Unflavored Kombucha Recipe

It’s a big day everyone! The day your intestinal microbiota have been begging you for. The day you say goodbye to expensive store bought kombucha. The day you become a brewmaster as I impart on you the secrets of homemade kombucha!

The goal of this guide is to be your one stop shop for homemade kombucha brewage, from SCOBY-less to fermented perfection. No hopping around the interwebs. No fuss. No confusion. Because making homemade kombucha is

This post will go into detail about each step in the process of making kombucha. For succinct instructions, scroll to the bottom where a recipe card lays out the basics of making homemade kombucha. The general order of things goes something like this (you can jump around this tutorial by clicking the links below):

Organic, Kombucha Plain Tea 500 Ml (ready To Drink, And Unflavored)

The SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is the mother of the kombucha, providing bacteria and yeast to ferment the sweet tea, protecting the tea from outside contaminants, and providing a loose seal to keep a bit of the carbonation in. Yes, it’s scary and alien looking and Buzzfeed did a whole article about how ugly this mama is…but it’s the very essence of kombucha! It brings the love and flavor and magic!

So you’ve got a newbie SCOBY and you’re ready to get this komboo-choo train rollin’. This first fermentation is where you actually

The final stepand negotiably the best part of the process! The second fermentationis where the real magic happens. It’s where you can play around with sweet, fruity flavors that will not only make your homemade kombucha taste better than store-bought, but will give those good bacteriathe power to kick it into high carbonation gear, bringing everything together into effervescent bliss. Let’s finish this.

Easy Homemade Kombucha

I’m always experimenting with new flavors of kombucha. I’m always adding new kombucha flavors to this list, but here are a few of my favorites:

Below is a list of the supplies needed to make kombucha. The links are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase (I’ve only included products I know and trust).

Serving: 1 cup (depends on fermentation length) Calories: 50 kcal (3%) Carbohydrates: 12 g (4%) Sodium: 13 mg (1%) Sugar: 12 g (13%)

A Healthy Start To The New Year: Making Your Own Kombucha

Most kombucha contains less than 0.5% ABV (for reference, beer has about 5% ABV), so it is not likely that you will get drunk from kombucha.

The high amount of probiotics in kombucha mean that drinking too much can lead to GI discomfort (bloating and in some cases diarrhea). Kombucha also contains caffeine and sugar, which may also effect you.

Kombucha contains probiotics, which contribute to a healthy gut microbiome (and in turn, help regulate weight and obesity). It also contains antioxidants and polyphenols.

Bottling Your Own Kombucha

When you put kombucha in the refrigerator, fermentation slows down dramatically. You can therefore store it in the fridge if you need to take a break from fermenting, or to chill it prior to serving.

Use sugar substitutes. BUT you won’t actually be consuming that whole 1 cup of sugar. The sugar is food for the bacteria and yeast. They’ll basically eat it all up and produce wonderful things like acidity and carbonation, and the finished kombucha will be much lower in sugar as a result.

Yes! Your kombucha SCOBY may sink or float around the container. This is totally normal and nothing to worry about. It will likely float back to the top eventually, or a second SCOBY may form on top (which is also okay).

Guide To Flavoring Homemade Kombu

I drew this way professional depiction of the whole process for the visual learners. If you have any questions or hesitations about brewing homemade kombucha, don’t hesitate to comment below and I’ll help ya out! Happy brewing!

By popular demand, I’ve created a printable PDF with all the instructions from this post. Enter your email below and it will be sent to you!Do you want to learn how to make a SCOBY? Allow me to show you the simple steps you need. If you have dreamed of making your own kombucha but don’t know where to begin, this awesomely fun project is the place to kick off from.

I confess I was really baffled when I first set out to make my own Kombucha Brew at home to save money. There seemed to be so many lengthy and confusing instructions.

Homemade Kombucha: The Simple Guide To Kickass Kombucha

That's why I have created this post to show you just how simple it is to grow a SCOBY and begin your own kombucha brewing journey.

SCOBY, what a funny name. You will want to memorize it because “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast” is too long, don’t you think? You’re probably more interested in learning how to make a SCOBY and why you need it to make homemade kombucha.

Well, just like yogurt and sourdough bread need a mother culture to grow the beneficial bacteria that create wonderful flavors and healthful nutrients, kombucha needs a mother culture.

How To Make A Kombucha Scoby {only 4 Ingredients!}

A SCOBY is the kombucha mother that makes plain kombucha from scratch. You can enjoy this first fermentation as is. Or, you can use it to do a second fermentation and make fizzy, refreshing Fruit-Flavored Probiotic Drinks.

I use Gt's Classic Original Raw Kombucha as the starter liquid for this recipe. However, you can use other brands or homemade plain raw kombucha as long as you verify a couple of things.

When you choose your starter kombucha, make sure that it has live probiotics and doesn't have any fruit, flavorings, color, or additives. These requirements are a must.

How To Make Kombucha Guide Kombucha Fermented Vector Image

Setting up a jar to start a SCOBY from scratch takes less than 30 minutes. After that, it grows at varied rates in different environments.

SCOBYs for kombucha thrive in temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees. With that warmth, it takes about 2 weeks to grow a ¼ inch thick kombucha SCOBY.

Trust me, when you learn how to make a SCOBY you will be able to impress all your friends and relatives with its slippery texture and intriguing appearance. Don't worry, it’s a lot more pleasant to touch than it looks!

Strawberry Kombucha: A Delicious Probiotic Beverage!

Whether you call this rubbery disc beautiful or beastly, a SCOBY is your ticket to the best tasting and most affordable kombucha you have ever had. Plus, it can be used to make many future batches of gut-healthy brews.

In a sense, it lives indefinitely because new top layers continue to grow. It's fun to know the older layers can be peeled off the bottom and given to friends to start their own homemade kombucha.

It’s fascinating to watch a newly forming SCOBY grow. First, it appears out of nowhere as a jelly-like film floating at the top of your jar.

Gt's Synergy Pure Raw Kombucha

Then, it gets even weirder as it continues growing into an opaque, rubbery disk that takes on the shape of the container it is grown in.

SCOBYs sometimes sink to the bottom of the jar, especially when you transfer them to brew kombucha in a new container. Don't worry it won't harm them or hurt the brewing process.

A brand new baby will form at the top of the jar and grow to fit the new container. This seals off the top of the liquid and helps keep beneficial microbes in and bad bacteria out.

How To Make Classic Plain Kombucha: A Step By Step Guide For Beginners

Once your SCOBY is ready you can use it to brew kombucha at home. My post on Brewing Kombucha For Pennies gives you everything you need to know to brew a gallon of cost-saving kombucha rich in antioxidants and live probiotics.

If you don't use your SCOBY right away to make kombucha or end up with extras, you might wonder how to store them.

SCOBYs will continue to grow as long as they have enough tea and sugar to feed on. Thus, basically all you need to do is replenish the liquid they are growing in.

How To Make Your First Batch Of Kombucha As A Beginner

You can start a SCOBY hotel to maintain them until you are ready to brew kombucha or share the extras with friends.

Start by combining equal parts sweetened tea from the recipe below and plain kombucha. You can also mix sweetened tea with the liquid your SCOBY grew in. Make enough to fully submerge your SCOBYs in a jar.

Then, all you need to do is cover the jar and place it in a cupboard away from direct light just like you did when growing a new kombucha mother.

The Best Homemade Kombucha Recipe: A Healthy Fizzy Fermented Tea

Yes. GTS Living Foods answers questions on their website and describes how their kombucha is made from organic, raw ingredients in a heat-free process that preserves living cultures.

Yes, all the teas from Camellia sinensis, including green, white, and black varieties are excellent for brewing kombucha. Some people prefer a mix of equal parts green and black. For the best results, teas should not be decaffeinated. Caffeine, as well as the other compounds in these traditional teas provide the necessary compounds for growing a SCOBY. Make sure the tea is pure and not flavored, preferably organic.

Yes, it's fine to cut a SCOBY with scissors or a knife. You may want to do this to fit it into the jar you are using to brew kombucha. It may float or sink, but new layers will grow at the top of your vessel.

How To Brew Your Own Kombucha In Your Apartment

Yes, as long as your SCOBY doesn't have