How do you make kombucha?
Kombucha is made by mixing sweet tea with a small amount of kombucha. This is then left to ferment for a short time, which partly converts the sugars into acids. So you need kombucha to be able to make more kombucha. Our Natural Beauty is suitable as a kombucha starter - with one bottle you can make 2.5 liters at home as a first batch. Below we explain in detail how to make kombucha, which tea and sugar you use, and how you can add a flavour. You will also find a simple recipe for 1 liter of kombucha. You can use the same recipe for kombucha to make as much as you want. We also organize workshops 'making kombucha at home' , so you learn it right the first time. You get to take your own kombucha and SCOBY home with you.
What tea do you use for kombucha?
As tea you can only use real tea, from the tea plant Camellia Sinensis. So green tea, black tea, white tea or Oolong tea. These contain the building blocks that your kombucha needs. You will not find these in herbal teas such as rooibos and chamomile. Organic tea is preferred, because pesticides may hinder the fermentation process. Also only use pure tea, so nothing with a flavour such as fruit teas and therefore no earl grey. Also do not buy the most exclusive or expensive tea, because you will find little of these refined flavours after fermentation. At Untamed Kombucha we use loose tea, because the quality is generally much better, and often not even more expensive.
What sugar do you use for kombucha?
At Untamed Kombucha we use organic, raw cane sugar. This contains more minerals, vitamins and other building blocks than refined sugar. This is good for the fermentation process. Other simple sugars also work well, so if you have some white granulated sugar, you don't have to go to the store for cane sugar. Honey, agave, coconut, maple and palm sugar can also be used, but be careful with them. The taste of your kombucha will be much different, and the fermentation process will also be more unpredictable. If you want to try these types of sugar, it is best to do it in a separate jar. The recipe below provides a guideline for how much sugar to use to make kombucha. Depending on whether you have a sweet tooth, you can decide for yourself.
A kombucha SCOBY
SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. In children's language we explain it as a collaboration between yeasts and bacteria. The slippery mat that grows on top of your kombucha is often referred to as the SCOBY. This is partly true, because the same bacteria and yeasts are growing there. However, you will find a lot more of them in the liquid. So you can easily make a first kombucha without that slippery mat, by only using the liquid. In fact, it is cellulose, the same material that plants are made of. Read more about this in our blog about SCOBY .
What is kombucha starter?
By kombucha starter we actually mean a slightly more acidic kombucha. At Untamed Kombucha we always use between 10% and 20% kombucha starter to make a new batch. And if we can reuse a SCOBY mat, we do. These ratios are also good to keep at home. The main reason to use not only a SCOBY mat, but also the liquid, is to get the acidity down. Bad bacteria and fungi do not grow in an environment with a pH of 4.6 or lower. By using 10% to 20% kombucha starter you can ensure this acidity. If you use younger kombucha as a starter, you better use a bit more. You can use our Natural Beauty as a kombucha starter, you can make 2.5L liters of your own kombucha with one bottle - as a first batch.
Which jar to use to make kombucha?
Kombucha needs oxygen, just like humans. So use a wide jar, so you get a larger surface area for your kombucha. Simply put, the larger the surface area compared to the content, the better. Glass jars are best for home use, they come in sizes from 2 to 9 liters. If you want to make more kombucha, you can also find food-grade plastic buckets in brewing stores. Don't just use any type of plastic of course, it has to be safe. If you want to do it professionally, there is also stainless steel, but in our opinion that is a waste of money.
Kombucha recipe for 1 liter
Making kombucha is not like baking bread, where every gram has to be weighed with extreme precision. You can play with the amount of tea and sugar, as long as you work within the bandwidth. Use too little tea and you don't have enough building blocks for the kombucha, use too much and your kombucha will be very tart. If you use too little sugar, your kombucha culture will starve. If you use too much, the yeast will become lazy and die.
You have to be very precise with how much kombucha starter you use. If you add too little, you have a (big) chance of mold. Too much is also not good, because then it is already too sour on day 0. Depending on how sour your kombucha starter is, you use between 10% and 20%.
- 3 to 10 grams of tea
- 30 to 90 grams of sugar
- water
- 15cL kombucha starter ( Natural Beauty )
- a wide pot (glass, food grade plastic or stainless steel)
- a tea towel or coffee filter
- an elastic band
- possibly 1cm SCOBY (not necessary)
How to make Kombucha in a few steps
The first step of making kombucha is always cleaning. Everything you use, your counter, your hands, the pot, everything must be clean. Then you steep the tea, for 10-30 minutes at 85-100°C. By steeping it longer than your normal cup of tea, you get more nutrients from the tea.
Remove the tea and add the sugar while your steeped tea is still warm. Make sure everything dissolves nicely by stirring well. Making kombucha is quite easy, so you have now completed most of the process. The next step is to make sure the temperature of the sweet tea is below 35°C. You can simply wait a little while, but there is a smarter way. Only use a quarter of the total volume of water to steep the tea. This way you can add the rest of the water to cool it down so you don't have to wait.
Pour the sweet tea (<35°C) into the clean jar, and then you are ready to add the kombucha starter. You can simply pour this in, and then stir briefly. If you have a SCOBY mat, you can add it now. If you don't have one, a new one will grow automatically! If you don't have a thermometer, 35°C is a warm bath. If you can hold it for 20 seconds, it is cool enough.
How do you ferment kombucha?
The kombucha ferments by itself. All the bacteria and yeasts needed for this were in that little bit of kombucha starter that you added. And the sugar and tea provide sufficient nutrition and building materials. Carefully clean the outside and the rim of the jar and then cover it with a clean tea towel or coffee filter. An elastic band around it ensures that fruit flies cannot get to it. They really like kombucha and can also ruin it. A cheesecloth is sometimes not fine enough, so fruit flies can still get through. In any case, do not put a closed lid on it, because your kombucha produces carbon dioxide and will build up pressure.
Place the jar in a warm place (20-30°C), out of direct sunlight. For many people this means a kitchen cupboard, the counter, or a spot in the living room. In the winter it can also be a bit cold indoors, and your kombucha will ferment a bit slower. You can use electric heating mats for this.
How long should my kombucha sit?
After a week, you can taste the kombucha. Too sweet, not sour enough? Then leave it alone. Kombucha is ready when you think it is. You can drink the kombucha bit by bit while it continues to ferment, or you can put it in the fridge to pause the fermentation process. Don't drink it all, so you can use a little as a kombucha starter for your next batch.
If you like a lot of flavor, or want to experiment, you can now pull out all the stops! You can bottle your kombucha, and add herbal teas, fruits, hot peppers, herbs or spices. You can't think of anything that someone hasn't made such kombucha before.
How do you get fizz on your kombucha?
During fermentation, carbon dioxide is created. You can get fizz on your kombucha during the second fermentation in a closed bottle. Because there is a cloth over your kombucha during the first fermentation, this carbon dioxide can escape. By putting your kombucha in a closed bottle, you can catch this carbon dioxide and you will get fizz on your kombucha. Use sturdy bottles and put your kombucha in the fridge after 1-5 days. If you keep it outside the fridge for too long, too much carbon dioxide can build up. Many kombucha has ended up against the ceiling, and in the worst case a bottle can burst. Tip: fill one in a plastic bottle, then you can see the pressure building up.
How quickly your kombucha gets fizzy depends on several factors. The biggest two are temperature and sugar content. When it is warm in the summer, 24 hours can be enough. In the winter it can easily take a few days longer. It is the yeast that produces the carbon dioxide, which needs sugar for this. If your kombucha is still reasonably sweet when bottling, this process will also go faster. Also realize that when you add fruit (juice) during bottling, you are also adding new sugar to your kombucha. Do you want kombucha without fruit, but with fizz? Then bottle your kombucha when it is still just a little too sweet for your taste.
There is a difference between building up carbon dioxide and absorbing carbon dioxide. Gases, such as carbon dioxide, are only absorbed in cold liquids. Take a bottle of cola for example. Pour out a lukewarm bottle of cola and it will fizz enormously, but a very cold cola will hardly foam at all. It is therefore important to put your kombucha in the fridge for 24 hours before you open it for the first time. If you don't do this, almost all the carbon dioxide will escape and you will not have a fizz on your kombucha.
Kombucha burping during second fermentation
You don’t need to burp during the second fermentation, it’s actually counterproductive. Burping is the act of gently opening the bottle during the second fermentation to allow some carbonation to escape. The idea is that it won’t build up too much and your kitchen won’t be a mess. What you’re really doing is releasing the carbonation that you really want in your kombucha.
We therefore advise against doing so. If too much carbon dioxide builds up, then you are too late to chill your bottle. When the kombucha is cold, the yeasts go to 'sleep' and therefore (almost) no more carbon dioxide is produced. Depending on how cold the refrigerator is, a problematic amount of carbon dioxide can still build up in weeks or months.
The only exception to burping would be if you have multiple bottles of the same kombucha for the second fermentation. You can then burp one bottle to see how far along the process is. Another solution for this is to fill one bottle in plastic, then you can squeeze it. If it feels like a lukewarm bottle of coke, then there is already quite a lot of carbonation on it.
Burping comes from other fermentation products where you should actually have an airlock. For example, when making kimchi or a gingerbug, it is wise to burp , so that you do not create dangerously high carbon dioxide in a closed glass jar. You cannot then refrigerate it, because it is the main fermentation. In addition, the goal here is not to create carbon dioxide.
Continuous brewing method
We all live busy lives, and sometimes convenience is what we seek. There is a method called continuous brewing that takes much less time, and is therefore easier to maintain. The idea is that you use an extra large pot of at least 8 liters with a stainless steel tap, and that you replace the kombucha that you take out with sweet tea. This means that you do not have to make a new batch every time, which saves you a lot of pots, pans and cleaning. You could refill it daily or even weekly. Or you can refill it all at once when you have drunk up to 30%. Additional benefits are a consistent taste, and no fear of mold.
Where do I store kombucha?
Store kombucha in a glass bottle or jar. You can drink the kombucha directly from the jar if it has a tap. Otherwise, it is probably easier to do it in a bottle first. If you do not want any fizz, it is best to put the closed bottle in the refrigerator. If you drink it directly from the jar, you should keep in mind that it will ferment and therefore change in taste. Do not simply store your filled and closed bottles outside the refrigerator. The fermentation process continues, which also produces carbon dioxide, which can also become too much for your bottle.
How long does kombucha keep?
In the refrigerator you can store kombucha for several months. Kombucha cannot spoil in principle, but it can change in taste. The taste also changes in the refrigerator, but very slowly. Because the pH value is low enough, no molds or other bad micro-organisms can grow in it. The longer you store your kombucha, the more sugars are converted into acids. Your kombucha will therefore taste more sour and less sweet. You will also build up carbon dioxide in the refrigerator, but at a slow pace. So, how long can you store kombucha? Because it cannot spoil, in principle it can be stored indefinitely, as long as it is cool. Our bottles of Untamed Kombucha have a 'best before' date indicated.
Would you like to attend a kombucha workshop?
If it doesn't sound complicated, we'd be happy to explain it to you during a workshop 'making kombucha at home'. You'll learn how to make kombucha flawlessly so you can enjoy it for the rest of your life. You'll also go home with your own kombucha with SCOBY and even a bottle of kombucha to which you've added your own flavor. It's a really fun hobby to have, and a workshop is always fun to do with a friend, partner or colleague! Check out the workshops we have planned here .