To learn how to make kombucha at home, we invited Rick Miller from Kombucha Brooklyn to our offices to mix up a batch and explain how you get from tea to bubbly beverage.

Making your own kombucha allows you to customize the taste, and it’s more economical. (Bottled kombucha runs from $2 to $5 a bottle.)

For your first batch, it might be helpful to order a starter kit. However you do it, make sure to carefully follow all safety instructions. (And check with a doctor before you imbibe.)

Starter kits



Laurel Farms

: Starter kit contains a SCOBY, starter tea, and an extensive literature kit, including illustrated recipe.

Kombucha Brooklyn

: Home-brew kit contains a SCOBY, organic tea, organic cane sugar and an FDA-approved 1-gallon jar with sterilized cover. If you live in the New York area, consider signing up for a kombucha class, which includes the home-brew kit.

Tools and Materials


4 organic tea bags (black, green, or white are best; create your own blend by choosing 1 or 2 of each)

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)*

1/2 cup of kombucha starter (kombucha from a previous batch, or raw, store-bought kombucha)

Cotton tea towel

1-gallon unleaded glass jar (Pyrex or Anchor-Hocking are best)

3 quarts distilled water

Nonmetallic glass measuring cup

Wooden spoon

Paper towels

Glass bottles in which to store the finished tea

* Like a sourdough starter, the kombucha SCOBY is self-replicating: When you finish incubating a batch of tea, your SCOBY grows a “baby,” which you can pass along to a friend or neighbor. (Note: Though some people call the SCOBY a “kombucha mushroom,” it is not, actually, a mushroom).

Before You Start


Before you embark on your first batch, take a few basic precautions. Be sure you live in a hygienic environment. If your house has a mold problem, for example, or if you smoke, it can ruin your kombucha.

Second, use only an unleaded glass jar, since kombucha will leach toxins out of colored glass, metals, and ceramic pots. (This is also why you shouldn’t use a metal measuring cup or metal spoon.) Finally, it’s a good idea to sterilize your jars and bottles (and wooden spoons, etc.) with boiling water before using.