Before you start making kombucha, you should probably know what it tastes like and what kind of taste you're aiming for when you make your own! There are several different kinds of tea you can use -- mainly green, white, black, and red -- and many types of sweeteners. Your choices of these components will affect the resulting taste of the kombucha.

Go to a natural food store, or perhaps a Whole Foods or Wild Oats, and grab a bottle or two of kombucha to try.

Another option is to attend a kombucha workshop where you may be able to try a variety of different brews to see what you would like.

Of course, you can simply dive in head-first! All you need to know is that the beverage you end up with is dependent on three things:

1 - type of tea
2 - type of sweetener
3 - time and strength of culture

Oils, including flavored oils added to tea. The most familiar example of this is bergamot oil which is added to Earl Grey tea. Jasmine is another variety that may stunt the growth of your kombucha. In general, stay away from flavored teas, since they may contain disruptive oils, and the flavor at the end of the fermentation process is usually totally lost -- or worse yet, it becomes bitter or strange. Check my other tips for advice on how to create different flavors of kombucha.

Non-tea. "Herbal tea" is not tea at all; these drinks should really be called "herbal infusions" or (as the French say) tisane. Real tea from the camellia sinensis plant is required to feed the kombucha culture.

Low acidity. If you neglect to start the k-tea brewing with adequate acidity, the liquid will most likely mold over with black or green mold, which is not at all the health drink you are after.

Not enough sugar. Kombucha can be thought of as an organism with a very specific diet. Do not consider your own dietary requirements when feeding your kombucha. The resulting k-tea you drink will be extremely low in sugar and calories, and not at all the sweetened tea beverage that you initially fed the culture. In general, when you are making a batch of tea to feed your kombucha, it should taste far too sweet (to most people) for normal consumption.

Metallic compounds in the jar or water. Lead is the most likely culprit for a kombucha culture dying when all else seems to be alright. You must find a lead-free glass jar

Chemical-laden tap water. If you are using tap water, you should be filtering your water with a good water filter. Florine, chlorine, and heavy metals are highly disruptive to all life, including your kombucha, your pets, and yourself. Avoid ingesting these things at all costs.

Plastic jars. Exposing plastic to an acidic compound like k-tea for a protracted period of time will extract petroleum compounds into the liquid. These compounds are known to be carcinogenic and hormonally disruptive. Do NOT, under any circumstances, keep kombucha in plastic!

First, let's address the absolute DON'Ts.

DO NOT USE LEADED GLASS. Lead can potentially kill the kombucha culture, as well as deposit toxic lead into your k-tea.

DO NOT USE PLASTIC. Plastic will deposit carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting compounds in your k-tea.

DO NOT USE METAL. Reactions between the acidic medium and the metal will have unpredictable consequences, but may include oxidation (rust) and depositing toxic metals into the liquid.

So, here's what you do. Find a nice wide-mouthed jar with a lid (plastic and metal lids are okay -- you just don't want them touching the liquid in the jar). It should say "lead free" on the box or label when you buy it.

Clear (uncolored) glass is best.

As for the dimensions, it depends on how much kombucha you want to create and how strong your current culture is. A well-established, thick culture can handle a tall jar with a lot of volume, while a smaller SCOBY will not have enough "reach" to ferment the liquid at the bottom of a tall jar. When liquid is allowed to sit unfermented by the kombucha culture, it leaves room for other bacteria and yeasts to take over and potentially spoil the batch.

For most people, a jar that's about 10 inches in diameter and 10 inches tall is rather ideal. As the kombucha gains in strength and the fermentation time comes down to 7 days or less, you can move the SCOBY to a larger jar, confident that it will be well-established and ready to take on a greater volume of tea.

There is no way anyone can tell you exactly how many days it will take until your kombucha is "ready". Why?

Well, for starters, "Ready" is a relative term. One person's underdone is another person's overdone. With kombucha, some like it extremely tart, almost like vinegar, and some enjoy only the lightest touch of acidity.

But the main reason why you will need to engage your own intuition in judging the k-tea's readiness is that the rate of fermentation is dependent on environmental factors -- mostly the heat in your home. The warmer the room, the faster the fermentation will take place. It is not uncommon for people in cold homes to leave their kombucha jars on heating pads overnight, lest they go too far into dormancy.

How fast the k-tea develops also depends on the strength of the kombucha culture and the shape of the jar. These are interdependent variables; please see the section on "Choosing Your Jar" to find out more.

In general, you should expect that the kombucha brewing process will take no fewer than four days and no more than two weeks.

After four or five days, when the new kombucha baby floating on top has turned white, begin to take small sips of the liquid by gently pressing a wooden spoon down on the SCOBY and letting it fill with k-tea. Notice its taste -- is it very sweet? Starting to have a bit of acidity? Turning very sour?

Also notice other tastes beyond sweet and sour. Try and locate tastes in the original tea to see if they are still present in the fermentation. Notice new flavors and think about whether they come from the tea or the sugar you used. Or possibly even the water!

(One to watch out for is mustiness. If there is an odor or taste of dust in the kombucha, the liquid may have been overtaken by mold -- do not drink it. You will need to start over.)

Crafting kombucha for yourself will cause you to engage your intuition through sight, smell, taste, and touch. Only you can decide when your kombucha is ready.