Make SCOBY (1 to 4 weeks)

First Fermentation (6 to 10 days)

Second Fermentation (3 to 10 days)

Make Sweet Tea: Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and dissolve sugar into it. Add the tea bags and allow them to steep for at least 20 minutes (or until tea has cooled).

Cool to Room Temp: Allow hot tea to cool to room temperature.

Add Starter: Pour the sweetened tea into your jar, then pour store-bought kombucha in, making sure to include any gunkies that may be at the bottom of the kombucha bottle.

Cover: Cover with a few layers of the tightly woven cloth to keep out bugs and debris, securing with a rubber band.

Ferment: Set somewhere dark, still, and room temperature (70-75 degrees F, 21-24 C) for 1 to 4 weeks, until a ¼ inch (½ cm) SCOBY has formed.

Empty the Jar: With very clean hands, transfer SCOBY to an equally clean plate. Reserve 2 cups of the liquid the SCOBY was growing in (that can be your starter kombucha). Discard the rest of the liquid.

First fermentation instructions: Make Sweet Tea, Cool to Room Temp, Empty the Jar, Add Starter, Cover, Ferment.

Bottle: Funnel kombucha into bottles, leaving about 1 ½ inches at the top (3.8 cm).

Sweeten: Add your chosen sweetener and seal tightly.

Ferment: Let ferment somewhere dark and room temperature for 3 to 10 days.

Serve: If desired, strain out fruit before serving. Place in fridge to slow the carbonation process and to chill before serving.