MWH Kombucha

As a proud frugal, penny pincher, money conservative lady I was inspired to make kombucha solely for the purpose of saving some cash money. Kombucha is stupidly expensive to buy and the cost adds up quickly.

I remember my roommate in college (Morgan, I’m looking at you girl!) used to drink kombucha all the time and I thought it was vial. It wasn’t until I worked at Integrative Nutrition (IIN) that my tune changed. It was also at IIN that a dear coworker gifted me my first scoby. And as they say, the rest was history!


Most of my instructions for Kombucha come from this post from the geniuses at The Kitchn. I alter some of the steps/ingredients slightly.


Large glass beverage dispenser with plastic spigot

5-6 Glass bottles with plastic tops


10 black tea bags

1 cup sugar

14 cups water

2 cups starter tea from previous batch

1 scoby

Flavoring ideas:

Fresh ginger slices


Pineapple + mint

Grape + cranberry juice

For scale, my scoby baby vs. a dime

For scale, my scoby baby vs. a dime


  1. Boil 14 cups of water and mix with sugar.

  2. Once sugar has dissolved add your tea bags. Usually I prep this before bed and let it cool overnight. Then I resume the process in the morning.

  3. Once your sweet tea is cool add to a large glass beverage dispenser with a plastic spigot. Make sure it’s plastic, not metal! I like the dispenser because it makes transferring your complete kombucha to jars much much easier.

  4. Add your starter tea and your scoby. Cover your dispenser loosely with coffee filters or cloth and a rubber band.

  5. Let ferment for 7-10 days at room temp, tasting it after a few days to make sure the flavor is developing. It should be less sweet than day 1 but not too vinegary.

  6. Once your desired flavor has been developed transfer your kombucha to bottles and add flavorings.

  7. Be sure to reserve 2 cups for your next batch of kombucha.

  8. Seal the bottles tightly and let ferment for an additional 2 days to develop carbonation.

  9. Refrigerate your new kombucha and get started on your next batch!