Oolong Kombucha
Floral, fruity oolong aroma and a smooth, lightly tart sparkle in the glass.
Oolong kombucha swaps black tea for partly oxidized oolong, so the tartness arrives with floral and fruity notes instead of the heavier, earthier character of black tea. Brewers often find it smoother and lighter than black tea kombucha.
Sensory profile
How it unfolds
Where it sits
That is 18 mg in one serving (8 oz cup (240ml)), a concentration of 7.5 mg per 100 ml. The scale above ranks whole servings, and servings differ in size, so a larger drink can sit further right while being weaker cup for cup.
Editorial estimate, not a laboratory measurement
Related gear
| Brewing method | Glass jar with a SCOBY |
|---|---|
| Brew ratio | 1:10 |
| Starter & batch | 100g → 1000g |
| Grind size | Whole loose leaf |
| Water temperature | 194°F / 90°C |
| Target brew time | 7-10 days in the jar, then 2-3 days in bottles |
| Serving | 8 oz cup (240ml) |
What you need
- 4 g loose-leaf oolong
- 50 g plain white sugar
- 850 g filtered water
- 100 g kombucha from a previous batch, as starter
- One SCOBY
Required gear
- Wide-mouth glass jar, 1.5 to 2 liters
- Clean cloth or coffee filter, and a rubber band
- Pot or kettle, for the tea
- Scale accurate to 1 g
- Thermometer
- pH strips (range 2.5 to 4.5) or a pH meter
- Pressure-rated glass bottles with tight caps, for the second stage
- Funnel and fine strainer
Step-by-step protocol
- 0:00Bring 250 g of the water to 90°C. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves, add the oolong, and steep for about 5 minutes.
- +5 minStrain out the leaf and add the remaining 600 g of cool water. Let the tea cool to room temperature, below 30°C, before anything else goes in: hot tea kills the culture.
- +1 hPour the cooled tea into a clean glass jar, add the starter, then slide the SCOBY in with clean hands.
- +5 minCover the jar with a clean cloth or coffee filter held by a rubber band, so it can breathe but insects cannot get in, and leave it out of direct sun at 20 to 26°C.
- Day 5+Taste a spoonful every day with a clean spoon and, if you have strips, check the pH. It is ready when it is pleasantly tart with a little sweetness left and the pH reads between 2.5 and 4.2.
- Day 7+Lift out the SCOBY and keep it with 100 g of kombucha as the starter for the next batch. Pour the rest into bottles, leaving 2 to 3 cm of headspace.
- +2-3 dFor more fizz, seal the bottles and keep them at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, then refrigerate. For a still drink, skip this stage and refrigerate straight away.
- ThenChill the bottles before opening, and open them slowly over a sink: a sealed, carbonated bottle can be under real pressure.
Troubleshooting
What it may be good for
How strong is it?
We list about 18 mg for an 8 oz glass, from a batch made with 4 g of oolong per liter. A typical 8 oz cup of black tea has about 47 mg, and bottled kombucha measured in a lab comparison of nine brands ran from about 4 to 27 mg per 8 oz, so the figure moves with how much tea goes into the jar.
Pick the oolong by its roast
A lightly oxidized, greener oolong gives the floral side of the drink, while a roasted oolong leans toward toast and a faint honey note. Whichever you choose, keep the steep to about five minutes, because a long, hot steep adds bitterness that stays in the finished drink.
What to watch out for
- Kombucha is a live, acidic drink that contains some caffeine and a little alcohol. If you are pregnant or nursing, have a weakened immune system or are prone to acidosis, check with your doctor first. Extension services advise small servings, around 4 oz a day.
- Brew in glass or another non-metal, food-safe container, since the acid can pull metals out of glazed ceramic and metal. Keep everything clean, and throw out a batch that grows dry, fuzzy mold.
Oolong kombucha swaps black tea for partly oxidized oolong, so the tartness arrives with floral and fruity notes instead of the heavier, earthier character of black tea. Brewers often find it smoother and lighter than black tea kombucha.
Origin & Story
A few kombucha makers in Taiwan start from the tea, not from the culture. Small brands there build the whole drink on island oolong, the leaf the country is known for, and the idea makes sense: oolong sits between green and black tea, so it can give a jar a floral lift and a little body at the same time.
Oolong is made by bruising fresh leaves and letting them oxidize only part of the way before heat stops the process. Light, green oolongs keep an orchid-like perfume, and heavily roasted ones lean toward toast and honey. Much of that aroma carries through the jar: in a Polish university comparison of kombucha brewed from different teas, the oolong version smelled the most floral and fruity, while the green tea one smelled fresher and more grassy and the black tea one heavier and earthier.
A British maker of oolong kombucha describes the result as smoother and lighter than the black tea version, often less sharp, with floral and tropical notes. How sour a jar ends up still depends mostly on how long and how warm it sits, so the tea shapes the aroma and the calendar shapes the acid.
Steep 4 g of oolong with 50 g of sugar in 250 ml of water at 90°C for about 5 minutes, add 600 ml of cool water and let it reach room temperature, then add 100 ml of starter and the SCOBY and ferment 7 to 10 days at 20 to 26°C, tasting from day 5.
Reading the Flavor Profile
| Axis | Score |
|---|---|
| Sweetness | 66/100 |
| Acidity | 58/100 |
| Bitterness | 18/100 |
| Body | 42/100 |
| Aroma | 92/100 |
These values are comparative editorial positions within our own catalog, calibrated so entries can be ranked against each other. They are not laboratory measurements.
How much caffeine is in Oolong Kombucha?
One serving, 8 oz cup (240ml), contains approximately 18 mg of caffeine.
What temperature should I use for Oolong Kombucha?
Steep the tea base at 90°C (194°F), then let it cool to room temperature before adding the culture, because heat kills it. Warmer rooms ferment faster and taste more sour; cooler rooms slow everything down.
How long does Oolong Kombucha take to make?
Timing: 7-10 days in the jar, then 2-3 days in bottles. Method: Glass jar with a SCOBY. Ratio: 4 g oolong, 50 g sugar and 100 ml starter per liter. Grind or leaf format: Whole loose leaf.
Why does my Oolong Kombucha taste bitter?
A bitter or harsh note in a cultured drink usually comes from an ingredient that was scorched, over-spiced or not washed well, such as burnt bread or fruit skins, or from letting it run past its peak. Taste early and chill it as soon as it is pleasantly tart. Sharp, vinegary sourness is a different problem: it means it ran too long or too warm.
Is oolong kombucha less sour than black tea kombucha?
It is often smoother and lighter, and some brewers find it less sharp. Even so, acid builds with time and warmth, so a jar left a week in a warm room will be tart whatever the tea. Taste from day 5 and bottle it while a little sweetness is left.
Which oolong should I use?
Any true oolong works. Lightly oxidized, greener oolongs make the most floral jar, and roasted ones add toast and honey. An everyday loose-leaf oolong is plenty, because the culture will change the cup anyway, so keep rare high-mountain leaf for drinking straight.
Who should avoid Oolong Kombucha?
Kombucha is a live, acidic drink that contains some caffeine and a little alcohol. If you are pregnant or nursing, have a weakened immune system or are prone to acidosis, check with your doctor first. Extension services advise small servings, around 4 oz a day. Brew in glass or another non-metal, food-safe container, since the acid can pull metals out of glazed ceramic and metal. Keep everything clean, and throw out a batch that grows dry, fuzzy mold. This information is educational and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, managing a cardiac or gastrointestinal condition, or taking prescription medication, discuss caffeine and botanical intake with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes.
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