Beginner Guide to Kombucha

Mitchell Genova

Mitchell Genova

— 2 min read
Beginner Guide to Kombucha
Photo by Katherine Sousa / Unsplash

This guide is meant for someone who just got a SCOBY and wants to know what to do with it. This guide takes you from a new SCOBY to your first batch of bottled Kombucha.

SCOBY Jar

The first step is to move your SCOBY into a jar. I recommend using a 64 oz (1.9 L) jar. This size jar will yield ~2-3 bottles of Kombucha per bottling. It takes ~10-17 days to go from feeding the SCOBY to having Kombucha ready to drink. If you want more or less Kombucha, feel free to adjust your jar size accordingly.

First-Time Setup and Feeding

Ingredients

  • 3 black tea bags
  • 32 oz (950mL) filtered water
  • 1/2 cup (100g) organic cane sugar

Instructions

  1. Add the SCOBY and starter tea to your glass jar
  2. In a container separate from your SCOBY, bring 32 oz (950 mL) of filtered water to a boil
  3. Steep the 3 black tea bags for 5–10 minutes
  4. Remove and discard the tea bags
  5. Add ½ cup (100 g) organic cane sugar and stir until fully dissolved
  6. Let the sweet tea cool completely to room temperature
    • You may add ice cubes to speed up cooling
    • Do not add hot tea to the SCOBY
  7. Once cooled, pour the sweet tea into the jar with the SCOBY
  8. If needed, top off with room-temperature or cooled filtered water
  9. Cover the jar with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and secure with a rubber band
  10. Store at room temperature, out of direct sunlight
  11. Let it ferment for 7-14 days. This will depend largely on your location and room temperature. After 7 days, taste daily until you reach the desired tanginess (it should no longer be sweet). You are now ready to bottle your Kombucha

Bottling Instructions

To bottle your Kombucha, follow the recipe below 2-3 times. You want to leave ~12-oz (355mL) of starter tea in the SCOBY jar. You should be able to get 3 bottles from this batch, since the SCOBY is not taking up much space right now.

This recipe is written for a 16‑oz (475 mL), pressure‑safe glass bottle. Adjust the sugar-to-tea ratio if using a larger or smaller bottle.

Ingredients

  • 14-oz (415mL) finished kombucha
  • 1/8 cup (30mL) cane simple syrup (see Cane Simple Syrup)
    • You can substitute 1 tablespoon (12 grams) of Cane Sugar if you don't want to make the syrup. However, the syrup mixes better since the Kombucha will be room temperature.
  • Optional: fruit, herbs, or spices for flavor

Instructions

  1. Add 1/8 cup (30mL) of cane simple syrup into the bottle
  2. Add optional flavorings (berries, fruit juice, herbs)
  3. Pour your kombucha into the glass bottle, leaving about 2-3 inches of headspace
  4. Seal the bottle tightly and gently shake to mix. Unseal to release extra pressure from shaking. Reseal and set at room temp for 2-3 days (2nd ferment). After 2-3 days, put your bottled Kombucha into the fridge to chill. After chilling, take it out and drink (I pour the Kombucha through a fine mesh strainer into a cup with ice)

After bottling your Kombucha, you will want to feed your SCOBY again.

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