Making kombucha at home is simple, but not everything that's simple is easy, as this process requires your attention and connection with the culture. The secret lies in the process: the right ingredients, clear steps, exact quantities, and some safety rules.

After a few fermentation cycles, we promise you'll find making kombucha at home simple and easy. You'll trust the process.

Golden Rules (MAI method)

1. The first fermentation begins with an acidic starter and is a descendant of good fermentations.
2. Use quality ingredients, preferably organic.
3. Pay attention to the quantity (the best kombucha of your life will be the result of recording and learning).

Preparation time

Approximately 30 minutes for the basic recipe (infusion + sugar + inoculation).

Fermentation time

It varies from 7 to more than 30 days, depending on several variables (see article).

Essential utensils

• Glass fermenting jar (2–3 L), but you can increase the size.
• Tea infusion vessel
• Digital scale (preferred)
• Spoon/spatula
• Cotton cloth + elastic (to cover the jar)

What is kombucha?

In short: it's fermented tea. You make the sweet tea and the SCOBY does the rest.

The SCOBY ( Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast ) plays a key role, but it needs the ideal conditions to do its transformative work:

The bacteria and yeast in the culture consume sugar and produce organic acids and natural probiotics. If you want natural gas, that only happens in a second fermentation.

SCOBY is the heart of the drink: a community of microorganisms that, together, give life to kombucha and ensure the safety of the process.

Ingredients

Before looking at the quantities, understand the role of each element:

• Chlorine-free water : free of chemicals that can affect microorganisms.
• Organic green or black tea (Camellia sinensis) : provides caffeine, tannins, and nutrients that nourish the SCOBY.
• White sugar : This sugar isn't for you, it's for the SCOBY. It digests white sugar better. Demerara sugar is still acceptable, but don't use brown sugar or any other type. During fermentation, it's transformed into acids and beneficial compounds.
• SCOBY + starter tea : the live culture that converts sweet tea into kombucha, providing probiotics and natural acidity.

Quantities per liter (base)

• Organic green or black tea: 7 g/L
• White sugar: 60 g/L
• Starting tea: 150 mL/L (+- 15% of the total volume, understand the math in this post and when to use more or less)

If you are making a different batch of this recipe, we have included the table below for your reference:

Step by step

1 – Calculate the quantity of ingredients

Fermentation is not an exact science, with many factors influencing the process. Controlling the variables and recording the process helps to gain knowledge about your culture and ensures consistency in a successful recipe.

2 – Preparing the tea

Now it's time to get down to business: make the green tea infusion and then add the sugar. To speed up the cooling process and ensure the SCOBY only comes into contact with the tea when it's below 36°C, we use a simple technique:

Make an infusion of the tea using about 40% of the total volume of water. After removing the leaves, dissolve the sugar in the still-hot tea. Finally, add the remaining cold water to quickly lower the temperature.

Example (for a 3L recipe): Prepare 1.2L (40%) of concentrated tea (10-15 min steeping). Remove the leaves, add 180g of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add 1.3L of cold water to the jar, combine with the concentrated sweet tea, ensuring the temperature remains below 35-36ºC. Finally, add the SCOBY and starter tea (approximately 500ml).

Tip: When filling the jar, add the cold water first, then the sweet tea, and only at the end the starter tea. This prevents the glass from overheating and ensures a safe environment for the SCOBY. If you add the hot tea first, you leave the glass jar at a high temperature and it will be difficult to cool down.

THE LOGIC:

The mathematical calculation for 100%: The infusion represents 40% of the total recipe volume, cold water 45%, and the initial tea + kombucha culture (tea starter + SCOBY) the remaining 15%.

3 – Adding the SCOBY and the starter tea

The SCOBY ( Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast ) is the heart of the process. The starter tea is mature kombucha, acidic and rich in microorganisms — it acts as a "liquid SCOBY" that protects the fermentation.

• He sterilizes the bottle with hot water before using it.
• Wash your hands and utensils thoroughly.
• Cover the jar with a cotton cloth and elastic band (never use a lid).
• Never refrigerate the SCOBY (see how to do it when you go on vacation).
• Only inoculate when the tea temperature is below 35°C. High temperatures can be harmful to the culture.

If your starter is weak and still sweet, use up to 20% of the volume; but if it's too acidic, almost vinegar-like, reduce it to about 10%.

4 – Final step: patience

Trust nature. Avoid disturbing the jar until the new SCOBY has formed consistently. After 7 days you will be able to observe a new film forming and taste it to feel the evolution of the fermentation.

What happens during fermentation? See article.

At the end of the process, you'll have two SCOBYs and a delicious kombucha. Save one SCOBY with the initial tea for the next recipe. Check out this article for the next recipe.

Conclusion

Fermenting is more than following a recipe: it's about creating a relationship with microorganisms and with yourself. Each jar is a small living laboratory where nature shows its strength and you learn to trust the process.

At the end of this first fermentation, you don't just have a refreshing drink: you have a ritual, a culture that multiplies and accompanies your journey. It's healthy, sustainable and, above all, rewarding.

If you haven't started yet, now is the perfect time. With the MAI Kombucha Kit, you have everything you need to take your first steps with confidence. And who knows? Maybe this is just the beginning of the best kombucha of your life.

Related Article - Kombucha Harvesting Point and Fermentation Time