What is Tongba and How to Brew Tongba at home

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You cradle a wooden vessel of Tongba, steam curling skyward like a Himalayan dawn. The tangy, earthy aroma rises. Somewhere, the Great Yak nods. This isn’t just a drink, it’s a ritual. A shared tradition. A centuries old toast to community, comfort, and resilience.

Born among the Limbu people of eastern Nepal, Tongba is a traditional millet brew. Fermented, steeped, and sipped warm through a bamboo straw, it’s bold, cozy, and uniquely Himalayan. From village kitchens in Ilam to the foothills of Darjeeling and Sikkim, Tongba has been warming spirits for generations.

Why Tongba Matters?

Tongba isn’t poured from a bottle. It’s alive! Fermenting in your own kitchen, steeped in ritual and community.

Across the Himalayas, from the foothills of Darjeeling to the snowy rooftops of Ladakh and Tibet, Tongba and its regional cousins bring people together. It’s how they gather, warm up, and bond.

• In Nepal, it’s poured during toasts, ceremonies, and long winter nights
• In Sikkim and Darjeeling, elders sip it by firelight, sharing stories of the hills
• In Ladakh, it fuels family feasts and snowy evening gatherings
• In Tibet, millet based brews are shared in monasteries and mountain homes
• In Bhutan, hot grain ferments echo Tongba’s ritual use in highland villages

With Tongba, you don’t just drink. You participate.

Warm, comforting, and deeply shareable

Looking for a Tongba recipe you can make at home? With Yak&Brew, it’s simple.

What You’ll Need:

• One Yak&Brew DIY Kit (includes yeast, millet, fermentation bag, and straw)
• Plates or trays - for spreading and cooling the cooked millet
• A large plastic bowl - to mix the millet and diluted yeast
• Fermentation bag - included in your kit
• 3 to 4 plastic grocery bags + a clean towel or blanket - to insulate during fermentation
• Airtight plastic container - for secondary fermentation (avoid metal)
• Pipsing (aluminum straw) - included in your kit, for the traditional sip

Step-by-Step Tongba Brewing

1. Cook the Millet: Steam or boil your grains until fully cooked, but not mushy. A rice cooker on the multigrain setting works best. Let the grains cool completely to room temperature before adding yeast. This step is important - hot grains can kill the yeast.
2. Add the Yeast: Mix in one Yak&Brew yeast sachet. For best results, dissolve it in ½ cup of warm (not hot) water before adding, this helps distribute the yeast more evenly. Or, if you prefer, you can sprinkle it directly onto the cooled grains and mix well.
3. Pack for Fermentation: 
Put the yeast-mixed grains into the organic cotton fermentation bag.
Wrap this in 3 or 4 layers of plastic grocery bags. Don’t seal it airtight! Just make a loose ball so the yeast can breathe. Then wrap that in a clean towel or blanket.
4. Let it Ferment
: Place in a dark spot at 75°F to 95°F for about 3 days (65 to 72 hours). This slower ferment helps the yeast break down complex starches in the millet.
5. Move to Airtight Container: 
On day 3, remove the bag and transfer the fermented grains to a plastic airtight container (like a large Tupperware). Keep at room temp (75°F to 85°F) for another 4 to 7 days to deepen flavor and carbonation.
6. Taste and Enjoy: 
By day 7 to 10, your Tongba is ready! It should smell fruity, earthy, and slightly yeasty - like a wild natural wine or sake.