Making kombucha is easy! We brew every day in our kombucha brewery and are happy to share our knowledge and experiences with you. The needed starter liquid and SCOBY are available at our webshop, you can order it here. These are small amounts of the SCOBY and starter liquid we always use in our YAYA Kombucha's!
Here you will find the recipe and equipment for brewing 1 liter of organic kombucha. The first brew time is mandatory and the second fermentation is optional to add flavors or let the kombucha sparkle!
The first time brewing
Preparation time: 20-25 minutes
Total fermentation period: 7-10 days
Equipment
- Fermentation vase, big enough for about 1.5 liter kombucha;
- (Cheese)cloth and rubber band;
Ingredients:
- 5 grams tea* / 2 tea bags;
- 250 ml boiling water (194-212°F);
- 60 grams / 4 tablespoons of sugar;
- 750 ml water;
- 100 ml organic YAYA Kombucha starter liquid;
- 1 organic SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast).
*Green, black, white or oolong tea.
When you have collected all your supplies, it is time to brew.
- Boil 250 ml of water and pour it into a cup together with the tea (bags) and let this infuse for 10 minutes;
- Remove the tea leaves from the liquid by a sieve or remove the tea bags;
- Add 60 grams / 4 tablespoons of sugar to the hot liquid and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved;
- Pour the sweet tea into the fermentation vase and add 750 ml of cold water to cool down the liquid and for dilution;
- Add 100 ml organic YAYA Kombucha starter liquid and stir. Make sure that the tea comes in contact with the starter culture and it is well mixed. When measuring the pH at this point, the pH should be 4 at minimum.
- Place the SCOBY on the surface of the liquid. It is not a problem if the SCOBY sinks;
- Cover the vase with a (cheese)cloth and rubber band to make sure that the kombucha gets sufficient oxygen to ferment and to keep fruit flies out;
- Place the fermentation vase in a dark place and keep it at room temperature and let it ferment. After 7-10 days the tea will be transformed into kombucha!
How do I know my kombucha is ready? The drink will get an acidic aroma. The kombucha will taste fresh, sweet and sour, the pH should be around 2 or 3 at this point. Is this the case? Then you know your kombucha is ready! You can now bottle it and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. If you want a fizzy kombucha, then you need to do a secondary fermentation.
Botteling and second fermentation
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Total fermentation period: 3-5 days
Equipment:
- 2 fliptop bottles 500ml;
- Funnel;
- Sieve;
- 2 sugarcubes or 8 grams of sugar.
Flavour options:
- Ginger-lemon;
- Grapefruit-hibiscus.
After brewing your first batch of kombucha it is time to start bottling. During this step you can add extra flavours to your kombucha.
- Remove the SCOBY and save it with 100 ml (or more) kombucha as a starter liquid for possibly brewing a new batch;
- Use a funnel and sieve to fill the rest of the kombucha into the bottles;
- During this step you can add fruit our fruit juice to add extra flavour;
- Close the bottles and leave them for 3 to 5 days. The kombucha will become fizzy during this second fermentation. Make sure you open the bottles from each day to prevent them from getting too fizzy;
- After 3-5 days, and if the kombucha is fizzy enough, you can enjoy your home brewed kombucha. Store the bottles in the fridge, which stops the fermentation and keeps the flavor and tasty. Cheers!
Have fun brewing and cheers! For the frequently asked questions you can look at this page. If you need any more help let us know!