We are avid fans of this fizzy, sour, fermented tea. It hits the spot when the afternoon doldrums set in, and it makes a surprisingly good non-alcoholic option for dinner parties. But at $3 or more a pop for a 16-ounce bottle, we've been pondering the merits of making our own. Any thoughts?
For purposes of comparison, we'll use GT's Synergy Kombucha, which is sold at Whole Foods and many other gourmet grocery stores. For the homemade version, we'll follow Cambria's directions for homemade kombucha, using Peapod and Kombucha Brooklyn for prices on the ingredients and Amazon and Kombucha Brooklyn for the equipment.
• How to Brew Your Own Kombucha on Re-Nest
• Kombucha Brooklyn - A great source for both local New York kombucha and DIY kits
COST BREAKDOWN
• GT's Synergy Kombucha (16-oz bottle):
TOTAL: $2.99 (at our local Bay Area Whole Foods)
PER SERVING (8 oz): $1.50
• Homemade Kombucha (1 gallon batches)
UPFRONT COSTS:
BRITA pitcher and filter: $21.99
1 gallon glass brewing jar: $15.00
cheesecloth to cover the jar: $3.95
A rubber band to secure the cloth: $0.00
Some bottles to store the finished tea: $10.99 (12 pint-sized canning jars)
1.2 cups kombucha from a previous batch as an acid starter: $2.99 (Synergy Kombucha)
1 kombucha culture, or scoby: $15
RECURRING COSTS:
Kombucha and the culture from previous batches can be used to make the next batch.
4 liters filtered water: $0.00
8 tea bags: $1.39 (Yogi Green Tea from Amazon used for reference here)
1.5 cups white sugar: $0.55
TOTAL UPFRONT: $69.92
TOTAL RECURRING: $1.94
COMBINED TOTAL: $71.86
INITIAL COST PER SERVING: $4.49
PER SERVING AFTER RECOUPING UPFRONT COSTS: $0.12
TIME BREAKDOWN
Much of the time needed to make a batch of kombucha is passive waiting time. The initial steps involve boiling water, steeping the tea for about 20 minutes, and then dissolving the sugar in the warm tea. The kombucha and scoby are added and the covered jar is left in a dark place for about two weeks. After this time, you remove the new scoby and a little kombucha for your next batch and transfer what you're going to drink into jars or bottles. These are left for another few days to carbonate, and you're done!
Once you get the hang of it and see how quickly you drink your way through a gallon batch, we think it would be easy to develop a routine so you always had some kombucha in the fridge and some more brewing in the closet. This would make the wait time seem like, well...not really waiting. So the total time spent on making kombucha would generally be about 30 minutes every few weeks.
CONVENIENCE
Once you got into a routine, brewing your own kombucha definitely seems like it would be easy enough. Pulling a bottle from the fridge is even more convenient than stopping by the store!
The only caveat here is the difficulty factor. Brewing kombucha sounds easy enough when we read about it, but we've also heard from friends that it took several not-so-great (or even failed) batches before they really figured things out. Again, it sounds like there's an upfront time commitment to learning the process and working through a few batches before settling into a regular routine.
TASTINESS AND HEALTHFULNESS
Store-bought kombucha and homemade are probably pretty even in this category. Commercial and artisan kombucha are nearly always made with natural, organic ingredients and can be found in a range of very tasty flavors.
MAKE OR BUY?
If you're a fan of kombucha and drink it with any frequency, we definitely think making your own is a worthwhile endeavor. The upfront costs are relatively minimal for a project like this (and let's be honest, most of us already use water filters and have canning jars sitting around). After that, the savings are clear. The brewing process seems relatively easy, especially once you get the hang of it, and the whole idea just seems very fun to us.
On the other hand, if you only enjoy kombucha on occasion as a special treat, then obviously brewing your own isn't likely to feel as satisfying or significant to you.
OUR VERDICT: Make!
Do you brew your own kombucha? What do you think?
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(Images: GT's and Cambria Bold)
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Has anyone else found that the GT Dave kombucha has been flat (not fizzy) each time they've bought it from Whole Foods lately? REALLY annoying.
Also, I'm ready to brew my own. Is there anyone here who has scoby's to share in the LA area or should I buy online?
Definitely make your own! I've been making my own for about a year now and once you get the hang of it it's so easy. No more complicated than making yogurt. And now I can drink it every day instead of once a week, which was about all I could afford at $3 a bottle.
I've been searching for a kombucha that I can stand. So glad I've found http://fabulousferments.com/ in Cincinnati, Ohio. I love kombucha now! Too scared to make my own. Check out this new possible wardrobe material - yes kombucha. Very funny! Not for bathing suits:) http://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_lee_grow_your_own_clothes.html
Also, I forgot to mention that you don't actually even need a scoby to start with. I started mine by adding 2 bottles of plain kombucha to the tea and it formed a brand new scoby in about a week.
@LAtoNY YES. It's totally been flat lately. I bet the result of those months sitting on a shelf after the whole "is this or isn't this alcoholic enough, thanks a lot Lindsey Lohan" business.
I know it's expensive, but seriously I'm just going to keep buying it. When drinking only once or twice a week I don't think the effort towards making it will pay off for me. I mean I can hardly keep herbs alive or keep up with dirty dishes at a normal pace, so I'm thinking fermenting my own beverages probably won't happen any time soon.
Make! It's so much more cost effective and it's mostly just waiting around time. Delicious!
I have made it a couple times, and always use store-bought to "start" the mother. Making your own is def more economical, but some of the flavors of store-bought can't be beat on the go!
We've made natural yeast starter, and kept it going, but somehow, kombucha gives me the heebie jeebies... My mother had a huge jar of it, and I could never bring myself to try it...
i used to make my own, but i hated how it tasted. either too bland or too sour: couldn't seem to get the nice, balanced flavor of store-bought.
but i love playing with the mushrooms. they remind me of stingrays.
also want to point out that you DON'T have to go out and buy a mushroom: you can just leave a glass of kombucha on the counter for about a week and it will develop a good-enough sized scoby to use for brewing. so really, you only need a single store-bought bottle of kombucha to make a batch (not a scoby + a jar of store-bought). i've done this probably 3-4 times (i move a lot, and don't want to go through the hassle of taking my babies with me)
Just a note about kombucha being non-alcoholic – many versions do contain a small amount of alcohol. My partner is allergic to alcohol and even a small sip of some versions will cause a reaction!
I thought I hated kombucha before I started brewing it myself, because the bottled versions are sooo vinegary and intense. I started making it myself just out of curiosity and interest in various fermented food/drinks, and now I love it! Homemade is delicious, and you can make it as sweet or as strong as you like just by adjusting the brewing time.
I moved into a new apartment about a month ago and one of my new roommates is an avid kombucha brewer. Some of his brews are very good. I like it made with mate, but have tried several types of tea and coffee versions. We've got one brewing now with mate and ginger. Our future plans include a true fermented ginger beer and home-brewed soy sauce.
I've been making my own Kombucha for about a year now from a scoby given to me by a woman who was blogging about it.
If anyone is in the sf bay area and would like a scoby/baby I would be glad to share. I'm currently trying to give out the scobys that have been producing like crazy due to the warmer weather.
I made my own, but drinking it gave me the kind of headache I get from cheap red wine. Has anyone else had this problem? Or know why I might be having it?
You have to be completely mad to make your own. Why has no one mentioned the incredible food safety risk associated with inoculating an unknown mixture of bacteria, yeast, and fungi (often open to the air, further increasing risk) to a room temperature brew of sugar and other essential nutrients? You are practically begging to grow a potential pathogen. And because the starter cultures are not controlled at home and are rarely pasteurized, you are drinking a liquid concoction of bacteria and potential fungal toxins. Good luck, homebrewers. I'll send you a get-well bouquet in the hospital.
@dinosaurbones, you mean I should have expected to get headaches brewing something from a culture I got from a weird guy on Freecycle? :)
I absolutely recommend getting some litmus paper at your local science supply store, or online, to check the PH of your brew to know when it's safe and ready. You want something at or around 3.0 pH to ensure little or no micro-bacterial growth.
When I sold kombucha mothers and gallon glass jars for brewing locally, I would recommend the litmus paper. Makes you feel all sciencey and stuff.
Obviously if you see any mold growth on the surface you should toss the tea and mother. That's usually a symptom of too much sugar, unclean equipment, etc.
I'm not sure it's not alcoholic: it is fermented, after all. There was something going on that popped the corks off the bottles.
I stopped making/drinking it as I realized what that joie de vie might be from. I missed it for awhile but my soda stream replaces the need for something-more-interesting-than-tap-water.
As for the risks of home brewing? Please. Simple home sanitation — boiling the water, keeping all the tools clean, etc. — is adequate. I used a mixture of green and black teas in 1 gallon fermentation vessel, covered with fine cloth to keep fruit flies out.
And yes, I got my scoby off Freecycle and gave away I don't know how many. It seemed that as soon as I found a new mother in the jar, someone would ask me for a starter.
I purchased a culture from Royal Kombucha about 2 months ago and it was way cheaper than the store bought stuff ,after 4 daily doses i was out on top .
for only 19.99 i got a starter kit from them in the mail and i was on my way to making my very own kombucha.I was a little scared at first , it was my first time making kombucha so I didnt know what to expect.they helped me from start to finish with my first brew .and they also have a guarantee that your first brew will work or they will send you a new one at no cost !! which I thought was amazing so I got one.
It was pretty easy and i had everything i needed to get started in my cupboard ,a jar,sugar and tea ...
Now im teaching my friends how to make it.
www.royalkombucha.com
Thats http://www.royalkombucha.com
Make it if you enjoy drinking any amount of KT. Its also usable for skin troubles if applied to skin and rashes ect. Dogs and chickes ect can eat the scobys if you get over run with them. It is so easy, ive improved but it wasnt a hard thng to learn.
There is a slight amount of alcohol so its possible to feel a little off if you drink ALOT. If too much you can also feel a lil yucky because of the acids. Ive had muscular pains when i first started but either dillute the kt before you drink or drink some water afterwards. I dont experience this anymore.
Just like sourdough or saurkraut when your tea is brewing, the good critters we want can overpower the baddies if its healthy. Thats why they say cider vinegar to make your first batch. Or use the extra tea that should come with your scoby to start. PRETTYMONKEYon ebay sent me a thick beautifull scoby purchased pretty inexpensivly.
I dont like black peko personally so im brewing with a mix of green and black teas plus coca tea as an additive. This stuff taste amazing and im seeing major benefits personaly. Ive lost 20 lbs since starting recently and i weigh what i did back in highschool. Sooo refreshing. I love it fizzy and have stopped drinking soda and coffee except an occasional one.
Im going to experiment with some herbs added in after the first brew before the bottling and putting in fridge. KT needs to have real camilla? Sp tea as the base but you can add other stuff for flavor or health reasons. Fruit or juices or herbs. Ive used dry appricots and cherrys also.
SUPER flat - it doesn't seem to be Kombucha anymore so much as just juice :-/