Homemade Kombucha: The Step-by-Step Method

Making kombucha above all takes patience and cleanliness: the recipe itself comes down to a few steps. You prepare a sweet tea, let it cool completely, add the kombucha mother and a generous glass of drink from the previous batch, then let it work. The most important point is also the easiest to overlook: the tea must be back to room temperature before it meets the culture. A liquid that's still warm damages the bacteria on which the whole fermentation depends. The second point is the starting acidity, brought by the kombucha kept from the time before: it's what protects the preparation during the first few days, when the culture hasn't yet taken over. After that, it's all a matter of taste. Seven days is sometimes enough, ten are often needed, and the temperature of the room changes this timing far more than any setting could. The second fermentation in the bottle, with a bit of fruit, brings the fizz and the flavour. That's the moment homemade kombucha stops tasting like tangy tea and truly becomes a drink.

Ingredients

• 1 kombucha mother
• 50 cl of kombucha from the previous batch, taken from the surface
• 3 litres of water
• 5 organic green or black tea bags, or 5 tablespoons of loose tea
• 200 g whole cane sugar
• 1 large glass jar, about 4 litres
• 1 clean cloth or 2 sheets of paper towel
• 1 elastic band
• Bottles or glass jars with plastic lids, for bottling
• Fruit for flavouring, optional

Preparation

1. Bring the 3 litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved.
3. Turn off the heat and add the tea, in bags or loose.
4. Cover the saucepan to limit evaporation and let it cool entirely to room temperature. It takes a while, but it's essential: a liquid that's still warm would damage the culture.
5. Remove the tea and pour the cooled liquid into the large glass jar.
6. With clean hands, place the kombucha mother in the jar, then add the reserved 50 cl of kombucha. It's normal for the mother to sink to the bottom.
7. Cover the opening with a clean cloth or two sheets of paper towel and secure with an elastic band: air can circulate while insects stay out.
8. Place the jar in a warm, dark spot, away from foot traffic, and leave it to rest for about 7 days before checking. A thin, milky film forms on the surface: that's a new mother being born.
9. Slide a straw under this film and taste. The kombucha is ready when it recalls cider vinegar and is no longer clearly sweet.
10. If it's still sweet, let it ferment 3 to 7 more days, tasting regularly.
11. Once the taste is right, prepare the bottles. Place a small amount of fresh or frozen fruit at the bottom, one to two spoonfuls is enough.
12. Pour the kombucha into the bottles, straining out the yeast strands if you prefer.
13. Fill right to the top and close with plastic lids, since metal corrodes on contact. The less air left inside, the fizzier the drink will be.
14. Let the bottles ferment for another 1 to 3 days in a warm, shaded spot, opening them briefly each day to release the pressure. This step isn't optional: a forgotten bottle can burst.
15. Then move the bottles to the fridge to stop the fermentation.

Tip

If green mould appears along the way, throw everything out and start again: it's a sign the medium wasn't acidic enough at the start, which is why the 50 cl of kombucha from the previous batch matters so much. Fermentation time depends a great deal on room temperature and isn't an exact science: trust your taste rather than the calendar. Each batch produces a new mother: keep a few in reserve in a jar covered with kombucha, this time closed with a lid, in a warm, dark spot.

FAQ: your questions about homemade kombucha