Prepare the sweet tea
In a glass jar or plastic container, combine 2–3 cups hot water with ¼ cup white or organic cane sugar. Add 2 tea bags or 1½ teaspoons loose-leaf tea and steep for at least 10 minutes.
Endless Kombucha Starter Culture Instructions
A little sweet tea, a steady temperature, and a culture you can keep brewing with.
Before you begin
Gather everything first
Start with a quart batch. Use water free of chlorine and fluoride, such as filtered or spring water.
Your first batch: use all the starter liquid supplied with the fresh SCOBY. The ¼ cup starter-tea amount in the chart below applies to subsequent quart batches.
Keep this chart handy
Batch ratios
Once your first batch is brewed, use these amounts for subsequent batches.
| Ingredient | Quart | ½ gallon | Gallon* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot water (cups) | 2–3 | 6–7 | 13–14 |
| Sugar (cups) | ¼ | ½ | 1 |
| Loose tea (tsp) | 1½ | 3 | 6 |
| Tea from previous batch (cups) | ¼ | 1 | 2 |
*For gallon-sized batches, brew 2–3 smaller batches first.
Refreshing your kombucha
Your first fresh-culture batch
Follow the five steps below, keeping the jar out of direct sunlight.
Cool and remove the tea
Cool the mixture to room temperature, 72–85°F (22–29°C). Remove the tea bags or strain the leaves completely from the liquid. Check the temperature before adding the culture.
Add the fresh SCOBY and starter tea
Add the entire package of live SCOBY, including its 4 ounces (½ cup) of starter tea, to your freshly brewed, cooled sweet tea.
Cover and ferment
Cover with butter muslin and secure with a rubber band. Let the mixture sit undisturbed at 68–85°F (20–29°C), out of direct sunlight, for 7–30 days. Start tasting at day 7, then taste every 2–3 days until it reaches your desired flavor. A SCOBY should start to form during this time. The longer it ferments, the less sweet and more tangy it becomes.
Pour, reserve, and enjoy
Pour kombucha off the top of the jar for drinking. Retain the SCOBY and enough kombucha from the bottom of the jar to use as starter tea for your next batch. Reserve the amount in the batch-ratio chart before adding any fruit or flavoring.
Maintaining your kombucha
Keep the batches going
Fresh tea, same living culture
Repeat steps 1–3 to make continuous batches of kombucha. Add the SCOBY formed during your first batch and 8 ounces (1 cup) of your finished kombucha, as directed in the maintaining instructions. Then cover and ferment as in step 4.
Batch-size note: the supplied maintaining instructions specify 8 ounces of finished kombucha; the batch chart lists ¼ cup for a quart, 1 cup for a half gallon, and 2 cups for a gallon. Use the chart when measuring starter tea for a chosen batch size.
Save unflavored starter tea before bottling or adding fruit. Taste every 2–3 days once your brew reaches day 7.
Testing kombucha pH levels
Check your finished brew
A drop in pH is a good indicator that the bacteria and yeast are at work. The supplied instructions recommend approximately pH 3.6 or lower for finished kombucha.
1–2seconds in the liquid
Dip a test strip into the kombucha.
10–15seconds before comparing
Compare with the strip's color scale. Do not let it dry first.
Temperature matters: keep the SCOBY at 68–85°F. Lower temperatures slow culturing; higher temperatures can encourage harmful bacteria.
What does a SCOBY look like?
A SCOBY is yeast and bacteria in a solid form. It normally floats in the liquid and looks like a jellyfish. A new SCOBY forming is a sign of active fermentation.
Why is my kombucha getting tangier?
The longer kombucha ferments, the less sweet and more tangy it tastes. Taste every 2–3 days after day 7 to find the flavor you like.
Can I add carbonation?
Optional: the supplied instructions suggest placing finished kombucha in a sealed bottle at room temperature for 3 days. Use bottles designed for carbonation, monitor pressure, and refrigerate when ready. This reminder is a checkpoint; pressure may build sooner.
If you see dry, fuzzy mold, do not taste the brew. Discard the batch and culture and contact Cultures for Health for help.
Your experience matters
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Send a photo of your jar, room temperature, how long it has cultured, and the ingredients you used.
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Make something delicious
Reserve your SCOBY and unflavored starter tea first, then try these recipes with your finished kombucha.
First batch ready to enjoy?
That's homemade kombucha — you made that. Show us, and tell the next first-timer it's easier than it looks.
Tag #culturesforhealth on Instagram so we can find your batch!