01
Make the sweet tea
Steep 4 bags of black or green tea in 1 liter of hot water. Stir in 200 g of white sugar until it dissolves, then top up with cool water to 3.5 liters. Wait until it is room temperature — heat will hurt the culture.
First ferment, then fizz
Brew a jar you can repeat.
One gallon of sweet tea, a SCOBY, and a cup of starter liquid. Keep it covered, keep it still, and taste from day seven.
02
Add the SCOBY
Pour the tea into a wide glass jar. Add 250 ml of starter kombucha from a previous batch (or unflavored store-bought). Slide the SCOBY in, cover with a breathable cloth, and rubber-band it shut.
03
Wait, then taste
Leave the jar at 20–26°C, out of direct sun, for 7 to 14 days. Taste with a clean straw. You want tart, not sweet. A new SCOBY skin forming on top is a good sign.
04
Bottle for the second ferment
Lift the SCOBY into a clean bowl with a cup of the finished tea saved as starter. Bottle the rest with fruit or herbs, leaving 3 cm of headspace. Rest 2–4 days, burp daily, then refrigerate.
SCOBY care
Keep the mother happy.
Clean, not sterile
Wash jars with hot water. Avoid strong soap residue and never use metal brewing vessels.
Hotel between batches
Store extra SCOBYs in a jar of sweet tea in the fridge. Feed with fresh tea every few weeks.
Trust your nose
Vinegar is normal. Fuzzy mold in colors is not — compost that batch and start over.