Step 1

Pour the sweet tea into the jar. Pour the kombucha on top — if you see a blobby “baby scoby” in the bottom of your jar of commercial kombucha, make sure this gets transferred. (But if you don’t see one, don’t worry! Your scoby will still form and the tea will brew.) Stir to combine.

Step 2

Cover the mouth of the jar with a few layers of tightly-woven cloth, coffee filters, or paper towels secured with a rubber band. The length of time you brew your tea will depend on your taste.  If you enjoy stronger-tasting kombucha brew it longer.

Step 3

, out of direct sunlight, and where it won’t get jostled. Sunlight can prevent the kombucha from fermenting and the scoby from forming, so wrap the jar in a cloth if you can’t keep it away from sunlight.

Step 4

For the first few days, nothing will happen. Then you’ll start to see groups of tiny bubbles starting to collect on the surface.

Step 5

After a few more days, the groups of bubbles will start to connect and form a thin, transparent, jelly-like film across the surface of the tea. You’ll also see bubbles forming around the edges of the film. This is carbon-dioxide from the fermenting tea and a sign that everything is healthy and happy!

Step 6

Over the next few days, the layer will continue to thicken and gradually become opaque.

Step 7

After a few weeks, when the tea is to your liking. Pour half of the tea into a clean glass jar and store in the fridge.  I like to add fruit to mine for flavour.

Step 8

The more tea you brew the bigger and stronger your scoby will get.  The tea will brew a little bit faster each time. It is important to keep tasting the tea.  If it brews too long, it will taste like vinegar and can be upsetting to your stomach. If it turns to vinegar you can use it to clean your counters!