The Best Temperature To Ferment Your Homemade Kombucha (And Why It Matters)

There are good reasons why the finest kombucha comes from home brewers. The live "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast", or "SCOBY" that ferments sugar in sweet tea to kombucha, like any living thing, thrives on attention and care — the more nurturing it receives, the tastier the kombucha it produces. If you're a first-time brewer, avoid one of the common mistakes of home-brewing kombucha, which is not learning about proper temperature control — it can derail your first batch before it even begins!

Emma Christensen, a homebrewing expert and author, shares that although the microbes that make kombucha are quite hardy and adaptable, it's best that you keep them within a very specific temperature range. "[They're] the happiest at warm room temperature, 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit," she explains. "[The kombucha] will ferment more quickly at warmer temperatures and is generally fine up to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It will ferment more slowly at cooler temperatures, down to about 65 degrees Fahrenheit."

Keep in mind that there are hard limits to what your SCOBY can handle. Push the temperature above 90 degrees; the microbes can overheat and potentially die. Let it get too cold (below 65 degrees), and they'll become sluggish – you'll have to wait a very long time to get your kombucha (if they don't die first). Brief temperature swings are generally alright, but it's best to keep the temperature as consistent as possible for the tastiest results that you'll be happy to drink every day.

If you live in a place that is either abundantly warm or frigidly cold, the good news is that it doesn't mean you can't make great kombucha. You just need to get creative with your brewing spot and setup.

Is the weather too hot? Look for a cool, shaded area in your home to store your kombucha jar. A quiet corner of your pantry or a dimly lit closet far away from any windows, entries, or heat sources will do just fine. Just remember to taste the kombucha often, since it'll ferment faster in hot weather.

For those in colder climates, unfortunately, you'll have to do a lot more prep work to keep the SCOBY warm. One easy trick is to place the kombucha jar in a cooler and fill it with warm water, changing it as many times as needed throughout the day. If you have a hot water heater, you can use it as a radiator by placing the jar right next to it. Last but not least, there are special electric heaters made specifically for kombucha jars that you can buy like this Kombucha Heating Wrap. Just plug it in and forget about it. Whichever method you end up choosing, though, we also recommend buying a Brewing Thermometer Strip. Stick it onto the jar and you'll always know whether your kombucha is at the perfect temperature to turn out the most delicious tea possible!