How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home: Benefits & Methods

The easiest description I can give you around kombucha is that it is a fermented tea.

Why would we want to drink tea thats full of bacteria? Don’t we want to stay away from bacteria? Will I need an antibiotic if I drink kombucha? Well these are all fair questions, but let me give you some background so you can breathe a sigh of relief, and then we will get the the good stuff.

As humans we have a vital symbiotic relationship with bacteria.

These microorganisms live on our skin and in our body and they are essential for many of our cellular processes, including digestion to provide nutrients absorption, synthesize vitamins, boost immunity, and breakdown proteins. We have more than 1,000 types of bacteria in our digestive tract alone. Mind blowing right!

Most bacteria are actually good, so you may want to make nice with the good bacteria. How might you do this? Well this is where fermented food and drinks come in.

Probiotics are ever present in fermented foods.

You have heard that probiotics when consumed can maintain and restore beneficial bacteria to the gut. You also probably already have some of these fermented foods in your fridge: yogurt, pickles, kimchi, miso, cheese. So the process is not that unfamiliar, but lets get back to main event, think of kombucha as sangria meets tea. Kinda but not really.

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So what is kombucha really?

Kombucha is a tea that has been transformed by the process of fermentation into a delicious power packed beverage. We start with a healthy SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and we add a sweetened tea to mix. Over seven days, the SCOBY and tea do a dance and produce a tart carbonated liquid which is then flavored with fruits, herbs, and spices, preparing for the second fermentation and even more carbonation. Wait, what? SCOBY? Okay I agree, it is a bit of an alien like creature that kind of has a mind of its own, but this is the mothership that holds the power, once you get over that, it will be okay, and you will give your SCOBY a name and maybe even create a backup in a SCOBY hotel.

So before I get to the recipe, let me share once again some of the benefits of this magical drink, know as Kombucha:

Boosts metabolism and energy
Improves digestion
Aids in cellular regeneration
Behaves as an adaptogen to relieve stress
Can lower sugar levels
Relieves headaches
Rebuilds connective tissue

So how can you incorporate kombucha into you routine.

First, I can not emphasize enough to start slow. I can tell you this from personal experience. Going and buying kombucha on tap at many San Diego restaurants, it did not sit well with me. All of a sudden, I thought I was developing reflux. My body just wasn’t used to this power packed 12 ounce drink. However, I did not give up then, I started incorporating it in smaller amounts. Think a shot size glass of 2 to 4 ounces. That is all you really need to gain all the benefits. I still can’t figure out why places serve this in such large quantities. At least when you buy it at the store, you can make the bottle last for three to four days. Or better yet, let me share my recipe with you so you know all the ingredients going in there and you can keep making it at home.

This recipe will make about 192 ounces (that is a lot of kombucha)

kombucha scoby — Fermentation Number 1:

Obtain 3 quart size jars (you can do this in one very large jar, but this is easier to handle) Boil 6 cups water.
While the water is boiling, prepare your tea bags. For each quart size jar, you want to fill a muslin bag (or tea filter bag) with 2 tsp green tea + 2 tsp black tea (I use Green Gunpowder and Oolong tea but you can really use any combination).
Place tea bags into each of the jars and add 2 cups water. Let sit 10 minutes, covered.
Add 1/2 cup sugar to each jar, stir, and dissolve. Let it cool till room temperature.
Put your SCOBY in the large jar where you will ferment. Add 144 ounces of cold purified water.
Add the 3 quarts of tea to the larger jar. Cover and ferment for 7 days. If you take a look at my large jar in the picture, I got a jar that has a spout on it to make it easier to pour off for the next step and also so I don’t have to touch my SCOBY.

kombucha tea fruit — Fermentation Number 2:

After 7 days, you can now start picking flavors.
Obtain individual jars that you will use for daily drinking. In these jars add a combination of fruits, lemon and ginger. Here are some of my favorite combinations (the first is pictured above). These go in each of the individual jars.
*4 frozen thawed cherries, 1/4 sliced lemon, 1/4 inch ginger
*Handful of frozen thawed blueberries + raspberries, 1/4 sliced lemon, 1/4 inch ginger
*Half a lemon, 1 inch ginger
*1/4 cup frozen thawed mango, 1/4 sliced lemon, 1/4 inch ginger
Add these to each of the individual bottles, pour the fermented liquid in, seal and let ferment for another 3 days on the counter top.
After that, put them in the fridge and they are ready to drink whenever you want.
You may decide to use fresh fruit and that works as well. I find it easier to use frozen fruit as it has been stored at peak ripeness and yields the best flavor.

The first time you make it, it may feel a little challenging. This is only because it is a new process. Trust me, it gets easier and every week or so you will be trying new combinations based on your tastes and the season.

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