I wanted to try kombucha and bought some from the local health food store- I liked it and felt pretty good after drinking it, but the cost of over $3 a bottle was a bit prohibitive so I decided to "grow" my own scoby.
I bought a bottle of the raspberry kombucha (GT Daves) brought it home, brewed one cup of tea with two green tea bags and 3 tablespoons of sugar, let it cool put it in a quart mason jar and added about 1/2 the bottle of raspberry kombucha, put a paper towel held on with the jar ring and put it in a warm cupboard. Within a few days it started growing a new scoby on the top of the liquid. About two weeks in it was quite thick and I started adding more tea/sugar mix. By the end of a month I had a full blown scoby/mother and I started brewing it by the gallon. My tea mix was 5 green teabags, and 4 black teabags and 1 cup sugar per gallon, But harvesting the tea was one of those things that is personal per person- I like mine a bit sweeter so harvested about a week in and others I know like it more sour and harvest at about 2 weeks... I also like it fizzy so I let it secondary ferment in swing top bottles with extra flavoring and a bit of sugar put in... My favorite was 4 chunks of fresh pineapple and a couple slivers of ginger in about 16 oz swing top bottle, let it sit in the cupboard for about 4 to 8 days, depending on the how warm it is in there, and then putting in the fridge for yummy fizzy kombucha! Just watch out tho- I have had them erupt like geysers! I just strained thru a plastic sieve into a tall glass and enjoyed!
I bought a bottle of the raspberry kombucha (GT Daves) brought it home, brewed one cup of tea with two green tea bags and 3 tablespoons of sugar, let it cool put it in a quart mason jar and added about 1/2 the bottle of raspberry kombucha, put a paper towel held on with the jar ring and put it in a warm cupboard. Within a few days it started growing a new scoby on the top of the liquid. About two weeks in it was quite thick and I started adding more tea/sugar mix. By the end of a month I had a full blown scoby/mother and I started brewing it by the gallon. My tea mix was 5 green teabags, and 4 black teabags and 1 cup sugar per gallon, But harvesting the tea was one of those things that is personal per person- I like mine a bit sweeter so harvested about a week in and others I know like it more sour and harvest at about 2 weeks... I also like it fizzy so I let it secondary ferment in swing top bottles with extra flavoring and a bit of sugar put in... My favorite was 4 chunks of fresh pineapple and a couple slivers of ginger in about 16 oz swing top bottle, let it sit in the cupboard for about 4 to 8 days, depending on the how warm it is in there, and then putting in the fridge for yummy fizzy kombucha! Just watch out tho- I have had them erupt like geysers! I just strained thru a plastic sieve into a tall glass and enjoyed!