How to make kombucha at home (kombucha kaise banaye)

Kombucha is sweet tea fermented by a SCOBY into a lightly fizzy, tangy drink. It is simple, but it has more safety rules than kefir, so follow them exactly.

Most batches take 7 to 14 days

You’ll need (for 1 litre)

• About 850ml of chlorine-free water
• 2 plain black or green tea bags, or 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of loose tea. Avoid Earl Grey, masala chai, scented or flavoured teas and teas with oils.
• 50 to 60g of white sugar
• 1 SCOBY with 120 to 150ml of mature kombucha (the starter liquid it comes in)
• A glass jar of at least 1.5 litres (not glazed earthenware)
• A tight-weave cloth or coffee filter and a rubber band
• pH strips and a kitchen thermometer (strongly recommended)
• Swing-top bottles for the second ferment

First ferment

1. Clean up. Wash your hands, the jar and the tools with soap, and rinse well.
2. Brew the tea. Steep the tea in about 250ml of very hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, then take the tea out.
3. Sweeten and cool. Stir in the sugar, then add the rest of the cool water. Check with a thermometer that it is below 30°C. Never add the SCOBY above 35°C.
4. Combine. Pour into the jar. Add the starter, then the SCOBY with clean hands.
5. Test. The starter should read pH 4.0 or lower and the mixed brew below 4.5. If it is higher, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar per litre and test again.
6. Cover and wait. Cover with a cloth and a rubber band, write the date on the jar and keep it at 20 to 29°C, out of direct sun.
7. Taste. From day 5 to 7, taste with a clean straw. It is ready when it is pleasantly tart with a little sweetness left (pH 2.5 to 4.2).
8. Keep your starter. Pour off the kombucha but keep the SCOBY and at least 1 cup (240ml) of liquid for the next batch.

Second ferment

1. Bottle. Pour into swing-top bottles with 10 to 20% fruit juice or fruit, leaving 2.5 to 5cm of air.
2. Seal and wait. Keep at room temperature for 1 to 3 days (12 to 24 hours in summer). Open each cap briefly once a day to release pressure.
3. Chill when fizzy. Open slowly over the sink with a cloth over the cap. Drink within 30 days.

Spare SCOBYs: keep them in a jar of strong kombucha under a cloth, at room temperature and not in the fridge. Top up with sweet tea every 4 to 6 weeks.

Troubleshooting

• A pale, smooth, wet film on top? That is a new SCOBY growing. Brown strings and sediment are yeast and are normal.
• Dry, fuzzy, raised patches? Mould, in white, green, blue, grey or black. Throw away the liquid and the SCOBY and wash the jar.
• Too sour? It brewed too long. It is still safe: dilute it with juice, use it as vinegar or keep it as starter.
• Not fizzy? Use swing-top bottles, add 10 to 20% juice and leave it another day, releasing pressure daily.

Good to know: kombucha contains caffeine from the tea. If you must avoid caffeine, do not drink it. Start with up to 120ml a day. For advice about your own health, ask your doctor.

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