30-day activation
- Water: 2-3 cups
- Sugar: 1/4 cup
- Tea: 2 bags or 1 1/2 tsp
- Distilled vinegar: 1/2 cup
Certified Organic Kombucha Starter Culture Instructions
Certified Organic KombuchaThis is Cultures for Health's only certified organic starter culture.
Start small, keep the temperature steady, and let the culture work undisturbed. Your SCOBY does the rest.
Before you begin
Gather everything first
Use a clean glass jar and water free of chlorine and fluoride. Bottled spring water works well.
Before adding the SCOBY: the sweet tea must cool to room temperature, 68-85°F. Hot tea can damage the culture.
Keep the balance
Batch-size ratios
Begin with the activation batch, then make a quart-sized first brew. Work up through 2-3 smaller batches before moving to one gallon.
1 quart
- Water: 2-3 cups
- Sugar: 1/4 cup
- Tea: 2 bags or 1 1/2 tsp
- Starter tea: 1/4 cup
- Distilled vinegar: 1/4 cup
1/2 gallon
- Water: 6-7 cups
- Sugar: 1/2 cup
- Tea: 4 bags or 1 Tbsp
- Starter tea: 1 cup
1 gallon
- Water: 13-14 cups
- Sugar: 1 cup
- Tea: 8 bags or 2 Tbsp
- Starter tea: 2 cups
Step by step
Activate first, then brew
Make sweet tea
In a 1-quart glass jar, combine 2-3 cups hot water and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir until dissolved. Add 2 tea bags or 1 1/2 tsp loose tea and steep for at least 10 minutes.
Hot water + sugar + tea
Cool completely
Let the sweet tea cool to 68-85°F. Remove the tea bags or completely strain out the loose leaves. Never add the SCOBY to hot tea.
Cool to 68-85°F
Add distilled white vinegar
Stir 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar into the cooled tea. This creates the acidic environment your dehydrated SCOBY needs while waking up.
Add 1/2 cup distilled vinegar
Add the dehydrated SCOBY
Gently place the entire dehydrated Kombucha Starter Culture into the jar. It may float, sink, or rest sideways - all are normal.
Add the dehydrated SCOBY
Cover and wait 30 days
Dampen a coffee filter or tight-weave cloth with distilled white vinegar, place it over the jar, and secure it with a rubber band. Keep the cover damp with vinegar during activation. Culture undisturbed for the full 30 days at 68-85°F, out of direct sunlight.
Cover, secure, culture 30 days
Check aroma, flavor, and pH
The liquid should smell and taste pleasantly rich and vinegary. Dip a pH strip into the liquid for 1-2 seconds, then compare it with the color scale after 10-15 seconds. The activation batch should read pH 3.6 or lower.
Pour kombucha off the top. It may be too vinegary to drink, but it is safe to use in recipes. Retain the activated SCOBY for your first batch.
Choose your batch size
Start with the 1-quart first-brew ratio. Make 2-3 smaller batches before moving up to gallon-sized brews so the SCOBY can strengthen.
Brew and cool the sweet tea
Combine the listed hot water and sugar. Add tea and steep at least 10 minutes. Cool to 68-85°F, then remove tea bags or strain the leaves completely.
Add starter liquid and SCOBY
For your first quart, add 1/4 cup starter tea from the activation jar plus 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar. For later batches, use the starter-tea amount in the chart. Add the active SCOBY.
Cover securely
Cover with a coffee filter or tight-weave cloth and secure with a rubber band. Do not use an airtight lid during the first fermentation.
Culture 7-30 days
Leave the jar undisturbed at 68-85°F, out of direct sunlight, for 7-30 days or to taste. Start tasting around day 7. As it ferments, it becomes less sweet and more tangy.
Pour, reserve, repeat
Pour finished kombucha off the top to enjoy plain or flavor and bottle it. Keep the SCOBY and the full starter-tea amount shown in the ratio chart for your next batch.
If bottling for carbonation, use pressure-safe bottles, monitor pressure, and refrigerate when the flavor and carbonation are where you want them.
Use the included strips
How to read your pH
1-2seconds in the liquid
Dip the test strip briefly. Do not soak it.
10-15seconds before comparing
Then match the wet strip to the printed color scale.
Activation checkpoint: on day 30, the supplied instructions call for pH 3.6 or lower. pH is one checkpoint; the brew should also smell clean, sour, and pleasantly vinegary.
Don't panic
Is this normal?
Fermentation can look different from jar to jar. Tap a question for a quick check.
My SCOBY sank, floated, or turned sideways
All are normal. Position does not determine whether the culture is working.
I do not see a new baby SCOBY yet
That can be normal during activation and the first few batches. Complete the full 30-day activation and judge progress by a clean sour aroma, vinegary flavor, and the pH check.
There are brown strings or sediment
Brown yeast strands, blobs, and sediment are common signs of active fermentation.
How do I recognize mold?
Actual mold is dry, fuzzy, or furry and grows on the surface. If you see mold, discard the entire batch and SCOBY. Do not taste it. Contact Cultures for Health if you are unsure.
My kombucha is very sour
A long ferment can become kombucha vinegar. Save it as starter liquid for the next batch or use it like vinegar in recipes.
Where should the jar sit?
Choose a warm spot between 68°F and 85°F, out of direct sunlight and away from garbage, compost, commercial yeast bread, and other active cultures.
Discard the batch if you see fuzzy mold or it smells rotten or unpleasant. When in doubt, do not taste it - send a clear photo to Cultures for Health support.
Was this helpful?
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Send a clear photo of your jar, the room temperature, how long it has cultured, and the ingredients you used.
Email Cultures for HealthYour batch is ready
Make something delicious
Enjoy your kombucha plain, add bright flavor, or turn an extra SCOBY into a creative treat.
Chia Seed KombuchaA fruity kombucha drink with tiny, nutrient-rich chia seeds
Kombucha CoffeeA bold fermented twist for coffee lovers
Kombucha SCOBY CandyTurn an extra SCOBY into a chewy homemade treat
Grapefruit KombuchaFresh citrus flavor for a bright finished brew
Not required - but these make brewing easier:
Quart jar
Digital thermometer
pH indicator strips
Butter muslinBrewed your first batch?
That is homemade kombucha - you made it. Share your brew and help the next first-timer feel confident.
Tag #culturesforhealth so the CFH team can find your batch.