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How to Create a SCOBY for Kombucha: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Create a SCOBY for Kombucha: A Step-by-Step Guide

Food & DrinkHomebrewing
fermentationhomebrewkombuchaSCOBY

Kombucha is an old type of beverage, dating back thousands of years. It’s essentially fermented tea mixed with sugar. On our podcast “Ur vår jord podd” we’ve had two kombucha makers on so far (Gaëlle Kombucha and Roots Kombucha) and that really got me interested. The world of fermentation is one I have yet to dip my toes in. So, I thought I might as well start with trying to create a SCOBY for kombucha! It seems like an interesting process to say the least, and I believe the kids will enjoy seeing the SCOBY grow!

SCOBY?

The first step is to actually create the pre-requisite for kombucha: the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)! SCOBY is the magic ingredient that turns sweet tea into kombucha. It eats the sugar and provides the necessary bacteria and yeast to start the fermentation process.

What you need to make your own SCOBY:

  • A large glass jar

  • Towel to cover the jar

  • Rubber band to help the towel to stay in place

  • Black tea bags

  • Sugar

  • Hot water

  • Store bought kombucha (you should use natural/unflavoured kombucha , but I used kombucha with blackcurrant taste and that seems to work just fine as well, so far)

How to:

  • Make sure both the glass jar and towel are completely clean. I first hand dished the jar and then poured the hot water, tea and sugar directly into the jar. The heat will kill any remaining bacteria (so don’t put your starter kombucha in just yet ;) ).

  • Once the tea bags have soaked for a while, remove them from the jar.

  • Make sure the sugar have completely blended with the tea.

  • Cover the jar and let it cool down to room temperature

  • Pour in some of the store bought kombucha

  • Cover with the towel and store in a place out of direct sunlight, preferably dark and warm.

  • Wait

Playing the waiting game

After a couple of days you will start too see a thin transparent film on the surface, that’s the SCOBY taking shape. Now it’s just a waiting game until the SCOBY is large enough to start the brew itself! Meanwhile you might want to learn more about why fermented foods and drinks are a great addition to your diet in this post!

Thanks for reading! I’ll keep you posted on the progress!