What is Kombucha

Kombucha is a lightly sparkling, tangy drink made by fermenting sweet tea with a kombucha culture, often called a SCOBY (a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). It's been made in homes around the world for centuries, and it's easy to brew your own.

The basic ingredients are just tea, sugar and the culture. Over a week or two, the yeasts and bacteria in the culture feed on the sugar and turn the sweet tea into a refreshing, slightly fizzy drink with a flavour somewhere between a sparkling apple juice and a mild vinegar. The taste changes with the tea you use, how long you brew it and how you flavour it.

What's in kombucha?

Kombucha contains live yeasts and bacteria, along with the natural acids and other compounds they make during fermentation. The exact make-up varies from batch to batch and can only be measured in a laboratory, but finished kombucha usually contains:

  • Organic acids, including acetic, gluconic and lactic acid, which give kombucha its tangy taste
  • Polyphenols from the tea
  • A little leftover sugar, depending on how long it has brewed
  • A small amount of naturally occurring alcohol

Alcohol: kombucha generally contains around 0.5 to 1.5% alcohol, made naturally during fermentation. Kombucha that's brewed for longer, with more sugar, or bottled for a long second ferment, can contain more. Bear this in mind if you avoid alcohol, and when giving kombucha to children. Diluting it with sparkling spring water lowers the alcohol and keeps the fizz.

Which tea should I use?

All true tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The differences between teas come from where and how they're grown, when the leaves are picked, and how they're processed. Using different teas gives your kombucha different flavours, so there's lots to experiment with.

Always use real tea, not herbal or fruit tea on its own. The culture needs the nutrients in real tea to stay healthy.

  • Avoid flavoured teas with oils, such as Earl Grey. The essential oils can upset or even kill the culture.
  • Avoid smoked teas, such as Lapsang Souchong. They make a very odd-tasting kombucha.
  • Herbal teas can be added to real tea for flavour, as long as they don't contain essential oils, artificial flavourings or sweeteners.

Our favourite teas for kombucha

Green tea is light in flavour and colour, and makes a fresh, delicate kombucha. The taste depends on the type of green tea you choose. We love Gunpowder for its strong but delicate flavour.

Black tea has a strong flavour and a dark amber colour. It makes a classic kombucha with apple and cider-like notes, and can be woody or earthy depending on the tea. It's the most popular choice and great for beginners.

White tea is the most delicate and the most expensive, and makes the lightest, most flowery kombucha.

We find a mix of white and green tea makes a fantastic, light kombucha, and a mix of black and green is a great all-rounder.

Want to know more about the culture itself? Read what is a kombucha SCOBY?

Ready to brew your own?

Have a look at our kombucha cultures and starter kits, which come with everything you need to get started.