How to Make Kombucha At Home

By Maria Elena
|
July 05, 2016

We've already talked about Kombucha (a.k.a. the "immortal health elixir) on ASTRAL & OPAL before. It detoxes your body, improves digestion, supports your immune system, keeps your skin glowing, lowers risk of cancer, and gives you an unreal burst of energy. Amazing, right? While the kombucha you buy from the store has all of those benefits, being bottled up and processed can strip some of that away, whereas if you make it at home...you get all of those benefits times 100.

So we're going to tell you how to make kombucha at home with the help of our friends at Nourish Atelier. Before getting started, realize it takes about 2-4 weeks to make a batch. This is not an overnight job, people!

Here's what you'll need to get started:

For the first fermentation:
1 symbiotic 'colony' of bacteria and yeast
3 1/2 quarts of water
1 cup of sugar
7 - 8 tea bags of your choice (green tea, black tea, herbal tea)
2 cups starter kombucha, unpasteurized

For the second fermentation:
Any flavoring, fruit or spices you want to add. This all depends on what kind of flavor you want for your kombucha!

And of course, the equipment you'll be needing:

big jar or pitcher (4 liters)
cloth
rubber band
a funnel
a sieve
bottles and lids (for storing the kombucha)

Now...let's figure out exactly how to make this magical elixir.

1. In a big pot, boil water and remove from the heat. Add your sugar in, mix and dissolve.

2. Put your tea bags in and keep them in there until cool. (Don't worry about over brewing the tea, the flavor is going to need to come through.)

3. Remove teabags and add your starter kombucha. Finally, pour your tea in your large glass jar / pitcher and then add the symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. Cover the opening of the jar with cloth and rubber band tightly.

Now, what do I do?

Leave the jar / pitcher in a dark corner at room temperature. Let sit for 2 weeks, check on it from time to time to make sure things are okay. You can now add your additional flavors and fruit and remove the bacteria and yeast. Let sit for 2-4 days. Once you think your kombucha is ready, let it sit in the fridge overnight and then you're good to start drinking!