How to Make Kombucha at Home: A Step-by-Step First Batch

What you need for a 1 gallon batch

A common starting recipe for one gallon uses 14 cups of water, 1 cup of plain white sugar, 8 black or green tea bags (or about 2 tablespoons of loose leaf tea), 1 cup of unflavored kombucha from a previous batch as starter liquid, and one SCOBY. Plain cane sugar and plain tea give the culture the most predictable food. Avoid flavored teas and teas with oils, such as Earl Grey, for your first batches.

For equipment you need a 1 gallon wide-mouth glass jar, a tightly woven cloth or coffee filter with a rubber band, a large pot for brewing the tea, and a long spoon. If you do not have a SCOBY yet, a complete starter set saves guessing. Compare options in our guide to kombucha brewing kits, or buy the culture on its own from the kombucha SCOBY guide.

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Step 1: Brew and cool the sweet tea

Bring about 4 cups of the water to a near boil in a pot, turn off the heat, and steep the tea for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags, then stir in the sugar until it fully dissolves. The heat is only there to dissolve the sugar and extract the tea, so you do not need to keep it boiling.

Add the remaining cool water to bring the temperature down, and check that the mixture is at room temperature before going further, roughly 68 to 78 F (20 to 26 C). Adding a SCOBY to hot tea can damage the culture, so wait. If the jar feels warm on your wrist or hand, it is still too warm.

Step 2: Combine the tea, starter liquid and SCOBY

Pour the cooled sweet tea into your clean glass jar, leaving a couple of inches of headspace. Add the cup of starter liquid first, then slide the SCOBY in with clean hands. It may sink, float or sit sideways, and all of those are normal. The starter liquid lowers the acidity of the brew from the start, which helps keep unwanted microbes from getting established.

Cover the jar with the tightly woven cloth and secure it with a rubber band. A cloth lets the culture take in air and keeps fruit flies out. A plain lid sealed tight is not suitable for this first stage, since the culture needs oxygen. Set the jar out of direct sun at a steady room temperature.

Step 3: Ferment and taste

Leave the jar undisturbed. Warmer rooms ferment faster: around 75 to 80 F a batch may be ready in about a week, while a cooler room can take two weeks or more. A new thin layer of culture on the surface, brown stringy bits and cloudy sediment are all normal signs of an active ferment.

Start tasting from day 6 or 7. Slide a clean straw or spoon past the culture and sample the liquid. If it is still very sweet, wait another day or two. If it is sharp like vinegar, you went a bit long, which is fine for a starter liquid or for mixing with juice. Many brewers also check that the acidity has dropped well below pH 4.6 with test strips or a meter, with 2.5 to 3.5 being a common target for finished kombucha. Our pH meter guide covers meters made for brewing.

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Step 4: Bottle, flavor and carbonate

Before bottling, set aside 1 cup of finished kombucha plus the SCOBY for your next batch. Pour the rest into pressure-rated bottles, such as swing-top bottles, leaving about an inch of headspace. For flavor, add a small amount of fruit, ginger or juice, around 2 to 4 tablespoons per 16 ounce bottle is a typical range.

Seal the bottles and keep them at room temperature for 2 to 4 days to build carbonation, then refrigerate. Because fermentation continues in a sealed bottle, pressure builds up. Use bottles designed for carbonated drinks, open them slowly over a sink, and never use thin decorative jars. Refrigerating slows the yeast and sets the fizz level.

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Keep it safe and know what to throw out

Wash everything that touches the brew with hot water and unscented soap, rinse well, and avoid long contact with reactive metal such as bare aluminum or cracked ceramic. Fuzzy, dry, raised spots in blue, green, black or white on the surface are mold. If you see mold, throw out the whole batch including the SCOBY. Smooth wet films, brown strands and bubbles are not mold.

Finished kombucha contains small amounts of alcohol from fermentation, and homemade batches are not lab-tested, so the strength varies. People who are pregnant, immunocompromised or avoiding alcohol should talk to a doctor before drinking it. If a batch smells rotten or off in a way that is not sour, do not drink it.

Moving to continuous brewing

After a few successful batches, many brewers switch to a continuous vessel with a spigot, so they draw off some kombucha and top the container up with fresh sweet tea. This avoids lifting the culture each time. Pick a container with a tight-fitting cloth or lid that still allows air and a spigot made of food-safe plastic or stainless steel. Our continuous brew vessels guide lists several.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to make kombucha? The first fermentation usually takes 7 to 14 days depending on room temperature and how strong you like the sourness. A second fermentation in sealed bottles adds 2 to 4 days.

Can I make kombucha without a SCOBY? You need a culture. You can grow one from a bottle of raw, unflavored store-bought kombucha, which takes several weeks, but buying a SCOBY with starter liquid is more reliable for a first batch.

Why is my kombucha not fizzy? Fizz comes from the second fermentation. Check that bottles are sealed well, that you added a little sugar or fruit, and that they sat warm for a few days before refrigerating.

What if the SCOBY sinks or looks odd? A SCOBY can sink, float, grow bumps or develop brown strands and still be healthy. Only mold, which looks dry and fuzzy, is a reason to discard it.