How do I make Kombucha?

In this article we provide you the complete manual of how to brew your own Kombucha. Please read it carefully and/or load it down as PDF from here.

 

How to make kombucha tea

What do I need to make one litre of the delicious kombucha tea?

  • 1 litre water
  • 8g tea
  • 1 original www.natural-kefir-drinks.de kombucha fungus (aka. kombucha scoby or kombucha mushroom)
  • 100ml ready kombucha-drink as starter liquid
  • 90g sugar
  • 1 fermentation vessel made of glass, pottery or plastic with a suitable capacity providing the desired amount of kombucha tea
  • 1 elastic band
  • 1 sheet of cotton or kitchen roll (breathable) to cover the fermentation vessel
  • 1 bottle made of glass, pottery or plastic with a suitable capacity providing the desired amount of kombucha tea
  • 1 sieve
  • 1 funnel


How to make Kombucha tea - short and simple

Boil the desired volume of water, add 8g of tea and leave it to infuse for about 15 - 20 minutes. After that remove the tea leaves and allow the tea to cool down to room temperature.
Add about 90g sugar per litre tea and stir it until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Put your kombucha fungus including the starter liquid (at least 100ml per litre) in the fermentation vessel.
Now fill the vessel with the sugared tea.
Cover the opening of the fermentation tank with the sheet and put it to a place at room temperature.
After 5 - 14 days the fermentation process has completed and you can fill it up into bottles.
Do you want to make Kombucha tea again? Then keep a part of the Kombucha drink as starter liquid. However please remember: For every litre kombucha tea you want to make you will need at least 100ml starter fluid.

Please note the following:

If you are satisfied by the kombucha taste and if you would like to enjoy it for a long time there are a few things to care about. Cleanness and hygiene are the basic conditions for a successful kombucha production. Make sure that the required equipment that gets in touch with the Kombucha mushroom as well as the starter liquid is clean. This can be ensured by thorough cleaning of all items with dishwashing liquid. Subsequently you should rinse everything with hot and clear water. This also applies to the utensils which have been cleaned with the help of dishwasher, because the chemical residues of the rinse aid can harm the Kombucha mushroom. Please also make sure that the kombucha culture is not stored near sources of mold. This could be caused by potted plants, in which moist earth could start to mold.


How to make kombucha tea - detailed guidance

 

  1. Boil the desired volume of water, add 8g of tea and leave it to infuse for about 15 - 20 minutes. After that remove the tea leaves and allow the tea to cool down to room temperature. Depending on how much Kombucha tea you want to make take 8g tea leaves per litre of water. The fresh brewed tea should infuse at least 15 minutes. This process will dissolve the nitrogen contained in the tea. Nitrogen is one of the kombucha's food sources. If you want to use your favourite tea, you should mix it with at least 30% green or black tea. Please do not use flavoured tea, because the contained essential oils could harm the kombucha mushroom.
  2. Add about 90g sugar per litre tea and stir it until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can dissolve between 80g and 100g sugar your tea. 80g, as a good average, has been proven successfully. The kombucha fungus transforms the sugar into valuable ingredients. When the fermentation stage is completed the kombucha drink contains only a small percentage of sugar. With regard to sugar, you can choose between raw cane sugar, whole cane sugar (contain molasses) and refined sugar. We recommend raw cane sugar, whole cane sugar and a mixture of refined sugar and molasses. This approach has proved that the molasses has a very positive impact on the kombucha mushroom. By the way, honey is not suitable for the production of kombucha.
  3. Put your Kombucha fungus including the starter liquid (at least 100ml per litre) in the fermentation vessel. Put your Kombucha fungus and the Kombucha drink as starter liquid in your well cleaned fermentation vessel. Please note that for every litre of Kombucha drink you want to make there is at least 100ml of starter liquid necessary.
  4. Now fill the vessel with the sugared tea.The cooled tea is then slowly poured into the fermentation vessel. The fungus as well as the starter liquid must not ever get in touch with hot tea. This would kill the culture immediately. As soon as you put the tea into the vessel the fungus either sinks to the bottom of the vessel or floats on the surface. Both behaviours are normal. If the fungus sinks to the bottom a new one develops on the surface of the tea. If it floats on the surface of the liquid the fungus keeps growing on its surface.
  5. Cover the opening of the fermentation tank with the sheet and put it to a place at room temperature. After the fermentation vessel is filled, it needs to be covered with a sheet - made of cotton - or a piece of kitchen roll. With the help of a rubber ring the sheet is easily fixed on the glass. You can also use a wire bale jar. Just remove the wire and simply put the glass lid with the rubber ring on the glass. It is important to point out that the sheet needs to be breathable, because oxygen is necessary for the fermentation process. At the same time the sheet protects the kombucha from dust and insects. Now store the vessel at a place at room temperature (about 22°C / 72°F) away from sunlight. Whether you store the vessel on a light or dark place has no effect on the fermentation. During the process the jar should not be moved. The movement would prevent a new culture from growing. If the culture has enough rest it forms a thin and milky skin or membrane. This is a completely normal process . This thin skin becomes a new kombucha mushroom.
  6. After 5 - 14 days the fermentation process has completed and you can fill it into bottles. After 5 - 14 days of fermentation the kombucha beverage is ready to serve. It is hard to say how long it exactly takes. The duration depends on the room temperature. The warmer it is, the faster the fermentation process has completed. After about 5 - 6 days the drink is gently sparkling with fine fruity taste. If you store it longer the taste becomes increasingly acidic. Concerning the taste you can decide for yourself. If your kombucha tea is ready you can fill it into your bottles with the help of a sieve and funnel. The drink contains particulate matter (yeast). It is normal and can be eaten without harm. If you don't like it you can filter the kombucha tea with the help of your sieve.
  7. Do you want to make Kombucha tea again? Then keep a part of the Kombucha drink as starter fluid. However please remember: For every litre Kombucha tea you want to make you will need at least 100ml starter fluid.For a new Kombucha you need for every litre of Kombucha tea at least 100ml Kombucha drink as starter liquid. After you have filled the drink into a bottle, you should clean the fungus under running water. Also you should thoroughly clean the fermentation vessel and the other utensils. Now you have a Kombucha fungus as well as the starter liquid again and are able to start at point 1 of this instruction.


Holiday tip: If you intend to go on holiday you can store the Kombucha fungus as well as the starter liquid with the fermentation vessel in the basement. In this manner it can be stored for several weeks without being damaged. On returning home you should dispose the kombucha tea (of course except the required volume of starter liquid) and start a new fermentation.

Note: This document was compiled with great care and checked for accuracy. Nevertheless we assume no liability for incomplete or incorrect information. The usage of our recommendations is at your own risk.

Petra Kriegener | Hinterdorf 37 | D-99735 Pützlingen
Fon: (+49) (0) 3 63 37 31 90 06 | Fax: (+49) (0) 3 21 21 47 29 39