Step 1

Boil 4 cups of water

Step 2

Add 3 Tbsp of loose leaf tea to a reusable tea bag (or use 9 tea bags).

Step 3

Once boiling, turn off the heat and add the tea bag(s). Let steep for 6 minutes.

Step 4

After 6 minutes, remove the tea bag(s) and stir in 1 cup of cane juice crystals. Set aside to cool.

Step 5

Next, fill your clean, empty 1 gallon brewing jar with the sugar-tea mixture

Step 6

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!)

Step 7

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).

Step 8

Cover kombucha jar with a piece of tightly woven cloth and secure with a rubber band

Step 9

Place your 1 gallon jar of kombucha in a dark, warm location where it will be undisturbed.

Step 10

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.

Step 11

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.

Step 12

Now that you have a full gallon jar of finished kombucha, there are a few more steps to add on!

Step 13

With clean hands, remove SCOBY from the brewing jar and place on a clean plate

Step 14

Reserve 1 cup of kombucha. Set aside. Set out clean bottles to begin filling.

Step 15

Fill clean bottles with add-ins of your choice (see above for ideas!)

Step 16

Fill bottles with finished kombucha using a funnel and close the swing-top lid. Set bottles aside.

Step 17

Pick back up with steps 5-9 to make the next batch of new kombucha.

Step 18

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.

Step 19

After 2-3 days, move the bottles of finished kombucha to the fridge and now you can drink them!

Step 20

After 1-3 weeks, your 1 gallon of kombucha brew will be ready to start the process all over again!