We tried the Holos Kombucha Brew Kit: Here’s how it went!
Kombucha has become a go-to drink for those seeking a refreshing, gut-friendly beverage and it’s a family favourite at The Whole Home for years! However, buying bottles can get pricey, and contribute to more waste in bottles and transport of liquids than is strictly necessary. Brewing your own can be a great alternative for cost and sustainability – and fun. But if you’re new to the process (or if you’ve failed once before like me!) it can also be intimidating to try and figure out the brewing process.
Enter a brewing kit. Not just the scoby, but everything you need with instructions to make your first batch. And then keep on making more! We test drove the Organic Holos Kombucha Brew Kit, a solution to my overwhelm at the brewing process, that promises more sustainability, greater affordability, and the satisfaction of brewing your own kombucha at home! In this review, I’ll dive into the kit’s contents, brewing process, and whether it’s worth the investment for those aiming for a low-footprint, budget friendly, kombucha drinking lifestyle.
What’s Inside the Kombucha Brew Kit?
The Holos Kombucha Brew Kit currently retails at £37 and includes (almost) everything you need to start brewing:
- A 2 litre glass fermentation jar
- Organic tea and sugar
- A liquid SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast)
- Reusable cotton cloth and band
- A Thermometer Sticker for the jar
- Easy to Follow instructions
- They tell you you will also need a sieve and filtered water
What I immediately appreciated is that everything is reusable or compostable besides the bag the tea came in but that could go in my soft plastic recycling. The minimal packaging means you’re not left with unnecessary plastic or non-recyclable materials, everything else went in my compost.
NOTE: If you want to flavour the kombucha and add fruity flavour in a second ferment, you will also need to buy some swing top bottles (I got these ones which still felt cost effective when I broke it down), then to make the second round you’ll need more organic sugar (this one will do 2-3 further batches), and some tea (they use a mix of black, green, and rooibos).
The Brewing Process
Brewing kombucha might sound daunting especially if you haven’t fermented anything before, but the Holos instructions did made it simple. I was short on time and didn’t read them well (!), but they are well explained and don’t leave you guessing on anything. They break down the process into easy-to-follow stages with photos that helped me know where I’d gone wrong!
The brewing took me about 45 minutes including a 30 minute wait, and the entire process takes about 7-14 days, depending on your taste preference.
I found brewing our first batch to be simpler and less intimidating that I thought. But I felt nervous it wasn’t going to work!
The one brewing challenge
The brewing went smoothly (once I read the instructions well!) and then it’s supposed to sit at 20-23 degrees celcius. I brewed in early October when outside temps were 10-18C and our heating was off and found the kombucha wasn’t sitting in that ideal range. The team at Holos suggested the airing cupboard or a heat meat but that still didn’t give me the range and I didn’t want to buy a heating mat!
My solution: I found that in the cooler parts of the day, leaving it in the oven with the light on gave it the bump it needed. When we were cooking or the sun was out, I didn’t need that and just left it out. The thermometer strip they give you was really helpful for figuring this out!
Fermentation and DIY Kombucha Taste Test!
The video doesn’t show this part! I watched my kombucha like a hawk every day. I was so worried it wasn’t going to brew – but once I got the right temperature, it had bubbles by day 3.
After my kombucha fermented for 7 days, I gave it a tiny try! It had the signature Holos flavour (which probably comes with the tea blend so we’ll have to guess for the next round) and a small amount of carbonation.The flavor was pleasantly tangy, with the right balance of sweetness and acidity – just like a mildly sweet kombucha.
The instructions don’t give guidance on a second ferment which I’m going to try but you can drink it without and it was delicious.
Sustainable and Budget-Friendly?
One of the best parts of a DIY kit is the sustainability and difference in cost. Brewing at home eliminates the need for single-use (although recyclable) bottles and reduces the carbon footprint of transporting store-bought kombucha. You can use filtered tap water, and reuse the bottles. This means that once you’ve made the initial investment in the kit (£37), the cost of each batch is much lower than purchasing ready-made bottles. After brewing two rounds (so in about 2-4 weeks), the you’ll have saved money when you compare the cost with buying pre made kombucha! The savings really start to add up, making it a budget-friendly option for kombucha lovers.
In my opinion, it’s a win for budget and sustainability. Plus, a lot of people use kombucha as a fun drink to enjoy when they’re cutting back on alcohol so the additional savings there are great.
Our favourite non DIY kombuchas from Holos
Is The Kombucha Brew Kit Worth It?
If you’re looking to reduce waste, save money, and enjoy the creative process of brewing your own kombucha, the Holos Kombucha Brew Kit is definitely worth it. The process is straightforward, and the results are delicious. It’s also a great way to introduce a healthy, probiotic-rich drink into your diet without the added cost and waste of store-bought options. There are a lot of other health benefits that kombucha ‘may’ have but very little proven aside from the inherent green tea benefits and the probiotics. So do your own research!
For anyone aiming to live more sustainably, I think the Holos kit is a great addition to your kitchen and it’s now a solid part of ours. It ticks all the boxes: eco-friendly, affordable, and fun!
My top organic kombucha brew kit with US shipping:
Want to see another DIY tried and tested for sustainability? Here’s the time I tried to sew 2 dresses in 2 weeks from an old duvet cover having never sewed a garment before!
