How to Make Yummy Kombucha: Tea & Sugar

Here are some tips and tricks to level up your kombucha at home for delicious fizzy brews each time 👨🍳

(If you don't already know how to make your own brew, be sure to check out our guide here!)

Once you get the basics down, the next step to having better and more consistent brews is to pay close attention to your ingredients - especially sugar and tea!

Choosing the Right Sugar

Sugar in kombucha isn’t there for you - it’s there for the SCOBY to eat! Most of the sugar gets used up during the fermentation process, transformed by the SCOBY into acids and probiotics that make kombucha good for you. This is also what gives kombucha it's characteristic fizzy + tangy taste. 

It's important to use the right sugar as it is the fuel for the fermentation process.  

• White cane sugar is the best option. It’s easy for the SCOBY to digest and supports healthy fermentation + consistent brews.
  
  We recommend:
  

• Skip alternatives like brown sugar, coconut sugar, or honey - which aren’t as easily digested by the SCOBY. Using them can slow down fermentation or even stress the SCOBY, which leads to inconsistent / weak brews. (We recommend experimenting with them only once you’re super confident with brewing kombucha!)

• Avoid artificial or zero-calorie sweeteners (monk fruit, stevia, erythritol) as these do not feed the SCOBY at all and are unable to fuel the fermentation process.

Choosing the Right Tea

Your choice of tea leaves determines the end flavour of your kombucha after fermentation.

• Avoid flavoured teas for your main brew as oils/additives in teas like Earl Grey or Jasmine can interfere with fermentation and affect the health of your SCOBY.
  
  
• Avoid tisanes (herbal teas) like rooibos tea or mint tea for your main brew. These don’t provide the nutrients your SCOBY needs and lead to very weak, slow fermentation.
  
  

• Ensure that you use good quality loose leaf tea for a balanced & even fermentation (to avoid bitter brews) -> avoid using tea bags where you can't see the individual leaves!

Stick to the classics:

Green Tea - Lightest flavour 
Oolong Tea - Fragrant, fruity flavour
Black Tea - Robust, strong flavour

You can also mix and match different teas! We use a house special tea blend of Green Tea + Oolong Tea for a light, fragrant flavour.

We recommend:

Moon Juice Kombucha House Special Tea Blend (250g)