How to Grow your own Kombucha Scoby (Part 1 Kombucha Series)

The first step to brewing your own Kombucha at home is growing a SCOBY. You only need strong, sweet tea + 1 cup raw Kombucha + 3-4 weeks of time.
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PRINTABLE RECIPE: 🖨 leelalicious.c... 🖨
INGREDIENTS:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp loose leaf black tea (or 3 tea bags)
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 cup raw Kombucha (with active, life cultures) ideally unflavored
Links to products (I may earn a commission):
- 1 gallon glass dispenser jar amzn.to/42ztsjF
- unflavored, raw Kombucha amzn.to/3CriZvY
- ready-made scoby and starter tea amzn.to/3CnemmT
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[@popescudanielamihaela7817]

I just discovered you and im so enthusiastic to produce my own scobyyyyyyyy. Thanks for the explanations.

[@transluscence]

Thank you ,thank you, thank you ..... forthe simplicity and clarity of your presentation. Just perfect for me. Helen

[@Leelalicious]

You are so welcome!

[@RSpark]

Love your videos and your channel you explain it in a very easy way and understandable ❤tysm😊

[@Leelalicious]

Thank you!

[@Ccerastes]

I’m most definitely going to brew my own kombucha!

[@Leelalicious]

Awesome! Best of luck with your scoby

[@floridagirl8540]

I let mine ferment for 3 months and I still have a paper thin scoby. The tea turned to a vinegar smelling tea. I am now trying my luck now with a new batch of kombucha. i hope it works. I did use 2 cups of the starter liquid from the first batch

[@kosifath637]

According to Angelica from youbrewkombucha rhe physical scoby is not as important as the starter tea. I received a small piece of weird looking, very dark and thin scoby with just half a cup of starter tea about 3 months ago. I decided to give the liquid a try and wanted to grow my own scoby. I started with a quarter gallon ( pure black tea, raw organic cane sugar) and let it sit for a week or so. The brew started to smell vinegary but no scoby floating on top. I let I acidify a little further, still no scoby. I took 2 cups of that liquid and started a new batch, this time I used green tea. Suddenly a scoby started forming on top. I don’t know why, all my kombuchas turned out delicious, but only the ones with green tea will form a physical scoby . I am still trying to grow my own scoby from black tea in different jars with different black teas, sitting on my shelf for a week now and still no scoby 😢😅 in the meantime I could grow my own Jun scoby and even a yerba mate scoby. I have no explanation….I wish you best luck on your kombucha journey

[@Leelalicious]

I hope with the new batch a thicker scoby will form. As long as you got something growing there must be some activity

[@FelicityMkhwanazi]

I'm going to try this.thank you

[@alexconde8514]

thank you ! Im excited to try this!

[@Leelalicious]

Awesome. I hope it works out well and that soon you can make your own Kombucha ☺

[@lab35982]

Excellent video.

[@Leelalicious]

Glad you liked it!

[@RSpark]

Wanted to check with you to make sure about the kombucha you added can i use one that i bought? How do i make the scoby hotel what do i need to do? I’m trying to grow the scoby

[@Leelalicious]

Yes store bought kombucha is a great way to start. Try to go for minimally flavored. And it can't say pasteurized (then most beneficial bacteria is already dead). The hotel to store the scoby is just more of the same sweet tea you make in the beginning to grow the scoby

[@pedestrianrights1257]

Thank you, darling.

[@Leelalicious]

You are so welcome!

[@TorTorisaid]

Perfect video

[@Leelalicious]

thank you

[@markward7088]

I read a few years ago the FDA cracked down on store bought kombucha brands because of alcohol content. And made them change the formula, so it's no longer possible to grow a scoby from any of those products anymore Is this true?

[@Leelalicious]

There are still lots of brands of raw kombucha being sold. Just make sure the one you attempt growing a scoby with doesn't say it's pasteurized

[@SageAzure]

What fluid do you put in the scoby hotel? Dose it need a food sorce?

[@kaylaflaws5353]

She states that it is black tea that she changes once every 6 to 12 months. Since it is sealed, it is not active and therefore does not need to be fed.

[@Leelalicious]

Yes sweetened strong black tea

[@SageAzure]

Thank you so much.

[@episodesfreak]

So I just started growing a scoby, I didn't have black tea so I did it with green tea and I hope it works 😅 if it doesn't I'll try again with black tea. Can I let it grow in the fridge?

[@Leelalicious]

Good questions. I usually use black tea for growing the scoby, but alternate with green and black as I feel for the actual kombucha. And no, I don't think it will grow in the fridge. Or if it does, it will take a very long time

[@valentinavb3705]

Super

[@Leelalicious]

Thank you ☺️

[@mogisgailis6922]

Tried 12 different methods. Got just one thin film (the rest went to the compost bin), can't remember which method produced it, but it's lying on the bottom and not doing anything (temperature is steady +22). Frustrating. Another thing: found half empty wine bottle left from last Christmas and there is a thick jelly (? don't know how to name it) on the bottom, can't get it out from the bottle and even if managed somehow what to do with it? Could it be used for kombucha? Great channel btw.

[@Leelalicious]

I am sorry to hear growing your own scoby hasn't been going too well. Do you have any way of ordering one instead? I believe your vine turned into vinegar and grow a vinegar mother. It does indeed look like a kombucha scoby, but I believe the composition of bacteria and yeasts will be a bit different. However, I read this article where they slowly transitioned a vinegar mother into a kombucha scoby. Maybe this will work for you too www.onetomato-twotomato.com/2014/02/vinegar-and-kombucha-mothers/

[@timothymccarty4620]

Get a 3-4 gallon container make your black tea and sugar mix and poor an 8 oz jar of raw kombucha no flavoring in it cover and let's sit the scoby should form about an inch or too thick over a period of a few weeks fermenting the tea underneath pull the scoby out and put it in a hotel for storage you can seal your container if you can pressurize it or put the kombucha in individual glass.botles

[@jbones2121]

So if I understand this correctly to save your SCOBYs - pour kombucha in an air tight container, add SCOBY, close container, keep in dark place. And this will last indefinitely if you change the Kombucha every 6-12 months? And you can keep adding SCOBYs to it?

[@Leelalicious]

Yes scobys last almost indefinitely. Instead of adding kombucha, I recommend refreshing it with strong sweet black tea occasionally. It will give the cultures some food

[@jbones2121]

@@Leelalicious thanks so much!

[@davidfield533]

My ferment beetroot had a thick scobie can I use this for kombucha ?

[@Leelalicious]

@@davidfield533 this was probably a vinegar mother that grew. It could be used to make more vinegar but it won’t have the right combination of bacteria and yeast to make kombucha

[@ViktorBecker-f4o]

Einfach toll

[@Leelalicious]

Dankeschön 😊

[@RSpark]

is coconut sugar ok ?

[@Leelalicious]

Yes it works for but is not necessary since its mostly used up by the bacteria and yeast in the scoby. They thrive on simple white/cane sugar. I would save your coconut sugar for uses where you will consume it more directly.

[@RSpark]

@@Leelalicioustysm!❤ i’m actually keto and i have coconut sugar because i ordered it for someone else long ago and they didn’t want it the “sugar” i use is keto sweetener and i know it wouldn’t work

[@Gkiss-sw2oz]

Can you freeze the scoby as you can do it for the kefir grans?

[@Leelalicious]

I have not tried freezing they scoby. And I haven’t seen others freezing extra scoby. The most common way to preserve it is in a scoby hotel. Since it survives well for a long time at room temperature in an closed scoby hotel I am not sure why freezing would be required.

[@timothymccarty4620]

I did the first process in a 4 gallon stainless steel tank and then pull the scoby out I did the first process in a 4 gallon stainless steel tank and then pull the scoby out and seal the container in pressurize it. Scoby came out 2 in thick I pulled it out and put it in a container with black tea and sugar and put it in the fridge. I got to go be out about 4 weeks later to reuse it put it in the container to do the fermentation process but yet I don't seem to be getting fermentation did I somehow kill the scoby? Am I not supposed to put it in the refrigerator for storage did it get too cold how do I know if it's dead or alive? I've left a scoby in my tea for 3 weeks but don't have the adequate fermentation yet please advise 😢

[@Leelalicious]

I don't store mine in the fridge, but even if you did, it shouldn't have killed it. However a lot of the yeast and bacteria may have gone dormant and may need some extra time to revitalize. I also find now in the winter and cold room temperature kombucha fermentation always takes longer

[@timothymccarty4620]

@@Leelalicious thank you

[@DeeMoaMia23]

Can I keep this Scoby condo in the fridge ?

[@Leelalicious]

I’ve only ever kept it at room temperature. I have a small fridge so anything not taking space up in there is my preference. But also I don’t see how refrigeration would hurt it somehow. So I think that’s fine

[@DeeMoaMia23]

@@Leelalicious 😊😊😊😊🤤

[@jmidnite114]

Mine never grew a scoby. But it looks and smells like apple cider vinegar.

[@Leelalicious]

Oh no. How long has it been sitting? I'd try just giving it more time. It seems like it has some activity if it ferments further into a vinegary smell

[@AlemineshMekuria]

From where should I get un. flavor ed raw kombucha

[@Leelalicious]

I got mine at the grocery store. The "original" flavor had only 2% lima juice added and it worked perfectly. If your grocery store doesn't carry any, try a health food store. Otherwise you can always order some online amzn.to/45syFv0