How to Grow your own Kombucha Scoby (Part 1 Kombucha Series) 

Awesome. I hope it works out well and that soon you can make your own Kombucha ☺

Good questions. I usually use black tea for growing the scoby, but alternate with green and black as I feel for the actual kombucha. And no, I don't think it will grow in the fridge. Or if it does, it will take a very long time

According to Angelica from youbrewkombucha rhe physical scoby is not as important as the starter tea. I received a small piece of weird looking, very dark and thin scoby with just half a cup of starter tea about 3 months ago. I decided to give the liquid a try and wanted to grow my own scoby. I started with a quarter gallon ( pure black tea, raw organic cane sugar) and let it sit for a week or so. The brew started to smell vinegary but no scoby floating on top. I let I acidify a little further, still no scoby. I took 2 cups of that liquid and started a new batch, this time I used green tea. Suddenly a scoby started forming on top. I don’t know why, all my kombuchas turned out delicious, but only the ones with green tea will form a physical scoby . I am still trying to grow my own scoby from black tea in different jars with different black teas, sitting on my shelf for a week now and still no scoby 😢😅 in the meantime I could grow my own Jun scoby and even a yerba mate scoby. I have no explanation….I wish you best luck on your kombucha journey

I hope with the new batch a thicker scoby will form. As long as you got something growing there must be some activity

Yes store bought kombucha is a great way to start. Try to go for minimally flavored. And it can't say pasteurized (then most beneficial bacteria is already dead). The hotel to store the scoby is just more of the same sweet tea you make in the beginning to grow the scoby

There are still lots of brands of raw kombucha being sold. Just make sure the one you attempt growing a scoby with doesn't say it's pasteurized

@@davidfield533 this was probably a vinegar mother that grew. It could be used to make more vinegar but it won’t have the right combination of bacteria and yeast to make kombucha

Thank you!

You are so welcome!

She states that it is black tea that she changes once every 6 to 12 months. Since it is sealed, it is not active and therefore does not need to be fed.

Yes sweetened strong black tea

Thank you so much.

I am sorry to hear growing your own scoby hasn't been going too well. Do you have any way of ordering one instead? I believe your vine turned into vinegar and grow a vinegar mother. It does indeed look like a kombucha scoby, but I believe the composition of bacteria and yeasts will be a bit different. However, I read this article where they slowly transitioned a vinegar mother into a kombucha scoby. Maybe this will work for you too www.onetomato-twotomato.com/2014/02/vinegar-and-kombucha-mothers/

Get a 3-4 gallon container make your black tea and sugar mix and poor an 8 oz jar of raw kombucha no flavoring in it cover and let's sit the scoby should form about an inch or too thick over a period of a few weeks fermenting the tea underneath pull the scoby out and put it in a hotel for storage you can seal your container if you can pressurize it or put the kombucha in individual glass.botles

Yes it works for but is not necessary since its mostly used up by the bacteria and yeast in the scoby. They thrive on simple white/cane sugar. I would save your coconut sugar for uses where you will consume it more directly.

@@Leelalicioustysm!❤ i’m actually keto and i have coconut sugar because i ordered it for someone else long ago and they didn’t want it the “sugar” i use is keto sweetener and i know it wouldn’t work

Awesome! Best of luck with your scoby

Yes scobys last almost indefinitely. Instead of adding kombucha, I recommend refreshing it with strong sweet black tea occasionally. It will give the cultures some food

@@Leelalicious thanks so much!

I don't store mine in the fridge, but even if you did, it shouldn't have killed it. However a lot of the yeast and bacteria may have gone dormant and may need some extra time to revitalize. I also find now in the winter and cold room temperature kombucha fermentation always takes longer

@@Leelalicious thank you

I got mine at the grocery store. The "original" flavor had only 2% lima juice added and it worked perfectly. If your grocery store doesn't carry any, try a health food store. Otherwise you can always order some online amzn.to/45syFv0

Thank you ☺️

I have not tried freezing they scoby. And I haven’t seen others freezing extra scoby. The most common way to preserve it is in a scoby hotel. Since it survives well for a long time at room temperature in an closed scoby hotel I am not sure why freezing would be required.

You are so welcome!

Dankeschön 😊

Glad you liked it!

thank you

Oh no. How long has it been sitting? I'd try just giving it more time. It seems like it has some activity if it ferments further into a vinegary smell

I’ve only ever kept it at room temperature. I have a small fridge so anything not taking space up in there is my preference. But also I don’t see how refrigeration would hurt it somehow. So I think that’s fine

@@Leelalicious 😊😊😊😊🤤