Kombucha Tea & Sugar Ratio Calculator
Calculate the optimal tea, sugar, and starter liquid quantities for brewing kombucha at home with consistent results.
Results
What is it?
Kombucha is a fermented sweetened tea made with a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). The correct sugar-to-water ratio ensures the SCOBY has enough food to ferment without producing an overly acidic or sweet brew.
How to use
Enter your batch size in litres, your preferred sugar concentration (8-12% is standard), tea bag density for your preferred strength, and the percentage of starter liquid (already-fermented kombucha) needed to acidify the sweet tea and protect against contamination.
Example scenario
For a 3 L batch: 300 g sugar, 15 tea bags (black tea), and 300 mL starter liquid. Brew tea, dissolve sugar, cool below 30�C, add starter and SCOBY, then ferment 7-14 days at room temperature.
Pro tip
The starter liquid is critical for safety � it lowers pH below 4.0, preventing unwanted bacterial growth. Never use less than 10% starter. For a milder, less vinegary flavour, ferment for 7 days; for stronger flavour and more acidity, extend to 14 days.