How to Make Kombucha at Home with the Ragi Kit

7 hours ago

3 min read

How do you make kombucha at home? You brew sweet tea, let it cool, add a SCOBY and some starter kombucha, cover the jar with a cloth and leave it at room temperature for about 14 days. That's it: the culture does the rest, and our kit gives you everything you need for the first batch.

Kombucha is a naturally fizzy fermented tea, made when a culture of bacteria and yeasts (the SCOBY) turns sweet tea into a tangy, lightly sparkling drink.

What's in the Ragi Kombucha Making Kit

1 bottle of Ragi Original Kombucha, your starter liquid
1 fresh SCOBY, the live culture
1 glass jar of 1.7 litres
Organic Swiss beet sugar
Our organic black tea, the same one we brew with in Lutry
A Ragi cloth and an elastic to cover the jar
Our recipe card and brewing tips

Each batch makes up to about 1.5 litres. Not sure what a SCOBY actually is? Read what is a SCOBY.

Step by step: your first batch

Clean everything. Wash the jar and utensils with hot water and a little soap, then rinse very well. Avoid antibacterial products: they can harm the culture.
Brew the tea. Make strong tea with part of the water and the black tea from the kit, let it steep, then remove the leaves. The recipe card gives the exact amounts.
Dissolve the sugar. Stir the sugar into the hot tea until it disappears. The sugar is food for the culture, and most of it is used up during fermentation.
Cool it down. Top up with cold water and wait until the tea is at room temperature. Hot tea would damage the SCOBY.
Add the culture. Pour in the starter kombucha and gently lay the SCOBY on top. It may float, sink or sit sideways: all three are fine.
Cover and wait. Cover with the cloth and elastic, and leave the jar somewhere warm and out of direct sunlight, ideally around 20 to 25 °C.
Taste from day 7. Slide a clean straw down the side and taste. When it's pleasantly tangy and not too sweet, usually after around 14 days, it's ready.
Keep some back. Set aside the SCOBY and a good glass of kombucha to start your next batch, then bottle the rest.

Pouring homemade kombucha into a glass jar

Second fermentation: flavour and bubbles

For more fizz and flavour, pour the kombucha into sturdy swing-top bottles, add a little fruit, juice, ginger or herbs, close them and leave them at room temperature for 1 to 3 days. Then move them to the fridge. Open bottles carefully over the sink, as the pressure builds quickly. Some combinations we love in winter: apple and cinnamon, pear and ginger, or a warm mulled apple kombucha.

Is it SCOBY or mould?

What you see	What it is	What to do
A smooth, pale, rubbery new layer on top	A new SCOBY growing	Perfect, carry on
Brown strings hanging below	Yeast threads	Normal, carry on
Dry, fuzzy spots in green, blue or black	Mould	Throw everything away and start fresh

Tips from our brewery in Lutry

Temperature matters more than anything: in a cold flat in winter, kombucha can take a few days longer.
Always keep enough starter: it makes the tea acidic from the start and protects it.
Don't put the jar next to the fruit bowl or your bread starter, to keep fruit flies and other cultures away.

Kombucha brewing FAQ

How long does homemade kombucha take?

Usually around 14 days for the first fermentation at room temperature, plus 1 to 3 days if you flavour and bottle it.

Can I use green tea?

Yes, once your culture is well established. Start with the black tea in the kit for the first batches.

What do I do with the extra SCOBY?

Each batch grows a new layer. Keep it in some kombucha to start more jars, or share it with friends.

How do I store the SCOBY between batches?

Keep it covered in kombucha in a closed jar. If you can't start brewing right away, the fresh SCOBY from the kit keeps in the fridge for up to one week.

A gift that keeps brewing

The kit makes a lovely Christmas present for anyone curious about fermentation, and the culture can be reused batch after batch. Find the Kombucha Making Kit in our shop, or the Kombucha and Tibicos Making Kit for two drinks at once. Curious about the difference? Read kombucha vs tibicos. Share your first batch with us: tag @ragi.food.