Our First Batch of Kombucha: A New Homestead Adventure

Let’s talk kombucha – “The Tea of Immortality”.

This is my first time making kombucha. I have my sister-in-law to thank for planting the idea—and my nephew for coming through. Recently there was a family reunion where my sister-in-law asked if I made it then if I could as she would like a bulk option. Off I went! The next several days I went down the rabbit hole! I had posted on social media that I was in need of a SCOBY, which we will talk about shortly. I had a couple friends reply but then my nephew comes in like the Koolaid man *BOOM!* “Hey Aunt K. I got you a fresh SCOBY with directions from a friend of mine!” and I had it by the end of that same week.

So here we are. I have my first batch of kombucha started!

Often called the "Tea of Immortality," kombucha has been enjoyed for centuries and is believed to have originated in Northeast China before spreading throughout Asia and eventually the rest of the world. What is Kombucha? Well, simply put it’s fermented tea but it’s not so simple. It’s chemistry. You can keep it flat or keep going to carbonate it and can add in your flavors at this point. Starting off I needed a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) which is the entirety of your ferment. It goes by many names: Mother, magic mushroom and pancake for some of the more fun ones. It's the mix of bacteria (main one: acetobacter) and yeast that is in your ferment that turns the sugar into ethanol (yeast) and the ethanol into acetic acid (bacteria). Most of those microorganisms are in the liquid itself which is why you use starter tea from a previous batch to add to your new brew.

Here’s where I got majorly confused! I kept seeing SCOBY and Pellicle being used interchangeably but they have different definitions. So, Pellicle, what is it? It’s the physical, rubbery, disc-shaped mat of cellulose that the bacteria (mainly Acetobacter species) secrete as a byproduct while they work. It's the structure they build, not the organisms themselves. It’s what grows on the top of your brew. Then once the batch is done that pellicle it created is kept with at least 2 cups of the same batch and now it’s a SCOBY that you can use to make your next batch.

Every fresh batch grows a new pellicle on the surface. Once fermentation is finished, that pellicle is stored along with some of the finished kombucha, creating what most home brewers refer to as the SCOBY for the next batch in SCOBY hotels. Don't worry—we'll get to SCOBY hotels in just a minute. The microorganisms actually live mostly in the starter tea, while the pellicle acts more like a floating home for them. So, for most home brewers, the word "SCOBY" usually refers to the pellicle along with some starter tea, even though the living culture actually exists mostly in the liquid itself. (Which is exactly what my nephew brought me from his friend in mason jar.) This means you cannot just take the pellicle itself out and drop it in a fresh batch and get a good outcome. You need 2 cups of the previous brews liquid with it. That’s the starter, the SCOBY, the brew. I hope that makes sense. You can create a pellicle without a SCOBY but it takes much longer.

A SCOBY hotel? Yup, hotel. It’s just as it sounds. Storage for extra SCOBYS/Pellicles that you’re not currently using – which is probably exactly how I ended up with mine! Remember we talked about every batch should have a SCOBY and grows a new pellicle. So you can end up with a lot depending on how much you’re making. Why? For one you have backups for yourself in case your batch molds or somehow gets contaminated also it’s the perfect by-product management. You'll keep accumulating pellicles over time, so there's really no reason to throw away perfectly healthy ones. Lastly for sharing!! A few extra tidbits here: The liquid in the hotel should get refreshed periodically (like feeding it) so the culture doesn't starve or get too vinegary/acidic. Multiple pellicles stacked together are totally normal and don't hurt each other — they're not competing, just coexisting. Some people keep hotels going indefinitely for months/years as a kind of "just in case" reservoir.

Now – I wait.

There's something wonderfully humbling about fermentation. You can't rush it. Nature works on its own schedule, and all you can do is provide the right environment and trust the process. As I write this, my first batch is quietly fermenting on the kitchen counter. Every day I find myself peeking into the jar, watching for tiny bubbles, checking for signs that everything is progressing as it should. It's amazing how something so simple can become part science experiment, part kitchen project, and part lesson in patience.

I have my jar sitting in a dark place in my kitchen (you do not want it in sunlight – UV = bad). I do have mine on a small warming pad with about a half inch of thick cotton as a buffer to make sure that it stays between (70-85 degrees) with a sweet spot of around 75-80. It’s the middle of the Summer here in Appalachia, my A/C stays on right now. Our heat index reached 104 with 90%+ humidity this week! Do what you need to do to make sure yours stays at a good temp and remember no drastic temp fluctuations as that can cause an imbalance. Sudden temperature swings cause flavor drift which throws off your brew time in turn making it overly vinegary or too sweet. Cooler temperatures slow down fermentation, increasing the risk of mold, while sudden spikes accelerate it.

If all goes well, the next step will be experimenting with a second fermentation and adding flavors from the homestead. Yes, I plan on using my organic home grown herbs and flowers! I'm already dreaming about possibilities like blackberry, blueberry, lemon balm, honeysuckle, and whatever else the gardens and woods decide to offer throughout the seasons. Oh...the possibilities! Seasonal kombucha made with fresh herbs, berries, and flowers from the homestead? Count me in.

Whether this first batch turns out perfectly or teaches me a few lessons along the way, I'm excited to document the journey here. Homesteading isn't about knowing everything—it's about learning, experimenting, making mistakes, and celebrating the small victories.

Here's to the first of many bubbling jars on the Stardust Homestead countertop.

Have you ever made kombucha before? If so, I'd love to hear your favorite flavor combinations. Leave a comment below and let me know what's brewing in your kitchen!

Here’s the recipe I’m following:

FERMENTABLES:

200 g (7 oz.) organic sucrose (table sugar)
20 g (0.7 oz.) organic tea leaves (bagged or loose)

YEAST:

1 fully hydrated, active kombucha SCOBY

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of starter kombucha (or ¼–½ cup distilled vinegar)
4 liters (1.06 gal.) filtered, chlorine-free water
distilled white vinegar as needed to adjust pre-ferment pH
other flavorings to add at bottling: fruit purees, spices, herbs, etc. (optional)

Equipment:

pH meter or test strips in the 2.8 to 4.4 range
wide-mouth 1.5-gallon (5.7-liter) jar or bucket to use as a fermenter
coffee filter or tight-weave cloth and rubber band to cover fermenter
pressure-ready PET bottles

NOTES:

Heat water (you do not want it to come to a rolling boil) and add tea leaves. Steep 1–5 minutes, depending upon tea variety. Remove tea leaves and stir in sugar until it dissolves. Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature (70–80°F or 21–27°C). Add sweetened tea to sanitized fermenter, then add SCOBY and 2 cups of starter kombucha. Stir well, then remove a small sample and test pH. If below 4.5, cover fermenter with screen material (I used cotton muslin) and secure with rubber band. Keep fermenter in the correct temperature range for 7 days.

Take a small sample, smell, and taste. If you are happy with the flavor and acid balance, use a sanitized funnel to fill your bottles. Don’t worry about splashing—Acetobacter likes air. Leave about an inch (2.5 cm) of head space in each bottle. If your tea is still too sweet, ferment a few more days and taste again.

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