Do you love kombucha, but not the pricetag? If you’re thinking that DIY booch is the solution, this post is for you. I take you step-by-step through the first step of brewing your own kombucha, which is how to grow your own SCOBY. All you’ll need is a bottle of commercial kombucha, a clean jar, and patience.
So, you’re keen to become the booch master of your neighbourhood? For this alchemy to commence you will need your very first SCOBY.
Of course you can buy a SCOBY for under $20. But, why do that when you can spend months growing one for free? SCOBY growing is definitely ‘doing it because we can’; perhaps that’s why it’s so satisfying. There’s something peak human about it. We do love showing off something we created from nothing, don’t we?
Firstly, what is a SCOBY?
Fair question! SCOBY stands for ‘symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast‘. It’s a living being. The SCOBY will grow into a flat disc that fits its container and over time it will replicate. Some people don’t like handling them, but I think they feel nice, soft and rubbery.
The SCOBY can ferment the sugars in sweet tea into beneficial organic acids and carbon dioxide; that’s why kombucha is fizzy, sometimes spectacularly so. Cleaning a berry booch explosion off the ceiling is a common rite of passage in the kombucha master journey.
grow your own SCOBY: Step by step
1. obtain some kombucha
You can grow a SCOBY from nearly any bottle of commercial kombucha. Grab one cold from the fridge, not from the shelf at room temperature.
If you can, get your starter bottle from a market or a cafe where they make their own, rather than a supermarket. Bonus if you’ve already got a wee SCOBY growing in there, like this little guy.
2. POUR INTO A WIDE-MOUTHED JAR
Pour your kombucha into a wide mouth jar or glass, cover it and put it somewhere warm. This is your ‘starter’. If you have any floating gooey bits, include those – those are fledgling SCOBY’s.
Cover with a cloth that allows a little airflow, but will protect our science project from airborne debri and bugs. I use cheesecloth. Now we wait (see Steps 3-7 below).
Excuse the messy label please. At this point I wasn’t sure if the SCOBY growing post was a go or not.
3. Twelve days later we have some little tendrils forming, this is good.
4. On day 19 there is a thin film across the top of the starter brew.
5. This next pic is 15 days later (1st March). The SCOBY is getting a bit thicker.
6. Day 25 the SCOBY looks thick enough for a change and feeding (just like a baby really). The debri in the bottom is normal.
For the first step of the change, I removed the SCOBY with clean hands. It is thin, but sturdy enough to handle without breaking.
I replaced half the starter with cold sweet tea, 1/8 cup sugar to 1.5 cups tea. The SCOBY sunk a bit, normal SCOBY behaviour.
7. From no SCOBY to this perfect specimen took 41 days.
A healthy SCOBY should be glistening white and for the most part sealing the tea from the outside air. It is now ready to start making kombucha!
Troubleshooting growing your own scoby
My SCOBY isn’t growing.
Two things can happen here: either the SCOBY never gets started or it starts to form then stops growing. A non-starter is due to a dud brew. The starter booch has been pasteurised to sterility, nothing’s happening. The second scenario of a SCOBY that starts to form then arrests is an unhealthy SCOBY. I’m not sure what causes this, I’ve only had it happen once. Either way, dispose of the batch and start again.
My starter has developed spots.
Ahhh…. I feel for you. That’s probably mould (see pic below). Throw it out. This happens when the starter is not acidic enough to inhibit mould growth. The potential for mould is the main reason I wait for a well-formed SCOBY before adding more sweet tea.
Grow your own scoby: FAQ’s
Should I be looking for ‘raw’ kombucha as a starter?
Contrary to other kombucha bloggers, I’ve found no advantage to using kombucha labelled ‘raw’ as a starter. While I can’t say conclusively, I’m trending toward a theory that what matters more is using locally made kombucha rather than any imported one, even if that import is ‘raw’. I’m interested, has anyone else found this? (hit me up in the comments).
As mentioned previously, do pick one from the fridge, rather than shelf-stable. The ones in the fizzy drink aisle have been pasteurised to stop the fermentation. If they continue to ferment, they can become alcoholic, and also potentially explode.
Can I use flavoured kombucha?
If your supermarket is like mine, it may be your only option! Flavoured booch works fine. You do get a bit more ‘dust’ at the bottom of the jar than with the unflavoured starter.
Isn’t there a method where you add tea at the start?
Yes. there is a method where you add 50% sweet tea at the start. The theory is that this provides food for the SCOBY to get started, but it also increases your chances of mould. It’s just not necessary.
This is great Sarah, I am going to make this my little winter project 🙂