Mak
king the Initiall Batch of Kom
mbucha Tea:

1. Combine approoximately 2 ½--3 cups of hot water

C w and ¼
c of sugar toogether in a jar. Mix until thee sugar
cup
d
dissolves. Thee water should be hot enoughh to dissolve
  t sugar and steep
the s the tea buut does not havve to be
 
b
boiling.
Ko
ombuch
ha Tea Instructtions  2. P
Place
w
water
1 ½ tsp of
and allow
o loose tea or twot tea bags inn the sugar
w the tea to steeep. Allow thee mixture to
c
cool to room teemperature. You Y can wait unntil the
Beffore you begin
n:
m
mixture is cooll to remove thee tea bags if deesired.
• The Kombuchha culture you have received has been 3. A ½ cup vinnegar to the mixxture. Organicc vinegar is
Add
dehydrated foor transit. It is generally shelf stable but is p
preferred as it limits the cultuure’s exposure to
sensitive to exxtreme heat. If possible, pleaase store the c
chemicals. Addding the vineggar is extremelyy important
culture in the refrigerator unntil you are reaady to make f maintainingg the proper pH
for H level and avooiding mold!
your first batcch of Kombuch ha Tea 4. A the dehyddrated Kombuccha culture to thhe mixture.
Add
• NEVER ALL LOW THE CULTURE TO TO OUCH I may float or sink—either position
It p is fine..
METAL! Thhis includes meeasuring spoonss/cups and 5. C
Cover w a towel, cooffee filter, etc. and a tight
the jar with
stirring utensiils. We recommmend using glass jars for r
rubber band (kkeep the fruit fllies out!). Do notn use an air
culturing Kom mbucha (such as a canning jarss). t
tight lid!
• Do not consuume any Kombu ucha which sm mells, looks or 6. A
Allow the jar to sit undisturbed and out of direct
d
tastes unpleassant. s
sunlight for at 7-21 days untiil a new culturee forms (see
s 8). You may
step m notice a strringy brown suubstance
pplies:
Sup f
forming and cllinging togetheer, to the bottom m of the jar
o to the Kombbucha culture. This yeast is a natural
or
• One jar (quarrt, half gallon oro gallon sized)) with a tight b
byproduct of thhe fermentationn process and can c be
lid (the lid wiill be used oncee the tea is commplete) s
strained prior to
t consuming the t finished Koombucha.
• A plastic or wood
w stirring utensil (never use metal in 7. D
During fermenntation, Kombuucha cultures may m sink,
contact with a Kombucha cu ulture!) f
float or stay in a vertical posiition. This does not affect
• A towel or paaper coffee filteer t brewing prrocess.
the
• A rubber band 8. O
Once a new Koombucha cultuure forms at thee top of the
• One Kombuccha culture j (generally looks
jar l like a whhite disc that will
w initially be
• Organic loosee tea or tea bag gs t
translucent butt will eventuallly become opaqque and
o Blacck tea is traditio onally used butt Kombucha t
thicker with timme), you can reemove both thee original
can be
b made succeessfully with grreen c
culture and thee newly formedd culture. Youu can choose
o Good teas for making Kombuchaa include t consume moost of this batchh or use the enntire batch as
to
Ooloong, English Breakfast, Ceyloon s
starter tea for your
y next batchh of Kombuchha (be sure to
(unfl
flavored) and unflavored
u varieeties of Green r
retain at least ½ cup of the Kombucha
K Tea to
t as starter
Teass t for your neext batch—see table below).
tea
o Do not n use teas con ntaining oils, thhis includes
Ingredient Ratios for Subsequen
nt Batches of Kombucha:
Earl Grey, Orange Spice, and sim milar teas.
o If ussing herbal tea is desired, mixx with black orr Conttainer Teaa Sugarr Water Starter
green tea using a higher
h proportioon of the Siize Amou
unt Amoun nt Amount Tea
blackk/green tea. Amount
One quart
q 1 ½ t. 1/4 c. 2 1/2 c. ½ c.
• Organic cane sugar (evaporated cane crysttals work
loose tea
t (approx.)
best—do not use Rapadura or similar sugaars) or 2 teea
• Vinegar (prefferably organicc) for the initiall batch using bags
the dehydrateed culture Half-gallon 1 T. looose ½ c. 6 ½ c. 1 c.
tea or 4 (approx.)
• Starter tea froom a previous batch
b of Kombbucha for all tea baggs
subsequent baatches Galloon 2 T. looose 1 c. 13 c. 2 c.
• Filtered waterr (non-chlorinaated) tea or 8 (approx.)

Cultures for H
© C Health, LLC 20
010  ww
ww.culturesforhealth.com
 
tea bags
Instructions for Subsequent Batches of Kombucha Tea:
1. Place hot water and sugar together in a jar. Mix until
the sugar dissolves. The water should be hot enough to
steep the tea but does not have to be boiling.
2. Place the tea in the sugar water and allow the tea to
steep. Allow to cool to room temperature (this will
likely take most of the day if you are making a gallon-
size jar). You can wait until the water is cool before
removing the tea bag if desired.
3. Place the Kombucha culture and starter tea in the jar of
fresh tea.
4. Cover the jar tightly (keep the fruit flies out!) but allow
the mixture to breathe. A towel or paper coffee filter
along with a thick rubber band work best for this. Do
not use an air tight lid!
5. Allow the jar to sit undisturbed and out of direct
sunlight for at least 5 days. You may notice a stringy
brown substance forming and clinging together, to the
bottom of the jar or to the Kombucha culture. This
yeast is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process
and can be strained prior to consuming the finished
Kombucha.
6. During fermentation, Kombucha cultures may sink,
float or stay in a vertical position. This does not affect
the brewing process.
7. You can start tasting the tea after 5 days although we
recommend giving it at least 7 days to culture. The
longer you leave the tea, the less sugar will remain. If
you prefer sweeter tea, you will want to culture the tea
for a shorter period of time (7-10 days) but if you are
trying to avoid sugar, you may want to culture the tea
for a longer period of time (14-30 days).
8. Once the tea has reached the desired level of
fermentation, remove the original Kombucha culture
(the “mother”) and the newly formed culture (the
“baby). The mother culture may have sunk to the
bottom or may have floated at the top (either is fine).
The baby culture should be covering the jar opening.
You can now use both the mother and the baby to make
two jars of Kombucha. If the original and new cultures
have fused, you can either tear them apart or use them
as a single culture for your next batch.
9. Tightly cover the jar with a regular lid (air-tight is best).
At this point, you can choose to allow the tea to rest for
a few days (may improve carbonation) or drink it
immediately. Adding fruit juice prior to putting the lid
on the jar will improve carbonation during this second
fermentation (make sure the culture is removed before
adding the juice). Finished Kombucha tea may be
stored on the counter or in the refrigerator.
10. Before drinking, you may choose to strain the tea of
yeast particles but they are actually nutritious to
consume.
11. If you allow the tea to sit for a period of time before
consuming, be aware that a new “baby” culture may
begin to form. This immature culture can be consumed
or strained off and composted. If the tea sits for a long
period, a full Kombucha culture may form. This culture
can be used to make future batches of Kombucha or
discarded.
12. If you need to store Kombucha cultures for a period of
time, place them in a jar with some Kombucha tea and a
cover it with a tight lid. Store on the counter. They can
generally survive this way for a few weeks.
Flavoring Kombucha Tea (optional):
Kombucha tea can be flavored if desired using juice,
crystallized ginger, fresh fruit, etc. Flavoring is option—
Kombucha tea is quite tasty even without additional
flavoring. Be sure to complete the brewing process and
remove the Kombucha culture before adding any flavorings!
If a more carbonated beverage is desired, mix the Kombucha
tea with juice or fresh fruit, bottle in truly air-tight bottle
(e.g. grolsch-style bottles or similar) and allow the
Kombucha to sit for several days. Use caution when
opening the bottles! Please see our website for further
information on flavoring Kombucha tea.
Important Information:
• The size of the Kombucha culture does not affect the
size of the batch you can brew. Small cultures are just
as effective as large cultures.
• If you are anxious to brew a large batch of Kombucha,
Use the entire initial quart of Kombucha tea and the two
cultures (since a new culture will form during
fermentation) to make two jars of Kombucha (half-
gallon or gallon jars if desired).
• Different varieties of tea (Oolong vs. Green vs. English
Breakfast, etc.) will produce different Kombucha tastes.
Green teas make for a more mild Kombucha while
English Breakfast makes for a stronger tasting
Kombucha. We recommend Oolong for making a
particularly tasty Kombucha tea.
• If you are culturing multiple products (e.g. different
varieties of yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, Kombucha, etc.)
be sure to keep a distance of at least several feet
between cultures so they don’t cross-contaminate each

© Cultures for Health, LLC 2010    www.culturesforhealth.com 
 
 
other. Over time, cross-contamination will weaken the
cultures.

© Cultures for Health, LLC 2010    www.culturesforhealth.com