Re: Making a scoby from store bought Kombucha???

December 30, 2008

I can most definitely vouch that this method does work. Mine took a lot

longer than a week though, so I am wondering if you just need to leave

it longer. It did look like it had pond scum on it at about a week into

the process. At about three weeks I had a nice white thin scoby.

Texas

>>I have a question, I read that you can grow your own scoby from store

bought kt. So, about a week ago I bought some from the store, poured it

into a mason jar, covered it with a paper towel held tight >>around the

rim with a rubber band, and stuck it in my pantry.

December 30, 2008

<<I have a question, I read that you can grow your own scoby from

store bought kt. So, about a week ago I bought some from the store,

poured it into a mason jar, covered it with a paper towel held tight

around the rim with a rubber band, and stuck it in my pantry.

I looked this morning and it looks a bit murky, but nothing seems to

be forming that resembles a scoby. Any thoughts? Is this even

possible? >>

I'm sure the more experienced brewers will have some good advice for

you, but all I can think of now is what kind of KT did you buy? Was

it raw and unpasteurized? There are only two kinds of kombucha that I

can buy in the store here. Kombucha Wonder Drink and GT's. KWD is

pasteurized, and kombucha is only one of the ingredients. They add

carbonation to it. It's quite tasty, and I can chug the Asian Pear

Ginger flavor, because it is so fabulously delicious. But you

wouldn't be able to get a scoby from it. GT's is what I got my scoby

from. I just put it in a quart of tea and let it do its thing. Then

once I had a scoby, I did a full batch of 3 quarts in my gallon jar.

Also, is your pantry cold?

Those are the only two things I can think of.

Marcy

December 30, 2008

marcy makes good points, but there are other considerations with using

store-bought KT too. even if its not pasteurized, it has been cold for an

unknown length of time, stored in unknown conditions, and brewed to be the

best-tasting (on the sweet side), which is not really the best for starter (as

sour as possible). it can be done, and many have done it successfully, but my

theory is why mess around with " this may work " when you can easily do a sure

thing. a bottle of GTs costs $3-$5 bucks then you might wait weeks for it to

work, when for $5 or so shipping, someone will send you a scoby and starter that

is almost guaranteed to work. figure in the cost of all the store-bought KT you

have to buy until yours in ready, and it is much more time and cost effective to

start with the real thing.

that being said, even though i have ample scobys and starter, awhile back i

decided to try to get a scoby from GTs. i searched through the bottles at the

store til i found the one with the biggest oyster (earning odd looks from the

other customers-lol). i poured it in a wider jar and it sour on its own for

about a week, then added fresh tea, and after 3 weeks the scoby was still thin

and translucent while the liquid was tart and as you said " murky " and

gray-looking. my own brew has a nice reddish-gold tint that is much more

attractive than the GTs. the GTs tastes fine despite the color, but i like my KT

to both look and taste good!

whatever you use for starter, another thing you might want to consider is the

lack of air in your pantry. most people dont recommend a closet or closed space

because there is not enough air flow to give the brew the oxygen it needs.

just my experience - hope it helps

dl