice, we were in trouble! We were hooked on our brew!
For a while, I solely performed my second fermentation using a brand of Organic Aronia Berry (Chokeberry) Juice Concentrate found on Amazon. As it turns out, this brand is even better that the juice sold by R.W.Knudsen. And sometimes, I still use this juice, when fresh fruit is not available. However, after reading The Big Book of Kombucha, by Hannah Crum and Alex LaGory, my whole world of Kombucha changed.
Fast forward to today, and I am now primarily brewing our second ferment of Kombucha using fresh organic fruit that is locally grown and in season. I also freeze some fruit and herbs that I add to my brews during winter and spring seasons. It is during those times of year that I use the Organic Aronia Berry (Chokeberry) Juice Concentrate, when fresh locally grown fruit is not available.
Ensuring A Great Brew
I realize now, that for the first four years of my Kombucha brewing, I was a complete novice brewing blindly. I had no idea how to monitor the temperature or ph. of my brew, or even that I should be monitoring it, for that matter! My generally brewing temperature was approximately 70 degrees, or whatever the temperature of my house was at the time. Now, I know that this was a contributing factor in why my early brews tasted like dirty feet!
Since I wanted to step my brewing up a notch, I have purchased several temperature strips and Kombucha warmers for my gallon jars, which allow me to monitor my brew temperatures and keep them at the optimal temperature of 78-80 degrees. I’ve invested in ph. strips to be sure my brew is between 2.5 and 3.5 ph. And I’ve added quite a few Kombucha bottles to my collection! These swing top bottles are great, and they even do well on the road, if you travel a lot!
You may also want to consider these nifty Brewer Caps for fermentation jars. However, they are not necessary. I usually use a clean rag or cloth and hold it tight to the jar with a rubber band. The only problem with this method is that sometimes the rubber bands break without you noticing. Otherwise, it works just fine.
A Word On Brewing Methods
My family’s love for Kombucha has also changed drastically over the years. Now, my husband can’t drink enough Kombucha. My children are always asking for it. They often even contribute to the making of the batches. It’s fun when it’s a family event and we pick out flavors together.
We currently use the batch method of brewing, since we have the most control over our brew and it’s faster. Although, if you prefer, you may want to consider the continuous brew method. I have considered trying this method, myself. However, the brew period can be much longer, upwards from 24 days for a 2 gallon continuous brew batch and up to 42 days for a 5 gallon continuous brew batch. That is much too long for my family of 6 to wait for their Buch! Therefore, we have decided to continue using the batch method to brew approximately 6 1-gallon batches of Kombucha every 14 days!
Can Kombucha Lead To A Healthier Diet?
In The Big Book of Kombucha, Alex LaGory writes about how his “Kombucha consumption coincided with other health-related breakthroughs”. He asked, “Could the Kombucha bacteria have been changing my thinking and making me more open-minded to consuming more fermented, probiotic, and real-food friends?”
Although I am no scientist or doctor, I would have to say that I have experienced similar results. After consuming home-brewed Kombucha regularly for over 5 years, I, too, have experienced gradual improvements in my diet and health.
My husband and I now eat a
Now, I am not suggesting that you all get as crazy as us and start raising your own chickens! But starting to brew Kombucha at home is definitely a great start to a healthier lifestyle. And it may lead to an even healthier lifestyle over time, whatever that may be for you.
Practice Makes Perfect
Hopefully, you will learn from some of my mistakes over the years and start making fantastic tasting Kombucha, right out of the gates! But if not, don’t fret. Remember, anything worth doing is worth failing at a few times. Whoever told a baby to walk right the first time? Instead, you tell them to try and try again, until they get it right! Brewing Kombucha is no different. In time, you will learn from your mistakes and wind up with an awesome brew! And most certainly, your gut will thank you!
Brewing Kombucha
To get you started, here is my method of brewing:
1. Kombucha Brewing Chart
| Jar Size | ½ gal | 1 gal | 2 gal * | 3 gal * | 4 gal * |
| Max Batch Size | 6 cups | 12 cups | 1 ½ gallons | 2 ¼ gallons | 3 gallons |
| Tea Bags # | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Water for Tea ** | ½ quart | 1 quarts | 2 quarts | 3 quarts | 4 quarts |
| Additional Water ** | 1 quart | 2 quarts | 4 quarts | 6 quarts | 8 quarts |
| Sugar ## | 6 Tbsp | ¾ cup | 1 ½ cup | 2 ¼ cup | 3 cup |
| SCOBYs @ | 1 sm | 1 lg | 2 lg | 3 lg | 4 lg |
| Starter Liquid | ½ cup + | 1 cup | 2 cup | 3 cup | 4 cup |
| Brew Cycle | 5-8 days | 10-14 days | 10-14 days | 10-14 days | 10-14 days |
| Jar Size | 5 gal * | 6 gal * | 7 gal * | 8 gal * | 9 gal * |
| Max Batch Size | 3 ¾ gallons | 4 ½ gallons | 5 ¼ gallons | 6 gallons | 6 ¾ gallons |
| Tea Bags # | 21 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 36 |
| Water for Tea ** | 5 quarts | 6 quarts | 7 quarts | 8 quarts | 9 quarts |
| Additional Water ** | 10 quarts | 12 quarts | 14 quarts | 16 quarts | 18 quarts |
| Sugar ## | 3 ¾ cup | 4 ½ cup | 5 ¼ cup | 6 cup | 6 ¾ cup |
| SCOBYs @ | 5 lg | 6 lg | 7 lg | 8 lg | 9 lg |
| Starter Liquid | 5 cup | 6 cup | 7 cup | 8 cup | 9 cup |
| Brew Cycle | 10-14 days | 10-14 days | 10-14 days | 10-14 days | 10-14 days |
Key:
* Tea is brewed in 1 gallon glass jars.
# I use an equal combination of White, Green and Black Tea .
** Water should be filtered and chlorine-free water.
## I use Organic Cane Sugar.
@ A large SCOBY is approximately 6 inches in diameter, ¼ to ½ inches thick and weighs 4 to 6 ounces.
2. Obtain a healthy SCOBY
First, you may be asking, “What is a SCOBY?” SCOBY stands for “Symbiotic Culture of Bacterial and Yeast”. The SCOBY is a zoogleal mat, or rather a mass of bacteria and yeast that is tied together with cellulose nanofibers.
The bacteria and yeast feed off of the fermentation by-products of each other and build the matlike cellulose structure to work more easily together. The mat protects the fermenting tea from other wild bacteria and yeast, as well as reduces evaporation of the liquid.
When I first started brewing Kombucha in the summer of 2014, I purchased my SCOBY from the Kombucha Kamp. They are the same folks that wrote The Big Book of Kombucha, which I highly recommend reading. There are numerous other SCOBY suppliers online. You can do a google search or a search on Amazon and quickly find a dozen suppliers.
You can also get a SCOBY from a family member or friend who is already brewing Kombucha. The chances are, they will have an extra SCOBY at some point, since the SCOBYs grow and need to be split occasionally.
However, beware of suppliers that advise you to store your SCOBY in the refrigerator, those that ship dehydrated or partially hydrated cultures with no starter liquid, or those that ship tiny or test-tube sized cultures.
For the best results, a new SCOBY should come from a supplier:
- that is an experienced brewer.
- that provides detailed instructions and support.
- that provides a large SCOBY at least 5 inches wide.
- that includes at least 1 full cup of starter liquid.
- that does not recommend refrigerating the cultures or using what is left at the bottom of the jar as starter liquid. (Taking starter liquid from the top is always best.)
3. Make Sweet Tea
Boil 1/3 of the water needed for the batch of Kombucha you are making. This is 2 cups of water per ½ gallon brew and 1 quart of water per 1 gallon of Kombucha. Make sure your pot is covered, so that no water evaporates.
Once the water has come to a boil, remove the pot from heat, add your tea bags and let steep for 5-15 minutes, covered. I usually steep my tea bags for 15 minutes.
Remove tea bags from pot. Add sugar. Stir well until dissolved. Let sweet tea cool to 100⁰F, or room temperature.
4. Pour off 1st Ferment
If a batch of Kombucha is already brewing, prepare flavorings in ½ gallon or 1 gallon jars. (See “Second Fermentation” below.)
Reserve ½ cup of Kombucha from each ½ gallon jar and 1 cup of Kombucha from each 1 gallon jar of previously brewed Kombucha. This will be your starter liquid for the next batch of brew. It should be taken from the top of the brew, before the SCOBY is removed and any Kombucha is poured off. This starter liquid contains the most probiotic and nutrient rich fluid.
Next, remove the SCOBY(s) with clean hands or a clean pair of tongs. Place the SCOBY(s) in a glass or metal bowl. Cover the bowl with a dish towel to prevent fruit flies from getting to your SCOBY(s).
Stir the remaining Kombucha well. Then, either transfer the brew to prepared flavor jars or strain the yeast from the plain Kombucha, bottle and enjoy.
5. First Fermentation
In a clean jar, add prepared sweet tea, made in step 1. This is 2 cups for a ½ gallon brew and 1 quart for a 1 gallon brew.
Add the remaining cold filtered water to the sweet tea. This is 1 quart of water for a ½ gallon brew and 2 quarts of water for a 1 gallon brew.
Add a SCOBY to each jar. (This is a good time to bless your SCOBY or welcome it to its new home, if you are into that sort of thing.)
Add starter liquid on top of each SCOBY. This is ½ -1 cup for a ½ gallon brew and 1-2 cups for a 1 gallon brew.
Finally, cover each jar with a clean cloth and a rubber band. Set the jar(s) in a place that gets indirect sunlight, stays warm and is away from drafts. Once you have placed your brewing Kombucha jar in a good spot, leave it undisturbed until it is ready to be harvested. Moving the jar(s) will disrupt the Scoby(s).
Let the Kombucha ferment for 3-7 days for a ½ gallon brew and 7-14 days for a 1 gallon brew. We generally ferment our 1 gallon jars for 14 days.
Note that optimal Kombucha brews at a temperature of 78⁰F to 80⁰F. However, a temperature of anywhere between 75⁰F and 85⁰F will result in a good brew. If you have trouble keeping the brew at optimal temperatures, consider investing in Kombucha warmers and a good cycle timer.
6. Second Fermentation
When the first fermentation is complete, the Kombucha is either ready to strain and drink or it is ready for a second fermentation. For more information on how to flavor your brew, see my post How to Flavor Kombucha 30 different ways!
Have you made your own Kombucha at home? Do you have questions about starting a home-brew? Please share below.
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