Paraben Free Plain Kombucha
Brewing your own kombucha at home is one of the most satisfying fermentation projects you can take on, and this plain version is the perfect foundation. Store-bought kombucha often contains added flavors, preservatives, or other additives that can be a real concern for anyone keeping a close eye on what goes into their body — making a from-scratch batch the cleanest possible route. The process is beautifully simple: strong black tea, dissolved sugar, a living SCOBY, and a splash of starter liquid are all it takes to get fermentation going. Patience is the real ingredient here, as the 7-to-10-day ferment slowly transforms sweet tea into something pleasantly tart and lightly effervescent. Tasting daily from day seven lets you dial in exactly the level of sourness you enjoy, so every batch can be tuned to your preference. Once bottled and chilled, you have a naturally fizzy, genuinely clean drink that you made yourself from start to finish.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 3.5 quarts filtered water, divided
- 4 bags plain black tea (or 1 tbsp loose-leaf black tea)
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)
- ½ cup starter liquid (unflavored, unpasteurized kombucha from a previous batch or store-bought raw kombucha)
Instructions
- 1
Bring 1 quart of the filtered water to a boil in a large pot. Remove from heat, add the tea bags (or loose-leaf tea in a strainer), and steep for 5–7 minutes, until the tea is deep amber and strongly brewed. Remove and discard the tea bags or strainer.
- 2
Add the sugar to the hot tea and stir with a long-handled spoon until fully dissolved, about 1 minute.
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