How to Make Primary Kombucha Step-by-Step for Beginners

In this guide, we’ll walk you through How to Make Primary Kombucha Step-by-Step. If you’ve ever thought of brewing your own kombucha at home, making your first batch will be surprisingly easy.

Prep Time15

Cook Time0

fermenting time7

Total Time7 15

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beverage recipe, fermented recipe

Servings: gallon

Calories: 770kcal

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Kitchen Essentials

Capped Bottle

Gallon Jar

Clean cloth or coffee filter for covering the jar.

Ingredients

1 Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast SCOBY
1 Cup Cane Sugar or white sugar
8 Bags Black Tea or 2 tablespoons of green tea, or white tea
14 Cups Water filtered cold water,
1-2 Cups Starter Tea from a previous batch of kombucha or store-bought kombucha, unflavored

Instructions

Step-by-Step: How to Brew Your First Batch

Step 1: Brew the Sweet Tea

Bring 4 cups of hot water to a boil.
14 Cups Water
Steep your brewed teas (black, green, or a blend) for 5–10 minutes.
8 Bags Black Tea
Stir in 1 cup of cane sugar until dissolved—this creates your sweetened tea.
1 Cup Cane Sugar
Add the remaining 10 cups of cold water to cool it down to room temperature.
Too much sugar? Don’t worry—most of it gets consumed during the fermentation process by your SCOBY.

Step 2: Combine in the Fermentation Vessel

Pour the cooled sweet tea into your fermentation gallon jar.
Add 1–2 cups of starter tea or starter kombucha.
1-2 Cups Starter Tea
Gently place your SCOBY on top. This “kombucha mother” is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that transforms the sweet tea into kombucha tea full of gluconic acid, acetic acid, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of alcohol content.
1 Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast

Step 3: Cover and Store

Cover the jar with your coffee filter, paper towel, or cloth, and secure with a rubber band.
Place in a warm spot out of direct sunlight.
Leave to ferment for 7 to 21 days, depending on the temperature and desired tartness.
At warmer temperatures, fermentation speeds up. Taste it after 7 days by gently slipping in a clean straw to sample.

Step 4: Taste and Check for Readiness

Your kombucha is ready when it tastes:
Tangy but still slightly sweet
Has a slight fizz
Smells vinegary (but not rotten or moldy)
If you see fuzzy mold spores (green, black, or blue), discard the batch. A healthy SCOBY may produce brown strands or blobs—these are normal.

Step 5: Remove SCOBY and Reserve Starter

With clean hands, remove the SCOBY and place it in a clean bowl.
Pour in 1–2 cups of finished kombucha to use as starter tea for your next batch.
Now you're ready for the next step: flavoring and bottling!

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Notes

Note:

Avoid herbal teas or flavored teas for your first fermentation. They may hinder the growth of your kombucha culture.

How to Grow a SCOBY from Store-Bought Kombucha

What You’ll Need:

• 1 bottle (16 oz) of plain, unflavored, raw kombucha, Look for one that says “contains live cultures
• 1 cup black tea or green tea, brewed and cooled
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• 1 glass jar (1-quart size is ideal)
• 1 coffee filter or paper towel
• 1 rubber band
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Prep Time:
5 minutes
Fermentation Time:
1 to 4 weeks (depending on room temperature)
Makes:
One SCOBY and starter tea, enough to start your first batch of kombucha
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Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Brew the Sweet Tea
• Brew 1 cup of black tea or green tea with hot water.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon of cane sugar until fully dissolved.
• Let it cool to room temperature—hot tea can damage the live cultures.
2. Combine the Tea and Store-Bought Kombucha
• Pour the cooled tea into your clean glass jar.
• Add the entire 16 oz bottle of store-bought kombucha.
• Make sure there's no added flavoring, juice, or carbonation.
3. Cover and Ferment
• Cover the jar with a coffee filter or paper towel, secured with a rubber band.
• Place the jar in a warm spot (ideal temperature range: 70–78°F), away from direct sunlight.
4. Wait for the SCOBY to Grow
• Over the next 1 to 4 weeks, a white, jelly-like disc will begin to form on the surface. This is your SCOBY!
• Don’t disturb it—just lift the lid occasionally to check progress (with clean hands or utensils).
• If the surface grows fuzzy or black/green mold, discard and start over. (But a cloudy film or sediment is normal!)
5. Ready for Brewing!
• Once your SCOBY is about ¼ to ½ inch thick, it’s ready to use.
• You can now move on to the primary fermentation with your new SCOBY and the starter tea it’s been sitting in.

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Tips for Success:

• Use only plain kombucha—fruit or herb-infused versions won’t work.
• Stick with cane sugar or white sugar for consistency.
• Use a wide-mouth jar for better airflow and SCOBY growth.
• Avoid herbal teas, which can sometimes inhibit SCOBY formation.

Nutrition