Life Hacks

How to make homemade kombucha

Nancy Marende 02nd April, 2026 12:33 AM

Kombucha is a naturally fermented tea that’s not only delicious but also packed with probiotics that support gut health. Making it at home may sound intimidating, but with the right ingredients and a little patience, anyone can brew their own batch.

Here’s a simple guide to get you started.

Ingredients

To make kombucha at home, gather the following:

1 Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast – you can buy it online or get one from a friend who brews kombucha.
1 cup of sugar (white sugar works best)
8 cups of water
4–6 tea bags (black, green, or a combination)
1–2 cups of starter tea (plain, unflavored kombucha from a previous batch or store-bought)

Equipment

A large glass jar (1–2 litres)
A cloth or paper towel to cover the jar
Rubber band to secure the cover
Bottles with tight-fitting lids for storing your finished kombucha

Step 1: Brew the Sweet Tea

Start by boiling 8 cups of water. Once it’s boiled, add your tea bags and let them steep for 5–10 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. Remove the tea bags and stir in 1 cup of sugar until fully dissolved. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature; this is crucial, as hot tea can kill the SCOBY.

Step 2: Add the SCOBY and Starter Tea

Once your sweet tea is at room temperature, pour it into your glass jar. Gently place the SCOBY into the tea, then add the starter tea. The starter tea lowers the pH and helps prevent harmful bacteria from growing during fermentation.

Step 3: Fermentation

Cover the jar with a clean cloth or paper towel and secure it with a rubber band. Keep the jar in a warm, dark place in your home, ideally around 24–29°C, for 7–14 days.

Fermentation time depends on your taste preference: shorter fermentation yields sweeter kombucha, while longer fermentation produces a more tangy flavor.

Kombucha. PHOTO/https://www.kombuchakamp.com/

Step 4: Taste Test and Bottling

After about a week, start tasting your kombucha daily using a clean straw. Once it reaches your desired flavor, remove the SCOBY and 1–2 cups of kombucha to use as starter tea for your next batch. Pour the remaining kombucha into bottles and seal tightly. You can also add flavors such as ginger, passion fruit, or hibiscus for a unique twist.

Step 5: Second Fermentation

For a fizzy kombucha, leave the bottled tea at room temperature for another 2–3 days before refrigerating. This step allows carbonation to develop naturally.