Kombucha dilemma

[matreshka]

I had a culture that went bad and am having a harder time than normal finding a culture.  It seems people want to sell a whole "kit" which I don't need.

I have also read that keeping a bottle raw kombucha (Forget the brand but its national) will produce a baby after a few weeks.  Has anyone tried this?

[e-doolittle]

Bump, Alyson should be able to help!

[reneawesley]

I have no idea but good luck.

[momavanessa]

I have tried the Kombucha! 3 different flavors and the original is the best tasting. There is a ginger(bitter vinegar kinda taste) Muliti-green (hold your nose!!) and the original which is not bad but hard to explain the flavor! Last month bought one of each to see if I could handle the taste!

[matreshka]

If anyone has a spare kombucha "baby" I will gladly pay for shipping and your time.  Also, if you know of somewhere I can get one with out buy ina $20 "kit" and just the kombucha culture and mother tea and starter that would be much appreciated.

[Alyson121]

Quoting e-doolittle:

Bump, Alyson should be able to help!

LOL! I'm on it too

[happy2bmom25]

Dont you know anyone that makes their own? I got my scobie is it? From a friend. I gave up on the whole process right away :(

[matreshka]

No I don't really know anyone IRL who does it.  They all think its strange I make it lol.

Quoting happy2bmom25:

Dont you know anyone that makes their own? I got my scobie is it? From a friend. I gave up on the whole process right away :(

[Alyson121]

I've yet to make my own.  Many of  my friends have made their own but they bought a scooby to do it.   I did have a recipe that said you can used left over store bought kombucha but of course i don't know where it is.  I think the national brand you're referring to is probably GT's Organic and Raw kombucha, since we've bought that brand in every state we've lived and traveled too. 

Have you done a search for making kombucha used store bought kombucha tea?

[Alyson121]

Quoting matreshka:

If anyone has a spare kombucha "baby" I will gladly pay for shipping and your time.  Also, if you know of somewhere I can get one with out buy ina $20 "kit" and just the kombucha culture and mother tea and starter that would be much appreciated.

Check out Esty.com or CraigsList.com

[Alyson121]

Here you go

http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-grow-a-kombucha-scoby/

How To Grow A Kombucha SCOBY

Written by KristenM

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Kombucha, the effervescent and tangy health drink made from fermenting sweetened tea, is my family's favorite beverage. We drink about 2 gallons of the stuff per week.

To make kombucha (see my instructions for how to do that here), you only need two things:

1) Sweetened tea, and 2) a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast), AKA "mother," or "mushroom."

Coming by kombucha mothers is easy if you've got friends making this "immortal health elixir." Kombucha mother colonies periodically reproduce, so people brewing it have a constant supply of scobies to give away.

But what if you're a lone wolf, daring to make kombucha on your own?  Where are you supposed to get a good SCOBY?

The most reputable online stores can charge anywhere from $15-$35 per kombucha mother.

YIKES!

So, I thought I'd show you how to grow your own for about $3.50.

 

The Players

• 1 bottle of Organic, Raw Kombucha
• 1 glass jar
• 1 kitchen towel
• 1 cup of room temperature sweetened tea made with filtered water (where to buy water filters)

NOTES:

1. You can buy the kombucha at just about any health food store. I get mine from the health food aisle of my local HEB - a large chain grocery store local to my area.  If you can't find it near you, you can buy a bottle of the stuff online. Make sure it's organic, raw, and unflavored with juice. You just want the plain, original beverage.
2. The sweetened tea can be as simple as a cup of black tea, sweetened with a tablespoon of sugar.

The How-To

Pour the bottle of kombucha and sweetened tea into a glass jar.  Cover it with a towel so it can breathe but be protected from insects and other contaminants. Let it sit.

THE END.

It's really very easy, isn't it?

With time, a new SCOBY will start to form on top of the liquid. It will appear first as a thin film, then slowly fill in and thicken up.

Once it's about 1/4 inch thick, it's ready to go. You can let it sit longer and get even thicker, but that's really not necessary. This SCOBY is about 1/3 inch thick and took me about 3 weeks to grow. In the summer, I can grow it in half that time.

Got a question?

Check out this post on Kombucha Questions & Answers and see if it can help. Also, be sure to read through the instructions and comments in this post on How To Brew Flavored Kombucha.

HELP! I followed all your advice, but it still didn't grow.

Unfortunately, some store bought kombucha is just weak or old. Rather than playing roulette with bottles of raw kombucha, hoping for a batch that's thriving with good culture, you may want the assurance of starting with a proven culture. If so, check out where I recommend to buy a kombucha SCOBY.