Filtered water
1 gallon
Ingredient is drinking water; use household filtered drinking water.
Drinks
Kombucha.
A plain fermented tea for cooks willing to monitor acidity and temperature. This version finishes in the refrigerator without a second bottle fermentation.
- Makes
- About 1 gallon
- Hands-on
- 30 minutes
- Total time
- 7–14 days, plus cooling and chilling
- Effort
- Project
GET WHAT YOU NEED
Your shopping list
For About 1 gallon.
Black tea bags
8
Cane sugar
1 cup
Mature kombucha starter liquid
2 cups
Healthy SCOBY
1
Amounts are what the recipe uses, not package sizes. Compare quantities and product details before buying.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Tools & supplies
Food-safe glass vessel, at least 1½ gallons
Fits a gallon of tea plus starter with headroom.
Tight-weave cloth and band
Lets air in while excluding insects.
Calibrated food pH meter
Checks acidity before and after fermentation.
Thermometer
Checks cooling and room conditions.
STEP BY STEP
Make it
Brew
Clean equipment and hands. Pour boiling water over tea and steep 10 minutes. Remove bags and dissolve sugar.
Cool
Cool completely to room temperature before adding starter and SCOBY.
Check acidity
Measure a clean sample: it must be below pH 4.5. If not, stop and consult the linked extension instructions before fermenting.
Ferment
Secure the cloth cover. Keep at 64–79°F out of direct sun. Monitor pH daily; discard if it has not reached 4.2 or below by day 7.
Finish
Finish only within pH 2.5–4.2; discard if below 2.5. Reserve culture and starter, transfer tea to clean containers and refrigerate immediately.
Good to know
- Discard the entire batch and culture if fuzzy mold develops.
- Alcohol can exceed 0.5%. Avoid homemade kombucha if immunocompromised; Pennsylvania guidance recommends no more than 4 fl oz daily.
- Do not seal this batch for a warm second fermentation.
SAVE THE MAKING
Prefer it ready-made?
Compare these finished options with making your own.
Bottled kombucha
Skips culture maintenance; follow the bottle’s refrigeration instructions.
Links go to the selected products. Availability and delivery vary by location; check the current listing and package size before ordering.
Sources & further reading
Independent instructions informed by the sources below. No affiliation or endorsement is implied. These instructions have not been kitchen- or workshop-tested by DIBuyIt.
- Colorado State University: Understanding and Making Kombucha — Base formula, fermentation temperature, refrigeration and mold guidance.
- Utah State University: Kombucha — Initial and final pH below 4.5.
- Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture: Kombucha Brewing & Bottling Guidelines — pH 2.5–4.2 serving range, day-seven acidity deadline, intake guidance and vulnerable-consumer warning.