Do you need a SCOBY to make kombucha? (2024)

FAQs

Do you need a SCOBY to make kombucha? ›

You can actually make kombucha without a SCOBY, but it can take up to three times as long and sometimes people have problems. Part of the job of the SCOBY is giving added bacteria while it ferments, protecting the tea, and keeping it filled with plenty of good bacteria and good yeasts.

You can actually make kombucha without a SCOBY, but it can take up to three times as long and sometimes people have problems. Part of the job of the SCOBY is giving added bacteria while it ferments, protecting the tea, and keeping it filled with plenty of good bacteria and good yeasts.

Part of the job of the scoby is to protect the kombucha while it ferments. This means that a jar of kombucha without a scoby is vulnerable to any bacteria, good or bad, that's floating around the environment.

For your starter bottle of store-bought Kombucha, choose an unflavored bottle of raw, unpasteurized brew. And if at all possible, find one with strands of culture floating in the bottle.

To make a SCOBY from scratch, make a 250g mug of tea and add 2 tbsp sugar. Ensure you remove the tea bag. Cover your mug of sweetened tea with a cloth, making sure it's secure, and leave at room temperature for 1 month. After this time, you should see a thin whitish film forming on top.

If you're looking for a comparably funky substitute, try rejuvelac. Rejuvelac is a fermented beverage like kombucha, but it's made with grains instead of a SCOBY. Rinse ½ cup grains like wheat berries, rye, quinoa, or buckwheat, and place them in a clean 1-quart glass jar.

“Kombucha Starter Tea” is raw, healthy, aged kombucha that contains the living bacteria and yeast needed to brew kombucha. This liquid kombucha culture is usually taken from a previous batch of kombucha and is then used to kick start a new batch of kombucha, hence the name starter tea.

A SCOBY is a cellulose mat that houses the bacteria and yeast cultures that turn sweet tea into kombucha. A new or “baby” SCOBY is produced each time you make kombucha, and the SCOBY also helps turn sweet tea into more kombucha. It's basically the means through which kombucha replicates itself.

Kombucha mold colors can vary, so it's important to look for other signs of mold as well. If you see any discoloration or spores, or notice an odd smell (not normal kombucha vinegar-like smell), these are all signs that your kombucha has gone bad and is no longer safe to drink.

The scoby will then go dormant and can be kept for up to 6 months. However, we've already seen scobys that had been forgotten for over a year in a corner of the fridge come back to life without any problem.

Is it OK to use flavored kombucha as a starter? ›

This might be controversial for some home brewers who like to use flavored teas or herbal infusions during first fermentation. But most flavorings (even if they're “natural”) can degrade and weaken your SCOBY over time.

Kombucha can be brewed from 7 to 30 days. A longer brewing time results in less sugar and a more vinegary-flavored beverage. A shorter brew will give a more fruity sweet drink.

Another quick note on “doneness” — after around 5 days in the vessel, the brew is ready to drink as-is. It'll already be inoculated with that great, live bacteria. Some people like to drink kombucha right after F1, and that's totally fine. You do not need to flavor and bottle your kombucha before you drink it.

Can I make kombucha without a starter tea? A. Yes, you can use an equal portion of distilled white vinegar in place of starter tea. Alternatively you may use bottled raw, unflavored kombucha tea, which can be purchased at many health food and grocery stores.

Black tea is considered best as it contains the nutrients that the scoby likes. It can produce quite a full, fruity flavour but many people prefer to do a mix of teas such as half black and half green or white tea. Either teabags or loose tea can be used. Tea that has added oils such as Earl Grey should be avoided.

This is fine if they're getting too large or if you'd like to split them up to move some to a SCOBY hotel/share with a friend. You can't hurt your SCOBY by ripping it or cutting it. Its shape doesn't matter since new ones will always take the shape of the surface of whatever container you place it in.

Although they look similar, kombucha and vinegar mothers (scobys) are not identical or interchangeable. The kombucha scoby contains bacteria and yeast adapted to the fermentation of sweet tea. It carries out two fermentations simultaneously: Fermentation of sugar into alcohol (thanks to the yeast)

Without including the pellicle from your previous batch, it may be more difficult to achieve the desired fermentation and produce high-quality kombucha. So do you really need to include a pellicle when making a new brew? In short, yes!!!