Would you rather have green tea or Kombucha? What if we tell you that you don’t need to choose because you can enjoy the goodness of these two health-boosting beverages in one tasty green tea Kombucha drink? In this Green Tea Kombucha: How to Make It post, we’ll walk you through the process of making a mild Kombucha drink with slight herb and floral notes that is perfect for beginners.
Making green tea Kombucha is similar to making traditional black tea Kombucha. Essentially, you will need the same equipment and ingredients, however, you will have to replace the black tea with green tea. To begin making the green tea Kombucha, bring water to a boil. Next, turn off the heat and add the sugar to the boiled water. Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved and proceed with brewing the green tea bags in the boiled water for 3 to 5 minutes. After that, remove the tea bags and let the mixture cool to room temperature (68℉). When the sweet tea mixture cools down, transfer it to the brewing jar and add in the remaining ingredients namely Kombucha starter tea and SCOBY. Finally, cover the jar with a cloth and secure it with a rubber band. Store the Kombucha in a dry place away from sunlight at temperatures ranging from 60℉ to 85℉ and allow it to ferment for 7 to 10 days.
You can start tasting your green tea Kombucha brew after 5 to 7 days of fermentation. If the taste already suits your liking, you may transfer the Kombucha to bottles for easier consumption or second fermentation.
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How To Make Green Tea Kombucha?
Green tea Kombucha is easy to make and generally low maintenance. If you are ready to make your very first green tea Kombucha at home, here’s a green tea Kombucha recipe for you.
Green Tea Kombucha Recipe
Equipment
- 1-gallon brewing jar/vessel
- Pot or kettle
- Spoon
- Cloth cover
- Rubber band
Materials
- 8-10 piece green tea bags
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 cup starter tea
- 15 cup water
Instructions
- Step 1. Bring the water to aboil. After it boils, turn off the heat.
- Step 2. Add sugar and stir untilthe sugar has fully dissolved.
- Step 3. Steep the green tea bagsin the boiled water and sugar mixture for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 4. Remove the green teabags and allow the sweet tea mixture to cool down to room temperature (68℉).
- Step 5. When the sweet tea mixture reaches room temperature, transfer it to the brewing jar.
- Step 6. Add Kombucha starter tea
- Step 7. Place the SCOBY in the mixture
- Step 8. Allowthe Kombucha to ferment for 7 to 10 days and more depending on your preferredtaste. Essentially, the longer the brew, the more potent the taste becomes. Ifthe taste is already to your liking, you can start drinking it. You may alsoopt to transfer the Kombucha to bottles and allow it to undergo secondfermentation for flavoring and carbonation. If you want to learn more aboutsecond fermentation, you may check our complete guide here.
Can You Make Kombucha From Green Tea?
The short answer is yes. Like black tea, green tea gives nutrients, minerals, and nitrogen that are crucial for the growth and health of the Kombucha culture or SCOBY. Using green tea for Kombucha gives it gentle herbaceous and floral notes that are great for newbie Kombucha drinkers. It also gives Kombucha amazing health-boosting benefits. Below, we discuss these benefits in more detail.
Benefits of Green Tea Kombucha
Contains the same plant compounds that are found in green tea
Drinking green tea Kombucha delivers similar health benefits to drinking green tea. It helps with weight loss, reduces belly fat, improves cholesterol levels, helps with blood sugar management, and more. It may also help reduce risks of acquiring certain types of cancers like prostate, breast, and colon. Hence, if you are not a big fan of plain green tea, then green tea Kombucha is a must-try for you.
Rich in antioxidants
Green tea Kombucha has strong antioxidant effects on the body particularly the liver. This keeps the liver in good health and prevents oxidative stress that may lead to liver problems.
Offers strong antibacterial properties
Green tea Kombucha has strong antibacterial properties that are particularly beneficial in fighting infection-causing bacteria. This benefit is especially helpful to people with conditions like pneumonia and sepsis which are caused by bacterial infections or viruses.
Reduces risk of acquiring heart disease
Green tea protects LDL cholesterol particles from oxidation caused by free radicals and reduces the risk of heart disease. A blog post by MilleniaTEA says that one to three cups of green tea daily can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
May help manage type 2 diabetes
Green tea Kombucha has displayed positive effects in reducing blood sugar levels. In addition to that, green tea may also help improve liver and kidney function.
How Do You Make Kombucha at Home?
Making Kombucha at home has become a hobby for many health enthusiasts nowadays. Contrary to what many expect, Kombucha is actually easy to make and generally low maintenance. However, you do need to pay extra attention to details like temperature, cleanliness, and storage.
Fundamentally, there are three steps in making Kombucha at home. Below is the step-by-step guide as well as important information you should know to guarantee brewing success at home.
Step-by-Step Guide on How Do You Make Kombucha at Home
Making Kombucha at home has become a hobby for many health enthusiasts nowadays. Contrary to what many expect, Kombucha is actually easy to make and generally low maintenance. However, you do need to pay extra attention to details like temperature, cleanliness, and storage.
Fundamentally, there are three steps in making Kombucha at home. Below is the step-by-step guide as well as important information you should know to guarantee brewing success at home.
Step 1. Make the Kombucha Mixture
Making Kombucha always begins with making the Kombucha mixture. As we have mentioned above, the first steps include boiling water, adding sugar, brewing tea, and letting the mixture cool down. Then, the sweet tea is transferred to a brewing vessel, and the remaining ingredients namely starter tea and SCOBY are added. Finally, the brewing vessel is covered with a cloth secured by a rubber band.
If you are just starting your Kombucha journey, you can easily find a lot of Kombucha recipes to follow. However, if you want to learn by yourself, here are Kombucha ratios that can help you out according to fermentaholics.com.
- Water and Starter Tea Ratio
A Kombucha mixture should be composed of 90% sweet tea and 10% Kombucha starter tea. That means that 1 gallon or 128 oz. of Kombucha should have 115.2 oz. of sweet tea and 12.8 oz. of starter tea.
Using this ratio, you can easily decrease or increase the amount of Kombucha you brew. For instance, if you want to brew a smaller batch, about ½ gallon, you should use 57.6 oz. of water, sugar, and tea mixture, and 6.4 oz. of starter tea.
- Kombucha and Sugar Ratio
Sugar serves as the food of the yeast. Using too little sugar can starve the yeast and prevent them from fermenting the Kombucha. On the other hand, too much sugar can cause the yeast to overrun the bacteria or do nothing. Hence, it is important only use the right amount.
The rule of thumb when adding sugar to Kombucha is to use 1 cup of sugar for every 1 gallon. If you are brewing a smaller batch than 1 gallon you can simply lessen this amount. For instance, if you are brewing ½ gallon of Kombucha, simply use ½ cup of sugar.
- Tea Ratio
The tea gives Kombucha its caffeine and health benefits. It also gives the drink its color. For every 1 gallon of Kombucha, you should use 6 teabags or teaspoons of loose-leaf tea. If you want to brew a larger batch than one gallon, simply add more tea. For instance, if you like to brew 3 gallons, simply multiply 6 teabags by 3. That means that you should use 18 tea bags or 18 teaspoons of loose tea leaves for 3 gallons of Kombucha.
Just a reminder, some Kombucha recipes may not follow these ratios. Many brewers tend to experiment and use varying ratios of ingredients to customize the taste of their Kombucha. Nevertheless, for beginners, we highly suggest following the ratios above.
Step 2. Fermentation
Kombucha undergoes two fermentation processes namely first fermentation (F1) and second fermentation (F2).
The first fermentation of Kombucha is meant for making Kombucha. During this time the SCOBY converts the sweet tea to Kombucha at temperatures between 60℉ to 85℉. If you want a stronger-tasting Kombucha and faster fermentation, we suggest fermenting at a higher temperature of between 75℉ to 85℉.
The entire first fermentation process can take 7 to 10 days and even more depending on your preferred taste. Essentially the longer you brew your Kombucha, the stronger it will taste.
You can start tasting your first fermentation Kombucha after 5 to 7 days and continue tasting until you reach your desired taste. When the taste already suits your liking, you can serve and start drinking your Kombucha. However, for a fizzy more enjoyable Kombucha, you may opt to ferment your Kombucha for the second time.
Step 3. Carbonation and flavoring
The second fermentation or F2 of Kombucha is meant for carbonating and flavoring Kombucha.
After completing the first fermentation, transfer the Kombucha to fermentation bottles leaving about ½ to 1 inch to achieve good carbonation buildup. Next, add your preferred flavoring like fruit, herbs, flowers, or essential oils, and seal the bottles tightly. Then, ferment at a temperature between 60℉ to 85℉ for 3 to 14 days. Start tasting after 3 days of fermentation and when the taste is already good for you, transfer the bottled Kombucha to the refrigerator to preserve the taste.
How is Kombucha Tea Made?
Kombucha is made through the chemical process of fermentation. Kombucha begins as a mixture of water, sugar, tea, and starter tea. Then, the SCOBY or the Kombucha culture is added. The culture in the SCOBY eats the sugar in the Kombucha mixture and converts the mixture to Kombucha. Hence, results in a health-boosting Kombucha drink that is perfect for strengthening the gut and immune system, and improving general health.
