Making Kombucha at Home (The Fermented Tea Everyone Is Sipping On)
Making Kombucha at Home
After a couple of weeks (you taste it as you go, so that you can pick just how sweet/sour you’d like it), you get to bottle it! Taking clean bottles, you place tasty flavors (anything really goes from what I can tell) in the bottom of each bottle. I tried everything from mango to pineapple to ginger to cinnamon apple to cranberries and blueberries, and they were all good. Here’s some mango, pre-‘bucha (with husband in the background).
Then you ladle your kombucha in…
Then they rest for another couple of days. I put mine in a cooler just in case they exploded. The kombucha starts to get pretty carbonated over time, so you just never know. (My husband brews beer, so all of this stuff is pretty “normal” to me—he does way crazier stuff with his homemade brews.)
After their snooze in the cooler, you stop the fermenting process by putting them in the fridge until you decide to drink them! And let me tell you, there is nothing more satisfying than drinking something you made. Especially when it’s this pretty (this would be the cranberry)…
While I’m a fan of kombucha and have continued brewing more and more of this fermented tea (for future batches you use two cups of kombucha and the scooby from the previous brewing cycle—kind of like making Amish Friendship Bread), it would be negligent of me not to mention that kombucha isn’t loved by all. Since people do make it at home, things can go wrong if you don’t have clean supplies, a quality culture or the right brewing vessel. Others even say that the acid in kombucha is bad for you. Whatever you believe, do what is best for you, and if you do decide to make your own, do your research and do so safely.
And if you are ready to brew your own, Kombucha Kamp is giving away a free Brew Now Kit ($50 value) to one lucky reader! If you’re ready to get your ‘bucha-brewing on, leave a comment with what flavors you want to make, and we’ll select one lucky U.S. commenter to win in about a week. May the luck of the ‘bucha be with you! —Jenn
Comments
Ginger sounds awesome but I’d love to experiment with whatever fruits and spices I happen to have laying around.
The Green Goddess and Hibiscus flavors sound delicious… and that cranberry infused one that you made looks fantastic!
I live in Boulder, CO and buy local kombucha almost every day! I agree, the cost really adds up but the benefits are amazing! I’d love to try to make mine at home! I’d love to try pineapple/mint or strawberry/basil. I wonder what a some kind of pepper would taste like in it? I like a little spice… hm…
Hhmm, I gotta try this and I think I’d go for mango and pineapple.
I’ve been dying to try Kombucha, but afraid I couldn’t do it. I think pineapple or mango would be really good – maybe even some jasmine or fig. Sounds super-cool. 🙂
I’ve heard so much about kombucha but have never tried it. I would love to try out something sweet and tart! Maybe pomegranate! Crossing my fingers
Unlike many other commenters on this article, I can’t say I’ve EVER heard of Kombucha before!
From the description you give in the first paragraph, it really does sound gross too…but I’ll have to give it a whirl since some of the supposed benefits sound pretty gosh-darned awesome!
Hmmm, I wonder if I could make kombucha flavored with local, Alaskan ingredients. Cloudberry? Rose hips? Fireweed?
I’d love to try some variations with mint and mate . . . or thyme and strawberry!
Wow…I’ve always wondered how it was made and you make it look so simple! Would like to make strawberry kombucha 🙂
How come I haven’t heard of this? I love stuff like this. I would try cherry, ginger, vanilla, pomegranite.
I can’t wait to win this! 🙂
Mmmmmm! Great timing! I was just telling my sister yesterday about kombucha and the health benefits. Just sent her the link to your article, thanks! The cranberry does look quite yummy! Would love to try lemon with blueberry, raspberry with huckle or blackberries. Perhaps a melon-watermelon blend, or licorice tea with kimi-strawberry, or orange-chamomile?!
I LOVE Kombucha! But my small non-profit salary makes it a super-rare treat. Mostly for after a month of sticking to all my workouts. I would love to try with different fruit, that cranberry sure looks good!
I would love to try to make a coconut flavored one. This seems kind of intimidating to make, but I am excited to try!!
I would LOVE a kombucha kit. I love it, but agree that the price keeps me from enjoying too often. I think I’d be curious to try a raspberry flavored bucha, and pineapple also sounds delish!
I think the ginger flavor is a winner! Cranberry looks beautiful too!
I would love to try to recreate my favorite $4 bottle flavor, raspberry lemon ginger. Or maybe experiment with a cucumber mint?
Hey Kombucha lovers! We are trying to bring kombucha on draught to the mainstream. Please check out our page by searching kickstarter for kombucha kulture and spread the word!
I’ve been wanting to try kombucha and you made it look pretty easy to make at home. I think I’d like to start with fruit flavors, mango or raspberry, with lemon.
I’ve been making ginger kombucha but I’d love the starter set for my best friend.
I would love to try mango or pomegranite
Always want to make Mango/ginger and cranberry/peppermint/ginger. I guess you tell I like ginger!
Oooh, I would make cherry almond and a strong ginger!
Celery and hot pepper…..juiced of course.
I’d love to learn to make kombucha. Blood Orange and mint sounds like a good one to start with!
I constantly buy the mango flavor from my co-op so I’d love to be able to make my own at home!
I live in Florida where mangoes and strawberries are very plentiful. I would love to make mango or strawberry komucha! I think my family would have fun doing it!!
Gainesville, FL has some great local Kombucha brewers ~ Micanopy Maiden, Revival Kombucha ~ but as you mentioned, at $4 a bottle, brewing your own kombucha at home is ideal for penny-pinching, daily kombucha consumers (like me!). I would love to start brewing at home. A few of the flavors I’d like to experiment with are: pineapple-mint; papaya-star fruit; blackberry-mint; citrus-thai basil; lavender-mint; blackberry-chili pepper; ginger-chili pepper.
Mmm all these flavors sound so yummy! Can’t wait to try some at home =) My latest favorite is called “Wild @ Heart” – rose, ginger, lemon!
Sounds interesting! I would like to try the cranberry & maybe kiwi…lots of experimenting would be done!
I would love to brew some wild berry ‘bucha and use the wild blackberries that grow at my house. 🙂
I’ve never tried kombucha before, but I know I’d enjoy it. I’d want to try ginger.
Oh my goodness!!! So many flavorsI want to try …. Pineapple/pear, pineapple/mint, berries/mint (yup I love mint), raspberry/lemon/ginger, raspberry/lime, cranberry, cranberry/lime, berries/ginger, mango!!, grapefruit/orange?, blueberry, maybe chia seed mixed with fruits too?…. The possibilities are endless!!! oh my gosh the experimenting i will do
I drink Kombucha everyday! I would love to make asian pear and try playing with carrot/ginger. I would also try to make pineapple/mango.
I currently buy a bottle every week at the store and it is expensive… I would like to try to make ginger or pomegranate.
The kit sounds really interesting. I’ve only bought the premake version & would like to be a mad scientist in the kitchen & compare. I think there is something to be sayed for cultured food. Our society has become controlled by big food manufactures who are dictating what & how much we eat. I love the concept of working with natural ingredients to help live a healthy & happy life.
I think I’d try hibiscus first and then ginger! But I love so many flavors I could go on and on!!!
I am so excite you guys posted about this, I have been drinking it for a while (bottled from the store) and now I’m completely inspired to try my own. Im thinking passionfruit!
This looks and sounds like a mad scientist’s experiment! I’m kind of a blueberry freak, so blueberry would be at the top of my list. I’m definitely into the fruity flavors, but I think ginger/mango would be also be great as well as cinnamon/pear. Could you do nutty flavors? Like add extract of almond or hazelnut? Might be interesting.
I tried rasberry kombucha with chia seeds the other day. It was so good and had this weird jelly-like texture that my friend absolutely hated but I loved.
I guess I’m a kombucha kook. Oh well!
I’ve been wanting to make kombucha for a long time!
A big congrats to commenter #17 — Rachelle Palmer! You win! Emailing you now to get your address. 🙂
–FBG Jenn
Strawberry! With chia seeds
Actually Ive been reading about how to make it for a couple weeks- I like black tea and I think any of the others would be yummy too- why not experiment it all sounds healthy and good!
Anything with ginger! Thanks for the opportunity to win this…love booch!
I have been toying with the idea of making my own. I would make ginger honey flavor.
My husband and I love kombucha. I especially like it with raspberry juice and chia seeds.
I recently stumbled across kombucha at a local brunch spot, and I’m hooked! The slightly sour taste is fantastic! And I can’t help but feeling like this drinks makes me healthy in 5 minutes 🙂 Definitely could go for a berry one with spring and summer right around the corner, I’m itching for the hot weather. Raspberry ginger or mint for me please!
I think I will try with the autumn olive berries I have frozen to benefit from their high lycopene content 17 times more than a tomatoes.
Trying to decide what flavors to make seems like it could be tough there are so many good flavor combinations out there. I would probably start with a strawberry lemon or a raspberry lemon flavor. Maybe a strawberry pineapple or even a pineapple orange. Once in season I would even try watermelon. The possibilities are endless and this is definitely something I would love to try.
I am ready to start making kombucha right away. I am looking forward to infusing it with herbs from my garden as well as foraged berries 😀
Comments are closed.