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–+ servings
2 bottles of kombucha, a measuring cup of water, a cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of tea sitting on a kitchen island

The BEST Kombucha Ratio for a Tasty Brew

The key to a tasty brew is getting that kombucha ratio just right! My recipe has been perfected and duplicated in many households. Yum!
5 from 7 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Fermentation Time 14 days
Total Time 14 days 30 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 5 16 oz bottles
Calories 80 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Gallon Kombucha Jar see kombucha kit suggestion below
  • 5 16 oz Swing Top Bottles see bottle suggestion below
  • 1 Funnel
  • 1 12"x12" tightly woven cloth for covering the kombucha jar

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Tbsp Oolong Tea (or 9 tea bags); See tea suggestion below
  • 1 Cup Organic Cane Juice Crystals See sugar suggestion below
  • 1 Cup Kombucha Starter Tea See kombucha kit suggestion below
  • 1 SCOBY See kombucha kit suggestion below
  • 1 ¼ Cup Fruit juice or chopped fruit See recipe ideas in article above

Instructions
 

  • Boil 4 cups of water
  • Add 3 Tbsp of loose leaf tea to a reusable tea bag (or use 9 tea bags). 
  • Once boiling, turn off the heat and add the tea bag(s). Let steep for 6 minutes.
  • After 6 minutes, remove the tea bag(s) and stir in 1 cup of cane juice crystals. Set aside to cool.
  • Next, fill your clean, empty 1 gallon brewing jar with the sugar-tea mixture
  • Then, add 7 cups of ice water to dilute the sugar-tea mixture (ice water is necessary if the sugar-tea mixture is still hot. You don’t want to fry the active cultures that we're adding next!)
  • Once the ice has melted and the solution is no longer hot, add 1 cup of kombucha starter tea and gently place the SCOBY on top (it's ok if it floats, sinks or flops sideways! Just let it do its thing).
  • Cover kombucha jar with a piece of tightly woven cloth and secure with a rubber band
  • Place your 1 gallon jar of kombucha in a dark, warm location where it will be undisturbed.
  • At 1 week, do a taste test and see what you think. Still too sweet? Let it go for another week and test again. Most people brew in the timeframe of 1-3 weeks. It all depends on how active your SCOBY is, environmental factors and your taste preferences. The thicker your SCOBY becomes, the more active it will be. I've found that a thickness of about 1" is perfect for my brew, so I pull off extra layers when it gets too thick.
  • Once you're satisfied with the taste of your kombucha brew, bring it back to the kitchen and complete steps 1-4 again to make the sugar-tea mixture.
  • Now that you have a full gallon jar of finished kombucha, there are a few more steps to add on!
  • With clean hands, remove SCOBY from the brewing jar and place on a clean plate
  • Reserve 1 cup of kombucha. Set aside. Set out clean bottles to begin filling.
  • Fill clean bottles with add-ins of your choice (see above for ideas!)
  • Fill bottles with finished kombucha using a funnel and close the swing-top lid. Set bottles aside.
  • Pick back up with steps 5-9 to make the next batch of new kombucha.
  • Now, place the bottles of finished kombucha and the 1 gallon jar of new kombucha back to the warm, dark location where it will not be disturbed. 
  • After 2-3 days, move the bottles of finished kombucha to the fridge and now you can drink them!
  • After 1-3 weeks, your 1 gallon of kombucha brew will be ready to start the process all over again! 

Notes

[wptb id=1272]

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal
Keyword beverage, fermented, kombucha, probiotic
Did you try my recipe?Let me know how it was!