Wondering how kombucha is made? Well, it’s simple. You’ll need a few basic ingredients and supplies. Let’s jump right in; we’ll show you how to brew kombucha from start to finish!
The good news is brewing your own kombucha at home is easy. It not only saves you money, but it puts you in total control of your brew, which unlocks the unlimited flavoring world, allowing you to customize your kombucha with your favorite flavors, fruits, spices, and herbs. All you need to know is that if you can make sweet tea, you can brew kombucha.
In this article, we will go over exactly what you’ll need and how to get started brewing your kombucha at home. Let’s learn!
Kombucha, simply put, is fermented sweet tea. It is made by adding a kombucha culture to a batch of sweet tea and allowing it to ferment at room temperature. Fermenting the sweet tea transforms it into a massively flavorful, tart, effervescent, and healthy beverage that we know as kombucha. The culture used to ferment kombucha is called a S.C.O.BY., an acronym that stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. During the fermentation, the SCOBY converts sugar into alcohol, which further breaks down into vitamins & enzymes. The resulting beverage is packed with probiotics, vitamins, and enzymes, plus the added health benefits of the tea. For a deeper dive into the kombucha culture, check out our post here, What is a SCOBY?
This fizzy, tangy drink has been brewed for centuries as a health tonic or “elixir of life” and has been recently growing again in popularity. This recent spike can be attributed to the newest health craze: a healthy gut. Remarkable research is being done on our microbiome, revealing the importance of our gut health to the basic functioning of our body and our immune systems. Here, Harvard University calls the microbiome “…a supporting organ because it plays so many key roles in promoting the smooth daily operations of the human body.”
While store-bought kombucha is great, and there are many great choices on the shelves, regularly drinking kombucha at $3-$5 per bottle adds up quickly.
The good news is that you can easily make it at home for a fraction of the cost of store-bought. Check out this post on the cost of kombucha to see which option is best for you!
Brewing kombucha is almost always a two-step process. Brewing kombucha is only a one-step process for those who prefer still kombucha. Otherwise, the steps consist of primary fermentation and secondary fermentation. The primary fermentation is when you make kombucha, and the secondary fermentation is when you take the kombucha and bottle, flavor, and carbonate.
