Kombucha Ratio Calculator
Balance sweet tea, starter liquid, and bottle yield for clean repeat batches.
| Style | Starter | Sugar | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 15% | 70 g/L | 7 |
| Bright | 12% | 65 g/L | 6 |
| Dry | 20% | 55 g/L | 10 |
| Sparkling | 15% | 75 g/L | 4 |
| Tea | Factor | Body | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 1.00 | Full | Classic base |
| Green | 0.90 | Light | Brighter brew |
| Oolong | 0.95 | Round | Balanced brew |
| White | 0.85 | Soft | Gentle finish |
| Batch | Starter | Sugar | Tea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 L | 150 ml | 70 g | 8 g |
| 2 L | 300 ml | 140 g | 16 g |
| 4 L | 600 ml | 280 g | 32 g |
| 8 L | 1.2 L | 560 g | 64 g |
To make kombucha, the ratio of ingredients must be correcty. Too little starter liquid will result in stalled fermentation, and too much will make the kombucha too acidic. Too little sugars will make the kombucha lack body, and too much will make it too sweet.
The starter liquid is essential for introducing the microbes necessary for the kombucha to ferment. Use a starter liquid amount between 10 to 20 percent of the total kombucha batch volume. Use 15 percent of the total batch volume of kombucha starter liquid.
Kombucha: Right Amounts and Fermenting Times
If you want to making a drier kombucha, use more starter liquid. If you want a more bright kombucha, use less starter liquid. Use the amount of sugar in grams per liter of sweet tea to make kombucha.
Use 70 grams of sugar per liter of sweet tea to make a balanced kombucha. Use 55 grams of sugar per liter of sweet tea for a dry kombucha. Use 75 grams of sugar per liter of sweet tea for a sparkling kombucha.
Use grams to measure the amount of sugar, not a cups, for accuracy in the recipe. The tea leaves gives kombucha its structure. Different amount of tea leaves will change the body of the kombucha.
Use eight grams of black tea leaves per liter of water for a full bodied kombucha. Use seven grams of green tea leaves per liter of water for a lighter body kombucha. Tea leaves contain the tannins that holds the acids in kombucha.
Choose the kind of tea leaves you use for the flavor you want in your kombucha. Tea is the base of kombucha. Fermentation time determine how much sugar the microbes consume in the kombucha batch.
Allow kombucha to ferment for seven days. For a dry kombucha, allow it to ferment for ten days. For a kombucha that ferments for only four days, it will contain more fizz.
Fermentation take place at the temperature of the kombucha batch. The warmer the batch, the faster the kombucha will ferment. Cooler temperatures will take longer for the kombucha to ferment.
Plan the size of your batch and the bottles you will use to make your kombucha. A two-liter batch will fill 500 ml bottles four times. Leave headspace in your bottle for the carbonation of the kombucha.
Do not overfill the bottles, or they will explode on the refrigerator. To avoid common mistakes when brewing kombucha, follow the ratios of ingredient to make kombucha. Do not estimate the amount of sugar to use.
Do not estimate the amount of starter liquid to use. Use filtered water because chlorine in tap water will kill the kombucha microbe. Use glass bottles instead of plastic bottles.
Plastic bottles will leach chemical into your kombucha that will affect its flavor. Taste your kombucha daily after the fifth day of fermentation to find the most perfect flavor.
