Can you use green tea to make kombucha? And what are the benefits of it? Breaking down everything you need to know about green tea kombucha here!
Kombucha is traditionally made with just black tea, sugar, water, and starter kombucha. So as you brew for longer, you may find yourself wanting to switch up ingredients to get different results. And the first thing most people turn to is trying different teas! Which brings us to the topic of the day…
Can you use green tea to make kombucha?
Yes – you can use green tea to make kombucha! Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea. The only difference is that green tea is less oxidized, giving it a lighter color and flavor.
You can make kombucha with 100% green tea, or make it with half green tea and half black.
Kombucha made from green tea is usually much lighter, with a yellow or green hue. It has a more mild flavor, similar to Sprite. And best of all? It’s often more fizzy than traditional black tea kombucha!
How do you make green tea kombucha?
To start green tea kombucha, you’ll need a SCOBY grown from black tea kombucha (here’s how to make your own SCOBY). Either peel off a ¼ inch layer of an existing SCOBY, or use the whole thing – depending on if you want to have two batches going (one black, one green).
Not sure how to make green tea? Here’s our complete guide on how to make tea (including boil temps and steeping times!)
Then simply start brewing according to our basic kombucha recipe! For the first batch, your starter tea can be black tea kombucha. For following batches, you can use the green tea kombucha you make as starter for the next batches.
If, after a many batches, you notice your green tea kombucha starting to decline (taking longer to brew or not fermenting well), do one batch of black tea kombucha to reinvigorate the SCOBY and starter tea.
What are the best green tea kombucha flavors?
Green tea works well with lighter flavors, like citrus, tropical fruit, and florals. Here are a few of our favorite flavors for using green tea in:
- Zingy Raspberry: The light color of green tea kombucha lets the vibrant red raspberries shine!
- Rose: Hints of floral flavor are great with green tea.
- Ginger Ale: Green tea kombucha can take on an almost soda-like flavor. Great as a home brewed ginger ale!
- Green Goddess: A nutrient packed kombucha flavor relying on the health properties of green tea!
- Pineapple Basil: Tropical fruits work well with green tea (and the hint of basil shines through without being overpowering).
health Benefits of green tea
Another reason to give green tea kombucha a try? It’s healthy! Numerous studies support green tea as having cancer-fighting properties. It also contains antioxidant polyphenols which may reduce inflammation.
And for those looking to reduce their caffeine intake, green tea has slightly less caffeine than black tea (25 g in green tea, 29-40 g in black tea).
👉 Our guide to types of green tea leaves here!
Is it the same as jun?
While they are similar, green tea kombucha is not the same thing as jun. Jun is a fermentation much like kombucha, but using solely green tea (instead of black) and raw honey (instead of cane sugar).
Hello!
I’m making both kombucha and Junbucha with the appropriate scoby for each. I’m not a huge fan of the junbucha and would like to try the junbucha scoby with organic sugar instead of honey. Will this work? Will the Junbucha scoby stay healthy with sugar?
Also, because of where I live, I have access to freely running natural spring water that is monitored and tested. I have read that this is the healthiest for the scoby. Do you have any thoughts about this?
It sounds like the water would be great for brewing! I don’t have much experience with junbucha though, so I can’t say for sure on the sugar question. Pop the question in our Facebook Group!
Hi Sarah!
I started a new brew using macha Tea with a scoby that had grown in a mixture of green and black tea. It seems to be brewing really well, but the new layer has a dark green “mass” on it. Not fuzzy mold. Is that just another type of Scoby, or something to be wary of? Thanks.
Sounds like it’s just another SCOBY! 😀
I am brand new to kombucha and SCOBY (I learned about them just yesterday). A friend gave me a scoby baby of my own to try. Since then I have been reading about the benefits of green tea over black tea so I wonder if there is any reason why you couldn’t make a mixed batch of black and green tea so your SCOBY is happy and you get the benefits of the green tea. Since we add flavours anyway I can’t see where the problem would be having both teas in the same batch.
You can absolutely make a mixture of the two! 😀
I’m just curious, if brewing with green tea, do we need to adjust our steep as we would for a fresh cup of tea? Meaning, do we steep it for a shorter time, or lower temperature or anything? Thanks!
Nope, I just do the same procedures as with black tea! 😀
great question! was wondering the same things.
Well Sarah, we’re going to brew some Green tea with the SCOBY that we started on Black tea. So far, so good. The only problem was the batch that I bottled with the Strawberry and sugar.(7g). I will have to repaint our kitchen ceiling, as I’d used too much sugar and hadn’t perfected the “hold-top-down-while-opening” maneuver. Our blackberries and gogi berries are ripening, so we know what the next batch (we have three 2 gallon batches brewing with staggered “ready” times, as Willie and I have taken a liking to the stuff and when She wants her brew, She gets her brew. We planted those Gogi berries over two years ago in a different part of our garden and after my Willie was diagnosed, two-and-a-half years ago, I had to just let the garden do it’s thing. Fortunately, I’d started putting trees to cut down on the weeding. Plums, Japanese persimmons, Paw Paws, figs, Apples, Kiwis, Thornless Blackberries, grapes and blueberries.
Made a batch from green tea and got no fizz at all . Even after five days in the cupboard…
Thankyou Sarah !!!
You’re welcome! 😀