SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast.
Kombucha is a 2,300 year old practice of fermenting a sweet caffeinated tea. The process takes about two weeks and uses Kombucha starter tea, a mother SCOBY, and a sweet tea which is made of sugar mixed into a strong brewed green, black or white tea. Your SCOBY sits in the tea mixture, either atop or sinking into your brew (either is fine, after a few days of being left alone, the carbonation will usually push the scobe to the surface). The Kombucha will end up being similar to a mild apple cider vinegar. It’s full of probiotics. Look into it. Very healthful.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/homesteading/kombucha-what-youll-need-to-get-started-read-this-then-next-week-youll-be-growin/503046449712874
You can add whatever you want to your brew after it’s done, but NEVER put additives in your SCOBY jar. Only tea and sugar can touch your mother SCOBY. She is sensitive, and though she doesn’t need a lot of attention, she’s a living organism which needs oxygen and specific care. Your jar needs to be clear glass. Kombucha’s acidity will leach chemicals from plastic. You can read all of this and more on the link above. But this 1st video is going over your initial start up information, so back to basics.
What you need to grow your SCOBY:
1. 1-3 cups of raw Kombucha. “Starter tea”.
2. A clear glass jar.
3. Green, black, or white tea.
4. Sugar.
Once you read this, if you still have questions, ask!
If you plan to start your own brew, say so. It will give other people inspiration and keep me motivated too.
Ingredients detailed:
1. You can get starter tea from the store. I used GT Synergy. If you know someone brewing at home you can use their raw Kombucha instead. They might even gift you a SCOBY. If not, you’re here learning to do it yourself anyway. Raw Kombucha has tiny strands of the yeast and bacteria in it, and that’s enough to grow its own scobe.
2. Your jar can be as modest as a recycled pasta sauce jar, or if you want to go big, a 1-2 gallon vessel. Your SCOBY will form to whatever shape you give it. Whatever shape/diameter of your jar, that’s what your SCOBY will be. Broader is better. The more surface area it covers, the quicker the fermentation.
3. Tea needs to be pure. 100% green tea. Not “Black tea infused with cardamum essential oil”. Whatever nonsense is in your fancy tea, it will kill your brew. If you want flavored Kombucha, that’s great. Add it to your BOTTLED Kombucha, not your mother. See video #3 below.
4. Sugar can be white, raw, turbinado, etc. But don’t try to use honey, stevia, agave, etc. Your SCOBY is processing the complex carbohydrates from the sugar. You’re starving it if you pour maple syrup onto it and call it a day. The sugar is being converted anyway.
It’s very important that you research first, either online or by watching my videos. If you deviate or try to get creative before you have the hang of the process, you will kill your SCOBY and need to start over. To read more, you can check out my write up on Kombucha and the next videos here:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/homesteading/kombucha-what-youll-need-to-get-started-read-this-then-next-week-youll-be-growin/503046449712874