Long long time ago I had a few months where I brewed my own kombucha. At the time I was able to get a SCOBY by adding the bottom of a commerical kombucha to some sweetened tea which eventually grew into a full SCOBY which I used and split to make some batches. It was simple and easy

Is this something I can still do? Is there any brands that are more "raw" that would be a better starter?

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[–] [S] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I figured they would. I would prefer to not purchase it from Amazon. I also think its pretty fun to make it. But I might have to do that.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    I tried making it, but the problem is that the scovy forms too slowly from stuff you buy at the store. There's a fundamental problem for kombucha makers. It makes CO2 and alcohol. I haven't measured what sort of pressures are possible but it's about to burst aluminum cans. So hey, you love kombucha, go get it from the store but be careful or you'll get kombucha in your car all over the car or you might need stitches. Because of this problem and the generation of alcohol... Which makes it a requirement to have a license.... The makers simply heat the mix to kill the colony before you get it. Same taste but it's all dead or mostly dead.

    You might find live cultures at the local swapmeet or flea market or Asian or Latino stores. But there's the possibility of bringing home some deadly disease or a get your self blind or kill your liver sort of deal. For those reasons I opted to get it from Amazon. I sort of paused after I totally screwed up. I fed it a very drink that I got from Ikea. It's some christmas popular berry from Ikea's country of origin.

    Do not, I repeat, do not feed kombucha lingon berries. It has got to be the nastiest least offensive smell and taste. You see it, you think it will taste good and it sort of tastes ok when the liquid touches your tongue. But it's too late. You sense of smell tricks you, you get an after smell and a horrific after taste. It's not like hot pepper or Philippine balut when your body is ready to be in contact with the nastiest matter ever expected. No, it's the fact that you're expecting sweet raspberry preserve and you are met with sweaty shoe mixed with wet cardboard and pinesol.

    Somehow the Scovy learns that taste and it appears that it just keeps giving you shoe tasting kombucha after that. So don't.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 1 month ago

    Hmm. I wonder if some preservatives in the "juice" messes with the yeast and / or bacteria in the Scoby.

    I might buy a commercial Scoby. There's a local store that might have it which I feel better about.

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