brew your own

Get started brewing amazing kombucha at home!

SCOBY and Starter kit

Since 2009 we’ve been teaching others to brew kombucha safely at home and gain more access to the wonderful health benefits of our favorite medicinal brew. As Lion Heart Kombucha has evolved into a high quality craft beverage, you’ll find that we’ve kept the homemade touch. Please find our brewing guide and if you need a quality SCOBY you’ll find them at our Portland location, local co-ops, homebrew shops or online at FH Steinbart.

Happy homebrewing! If you have any questions or comments, we are happy to answer at questions@lionheartkombucha.com.

Traditional 1 Gallon Kombucha Brew Guide

Home brewed kombucha recipe from Lion Heart Kombucha
Download the Full Brewing Guide (PDF version)

equipment & supplies

  • Glass Jars (food/fermentation grade)
  • 1-gallon pot (or bigger). Stainless Steel is best. No teflon!
  • Scent-free, all-natural soap
  • Re-useable tea bag/strainer (if using loose-leaf tea)
  • Cloth to cover the jar
  • Rubber band & labels

ingredients for 1-gallon batch

  • 3 quarts water
  • 3/4 to 1-oz. dry tea leaves (4-8 teaspoons, or 6-10 tea bags)
  • 1/2 to 1-cup sugar (more sugar = more sweet, more vinegar, more alcohol)
  • SCOBY (Kombucha mother “mushroom”)
  • 8-12 ounces of Kombucha “Starter Tea” (finished Kombucha from previous batch)

Tips

  • Clean and sanitize equipment.
  • For low caffeine, pre-soak tea.
  • Add flavors (e.g., ginger) during bottling.

STEP 1: Sweet Tea

  • Bring water to a gentle boil.
  • Stir in sugar; cool slightly to 180ºF.
  • Steep tea for 15 min–2 hrs.

STEP 2: Add Culture

  • Cool tea below 98°F.
  • Remove tea bags; pour into a clean jar.
  • Allow SCOBY to come to room temperature
  • Add SCOBY and starter tea.
  • Cover with cloth; secure with a rubber band.

STEP 3: Ferment

  • Store in a warm, dark space for 7–20 days.
  • Ferments best at 80-90ºF, and more slowly at 70º
  • Refrigerate when it’s ready to pause the fermentation.

STEP 4: SCOBY Storage

  • Save enough SCOBY and starter tea for the next batch.
  • Store SCOBY submerged in finished Kombucha in refrigerator.

STEP 5: Bottling & Carbonation

  • Bottle Kombucha in sanitized containers.
  • To carbonate, add 2–3 tbsp sugar per gallon.
  • Store bottles in a dark, warm space for 2–6 weeks.
  • Careful! If too much sugar is present, kombucha can over-carbonate and burst bottles.

Disclaimer

Kombucha is safe to make at home, but should not be consumed if it becomes moldy or contaminated. Over-fermented kombucha can become too acidic. If it tastes gross, don’t drink it 🙂