What Type of Tea Can I Use to Make Kombucha?

Kombucha Tea with SCOBY

Lately people have asked me what type and brand of tea I am using in brewing my Kombucha tea. So today, I'm going to answer that question here.

What Brand of Tea should I use to brew Kombucha tea?

To me, brand doesn't really matter. My philosophy is that, as long as you can read and pronounce the labels and it's organic, it's good to go. The only brands of tea that I've used so far are Stash and the custom-blended tea of GetKombucha and I've never had problems. Therefore, it's up to you what brand of tea you want to use.

Green, Black, White, Oolong, Herbal Tea or Flavored Tea?

Green, Yellow, Oolong and Black Tea

As for the type of tea to use in brewing Kombucha tea, I think most Kombucha brewers would agree to stick with black, green, white, oolong or a combination of these four. Why?

Kombucha needs tannins.

Tannins are a class of compound that can be found in Camellia Sinensis, or the real teas (black, green, white and oolong. This is what gives tea astringent and the bitter taste. It is also what gives Kombucha some of its goodness. Kombucha needs tannin, aside from sugar, to brew.

If it's your first time to brew Kombucha tea and your SCOBY is still young, I suggest you use the teas with tannins instead of Herbal and Flavored tea, to make a healthy environment for your culture.

What if I couldn't find the right Tea?

As I've said above, if it's your first time to brew Kombucha tea, use only real teas. If it's not your first time and you have a spare SCOBY, go on. I've tried using flavored tea to brew Kombucha and although I didn't encounter any issues, the SCOBY didn't grow.

If you still want to try Herbal and Flavored teas, use it during second fermentation. So that you can still get the flavor that you like.

I hope this answers your question about what type of tea to use in brewing Kombucha tea. If you have other questions, please leave a comment below.