Learn to brew
How to make kombucha at home
Sweet tea plus a SCOBY, left alone for a week, gives you a lightly sour, fizzy drink. Here is the method we use in our kitchen, with timings for Peshawar weather.
How to make milk kefir at home
Live kefir grains turn fresh milk into kefir overnight. It is the fastest ferment to learn, and the grains keep growing.
How to make water kefir at home
A dairy-free, lightly fizzy drink made with sugar water and water kefir grains. Great flavoured with fruit juice.
7–12 days
Brew sweet tea
1 litre of black or green tea with 80g of sugar. Let it cool fully to room temperature, as heat kills the culture.
Add the SCOBY and starter
Pour into a clean glass jar. Add the SCOBY and all of its starter liquid.
Cover and wait
Put a cloth over the top with a rubber band. Keep it out of direct sun. Taste with a straw from day 7; in May–August, check from day 5.
Bottle and flavour
Keep the SCOBY and 1 cup of liquid for the next batch. Bottle the rest with fruit or ginger, seal, and leave 2 days to fizz, then chill.
You’ll need
- 1 SCOBY with starter liquid
- 1–2 litre glass jar
- Black or green tea, sugar
- Cloth and rubber band
- Bottles with tight caps
Start here
Kombucha SCOBY Kit
SCOBY, 250ml starter tea, guide.
Free replacement within 14 days.
Troubleshooting
White film on top?
That is new SCOBY growing. Fuzzy, dry, blue or black spots are mould, so throw that batch away.
Too sour?
It fermented too long. In summer, start tasting two days earlier.
Not fizzy?
Seal the bottles tighter and add a little fruit or sugar for the second ferment.
Still stuck? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you what’s happening.
12–24 hours
Add grains to milk
1 tablespoon of grains to 500ml of fresh full-cream milk in a glass jar.
Cover loosely
Leave at room temperature. In Peshawar summers it can be ready in 12 hours, so check early.
Strain
When it has thickened and smells tangy, strain with a plastic strainer. Your kefir is ready to drink or chill.
Repeat
Put the grains straight into fresh milk. Share the extra grains as they multiply.
You’ll need
- 1 tbsp milk kefir grains
- Fresh full-cream milk
- Glass jar
- Plastic strainer (not metal mesh)
Start here
Milk Kefir Grains
1 tbsp live grains and strainer.
Free replacement within 14 days.
Troubleshooting
Separating into whey?
It over-fermented. Use more milk or strain sooner.
Too thin?
Give it longer, or use full-cream milk.
Going on holiday?
Put the grains in fresh milk in the fridge. They keep for about a week.
Still stuck? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you what’s happening.
24–48 hours
Make sugar water
Dissolve 3 tablespoons of sugar in 1 litre of water.
Add grains
Add the grains, with a dried fig or a few raisins for minerals.
Ferment
Cover and leave 24–48 hours at room temperature.
Strain and bottle
Strain out the grains, add juice for a second ferment if you like, then chill.
You’ll need
- 2 tbsp water kefir grains
- Sugar and filtered water
- Dried fig or raisins
- Glass jar and bottles
Start here
Water Kefir Grains
Dairy-free, 2 tbsp + sugar pack.
Free replacement within 14 days.
Troubleshooting
Grains shrinking?
Add a pinch of minerals: a few raisins or a little unrefined sugar.
Too sweet?
Leave it another 12 hours.
Slimy?
Rinse the grains in fresh water and use less sugar for a batch or two.
Still stuck? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you what’s happening.