Easy to Make Continuous Brew Kombucha Tea for Full Spectrum Benefits

Continuous brew kombucha is a simple method to get the most out of your kombucha brewing efforts. It can be tailored to your needs, and how much you consume, while saving you time and money for this delicious health beverage.

Continuous brew kombucha is a simple technique that gives you the versatility of homemade kombucha, with less than half the hassle. Once you’ve tried this method, you’ll never want to return to mason jar sized batches. Even if you’ve been buying kombucha, you can make your first batch of 1 gallon of continuous brew kombucha for less than the cost of a single bottle of store bought. If you’ve never made kombucha, you can read how to start from a store bought bottle here, or get a healthy scoby here(ad).

To make continuous brew kombucha you’ll need a 1 gallon to 2 1/2 gallon vessel with a tap.  Be sure that the tap is either BPA free plastic or nonreactive stainless steel.  Kombucha doesn’t do well with other metals, which may leach in the acidic environment and contaminate your kombucha.  I find that the stainless steel tap stays free of scoby babies, which can block the opening, so has a considerable advantage.

Advantages of continuous brew kombucha

• Less chance of cross contamination of the scoby
• Easier to brew and keep alive
• Probiotic bacteria at all stages of maturity for full spectrum benefits
• No messy bottles to wash
• Fewer pieces of equipment to store
• Scobies are more resilient because they have a full range of symbiotic bacteria
• Brewing a weekly batch of kombucha to top up the vat is easy and fast
• More kombucha to meet the needs of a family
• Very inexpensive to brew once the initial equipment is purchased.
• No explosive bottles in the fridge
• Takes up less room in the kitchen or in the fridge
• Kombucha is ready to drink in just a few days instead of a week or longer
• Flavored second ferment kombucha is still possible by drawing off from the larger vat and bottling

To make your continuous brew kombucha, follow these easy steps.

• Start by making a large batch of kombucha.  (See the recipe below)
• Put it in a 1 or 2 gallon vessel with a non-corrosive spigot.
• Ferment it for 2 or 3 days to a month, depending on your preferred flavor.
• Remove one third to two thirds of the brew into bottles for a second fermentation, or just drink it straight.
• Replace the drawn off kombucha with fresh sweet tea.
• Repeat.

You can tailor these steps to your own kombucha brewing needs. For example, if you prefer to draw off kombucha by the cup, simply plan to brew a cup of sweet black tea to replace the cup of kombucha you drew off. If you prefer the secondary ferment method, you can make a gallon of sweet black tea to replace a gallon of kombucha that you draw off. Or, you can switch between the methods, depending on your mood and the time you have available.

Continuous Brew Kombucha

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Chris
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 1 gallon 1x
• Category: Kombucha
• Method: fermentation
• Cuisine: Ferment

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Make kombucha work for your lifestyle using this continuous brew system.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons loose tea
• 1 cup of organic sugar
• 1 gallon filtered water, divided
• 1 full-size kombucha scoby
• 2 cups mature kombucha for starter liquid

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. In a 2 quart glass bowl, add loose tea, sugar, and 2 quarts of boiling, filtered, water.  Stir the tea.
2. Allow the tea to come to room temperature naturally.  Pour the cooled tea directly into the continuous brew vessel, through a fine sieve to remove the tea leaves.
3. Add the kombucha scoby and the kombucha starter.  Fill the vessel to the top of the shoulders, leaving an inch or two in the neck of the vessel for a headspace.
4. Cover the vessel with a clean handkerchief, secured with an elastic band.
5. Let stand 3-7 days depending on how fermented you like your kombucha
6. Draw off what you want to drink, top up your continuous brew container whenever it gets down to half or one quarter with this recipe.
7. Or, draw off most of the kombucha at once, and bottle it using the secondary ferment technique for fizzy, and flavored kombucha.

---

Recipe Card powered by

1 gallon kombucha recipe

Double this for a 2 gallon batch

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons loose tea
• 1 cup of organic sugar
• 1 gallon filtered water, divided
• 1 full-size kombucha scoby
• 2 cups mature kombucha for starter liquid

Directions:

In a 2 quart glass bowl, add loose tea, sugar, and 2 quarts of boiling, filtered, water.  Stir the tea.  Allow the tea to come to room temperature naturally.

Pour the cooled tea directly into the continuous brew vessel, through a fine sieve to remove the tea leaves.

Add the kombucha scoby and the kombucha starter.  Fill the vessel to the top of the shoulders, leaving an inch or two in the neck of the vessel for a headspace.

Cover the vessel with a clean handkerchief, secured with an elastic band.

Wait till the kombucha is your preferred level of fermentation, draw off what you want to drink or what you want to use for flavored kombucha.

Continuous brew kombucha variations:

Make continuous brew kombucha work for you

You can draw off single cups and slowly draw down your booch till it starts getting too tangy for your liking, and then top it up for another ferment. You can also draw off three quarters of it at a time, and use it a second ferment, adding the flavor of your choice. A third option for drawing off your kombucha is whenever you think of it.  Life is busy.  This kombucha variation will work with, and for, you.

If it gets too sour, just draw some off and replace it with fresh tea, wait a couple days and start drinking it again.  Continuous brew kombucha is ready faster because you never lost the mature kombucha culture.  There are always some mature bacteria in the batch to speed up the fermentation.

You can use the vinegary kombucha for salad dressing, mustard, and in any recipe that calls for vinegar, except for pickling.  You can even use it for making jerky! or Kombucha tonic.

How to take a break from continuous brew kombucha

Unlike Mason jar kombucha or bottled kombucha, continuous brew kombucha can be left unattended during vacation.  Here’s a few ways to manage it:

• If the container is full, leave it till you get home again.  Then draw off half the kombucha and replace with sweet tea and begin again.
• If it’s half full, leave it and when you get home, add fresh sweet tea.  Wait 2 or 3 days and draw off the kombucha as it reaches the flavor you prefer.  Since the continuous brew container has mature bacteria your first batch after vacation will be faster than normal.
• If you will be gone for a month or more, just fill the container before you go with fresh, sweet tea.  The continuous brew container will serve as a scoby hotel till you get back.  When you get back from your trip, draw off at least half of the vinegary kombucha.  Trim the scoby to make room in the continuous brew container for more sweet tea.  Begin a fresh batch of kombucha and resume your kombucha brewing rhythm where you left off before vacation. Extra scobys can be moved from your continuous brew jar to a new scoby hotel. Depending on the duration, and your scoby activity, you may come back to a very full jar of scobys.  That’s the miracle of the continuous brew system.  It just keeps giving and giving.
• If your home is cooler during your vacation, and it’s short, your kombucha may also take longer to mature and can still be drinkable when you get back. So don’t be afraid to test your kombucha once you are back.  It might just be perfect.

Your Turn:

How often do you make kombucha at home in a month?  Could the continuous brew system work for you?