Growing a Kombucha Scoby

Many people are turning to home brewing their own kombucha as this ancient fermented beverage grows in popularity. You may already know that kombucha is cultured using a “scoby” or “kombucha mother”, which is a rather unappealing mushroom/jellyfish looking colony of probiotics and friendly yeasts. Not the most appetizing thing to look at, we can attest to that. However, the end result is a tasty, health promoting fizzy drink that can be flavored in a variety of ways and is so enjoyable to drink! Kombucha originated from China during the Tsin Dynasty where it was referred to as “Godly Tsche” and was used to, among other things, improve digestion and promote longevity*! Follow this recipe and instructions by Amanda Maquire of Picklesnhoney to create your own!

Yield: 1 kombucha scoby

Ingredients

• 1 Bottle of Raw, Plain Kombucha (I used GT brand)
• 5 C. Water, divided
• 1/3 C. plus 2 Tbs. Sugar (I used Raw Turbinado)
• 3 Bags of Organic Green or Black Tea (or 3 Tbs. looseleaf tea)
• 1 Quart Glass Jar
• 1 Gallon Glass Jar
• Clean Cloth or Paper Towels
• Rubber Band

Instruction

1) Purchase a bottle of raw, plain kombucha with lots of yeast floating at the bottom (those are the weird strands that are a little scary to drink, but the more the merrier in this case). I like the GT Organic Raw Kombucha that you can find at Whole Foods and other health foods stores.
2) Pour all but 1 cup of the kombucha into a glass – you only need that bottom cup with all of the strings of yeast to grow your scoby. The rest you can drink! Think of it as a little instant gratification before your patience gets tested these next couple of weeks.
3) In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
4) Add 2 tablespoons of sugar (I used raw turbinado) to the boiling water and stir to dissolve.
5) Turn off the stove and add 1 bag of organic green or black tea (or 1 tablespoon of loose leaf tea). I used green tea.
6) Cover the saucepan to prevent the mixture from evaporating and allow it to come to room temperature. This will take some time, but it’s important that the mixture has cooled before moving on to the next step or you’ll kill all that good bacteria in the bottled kombucha.
7) Once the water/sugar/tea mixture has cooled to room temperature, remove the tea bag and pour the mixture into a large glass jar (I used a 1 quart Ball jar). Add to it the 1 cup of reserved kombucha.
8) Cover the top of the jar with a clean dish towel or 2 layers of paper towels and secure it with a rubber band. This will keep fruit flies and other bugs out, while still allowing air to circulate.
9) Place the jar in a warm, dark spot (I chose the top, back shelf in my pantry) where it won’t be disturbed, and allow it to to sit for about 7 days before taking a peek. You should see a thin, cloudy-looking film growing over the top of the mixture – this is good! It’s the baby scoby that will grow into the mother that you’ll be using to brew your own kombucha.
10) Once the film has grown to be about 1/8th of an inch thick, you’ll need to feed it again.
11) This time, boil 4 cups of water, add 1/3 cup of sugar to the boiling water and stir to dissolve. Turn off the stove and add 2 bags of organic green or black tea (or 1 tablespoon of loose leaf tea). Feel free to use a mixture of green and black tea too – some people think this helps with the brewing process.
12) Cover the saucepan to prevent the mixture from evaporating and allow it to come to room temperature. Again, this will take some time, but it’s important that the mixture has cooled before moving on to the next step.
13) Once cooled, remove the tea bags and transfer the mixture to a large glass jar (I switched from a Ball jar to a 1 gallon biscotti jar that I found at Williams Sonoma for under $20). Add to it the contents of the original 1 quart jar (all of the kombucha liquid and the baby scoby).
14) Again, cover the top of the jar with a clean dish towel or 2 layers of paper towels and secure it with a rubber band, and return it to the warm, dark spot for another week and a half to 2 weeks.
15) Once the scoby is 1/4 to 1/2 an inch thick, it’s ready to make your first batch of kombucha!

If at any point during the process you notice green mold forming in the mixture, toss it and start over. This can happen when the liquid isn’t acidic enough, which is why it’s so important to add that full cup of the bottled kombucha.

The time it takes for the baby SCOBY to thicken is very much dependent on environmental factors and it’s not an exact science. If you find, for example, that the SCOBY reaches 1/8th an inch thickness at 5 days instead of 7, go ahead and move on to the next step.