I ordered my last kit off amazon and honestly its been the best! My Kombucha! The last starter I got earlier this summer I sadly killed due to an error and then going on vacation. Anywho, here is what I got to start over: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7S1CV5?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
I got in in August and would def recommend!
I also used the big book of kombucha, have it now. Found it at the library too, yours might have it. Got first starter on amazon and been going ever since. A little over two years ago: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7S1CV5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I got my mother on Amazon, though previously I used one a friend gave me. This is the one I used.
I make a gallon of strong black tea with 1.5 cups of sugar, let it sit (covered) until it's cooled, then pour it into a jar, drop in the mother, and cover the opening with cheesecloth. I put the jar in my cupboard and let it sit until it's ready, which depends on how warm the ambient temperature is. It has been hot here and I don't have air conditioning, so mine takes about three days for a first ferment. Letting it go too long won't hurt you, but the resulting brew is a little vinegary for my taste. A new mother grows on top during fermenting, so you can put that one in another jar of tea and have a basically continuous stream of kombucha. I have four gallons in first ferment at all times. Pour into smaller jars, add juice or fresh fruit to flavor it as desired, and give it a couple more days in second ferment so that it gets fizzy. Boom, you've turned ten cents' worth of tea and sugar into a drink that people pay five bucks a bottle for!
I initially got into brewing kombucha because I wanted to tend to something living but had bad luck with houseplants. Now, I really love trying new flavors - I just bought some soursop and guava juices to try next. It's a pretty fun hobby. r/kombucha is not super active but I have found tasty recipes there; it is where I got the beet 'buch idea.
They say if you do it with GT you have to get the black labeled ones because the new recipe for the regular labels don't contain enough fermentation.
You can buy a starter through amazon.
If you live in the US, you can buy a SCOBY online from Amazon. I did it as well as some friends, and it has gone well so far. I'm currently on batch two. You just buy the SCOBY once and you can do continuous brew forever pretty much.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7S1CV5/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Unfortunately your friend gave you a pellicle, which is primarily the waste product of the SCOBY which lives in the starter liquid. I had good luck with This starter from amazon. You can also buy unflavored unpasteurized kombucha from a grocery store and use it as your starter. I wasn't able to find the unflavored stuff near me though.
This one looks like what I got
Humm Kombucha makes a Whole30 approved kombucha and I’ve been drinking it almost daily this round! Humm Whole30 Approved Probiotic Kombucha Variety Pack - 2 Billion Probiotics - No Added Sugar - Organic, Vegan & GMO-Free (12 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QVF1739/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_WZK9G52ZQCDGX1AJ8FAC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
The Kombucha Company Large Kombucha SCOBY |16 Ounce Bottle of Strong Live Kombucha Starter Tea Cultures | Makes 1 Gallon | 2 Cups Mature Starter Tea https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FB9V17W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_1KZVKM4BSQ53T9H9CZKK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Good news!!
I found this same flavor (I've never had it before so j can't say if it's the same or not, sorry) on Amazon! You can also see if they carry it locally by clicking here.
You can still buy it online. Teavana was bought out by Starbucks so not all the products have been discontinued. Ingredients are Cocoa peels, rooibos, peppermint, honeybush, natural flavors, chicory root, cinnamon, licorice root, spearmint.
Teavana White Chocolate Peppermint Herbal Tea with Rooibos and Cocoa Caffeine Free, 48 Sachets Total, 60.96 Ounce, (Pack of 4) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YS63D5D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_9WXYT54AE26RGP28VFXQ
Yes. There are a few different ones I saw, but I went with this one because it was well reviewed and there were a few guides recommending it. I was extremely lazy when piecing together my kit, and just decided to order it all together. I had also misunderstood something, and thought that it took upwards of 4 weeks to brew the kombucha when using a store bought bottle of raw buch, but what the guides were saying is that it could take up to 4 weeks for the pellicle to form.
I could not find unflavored kombucha in my area. So i bought some off Amazon that had good reviews. It’s worked well… no ice pack or anything though. Not sure it would fair in 100+ deg heat though.
This is the stuff i got:
Fermentaholics ORGANIC Kombucha... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7S1CV5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I started with this:
Fermentaholics ORGANIC Kombucha SCOBY With Twelve Ounces of Starter Tea - Live Starter Culture - Makes A One Gallon Batch - 1.5 Cups of Strong Mature Starter Tea - Brew Your Own Kombucha https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01N7S1CV5/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_7Z5DQG6YNFW7HNX793HG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Sorry I took so long to get back to you, I had a rough day. Tested 3 strips and all 3 said 3.5 so I'm not sure. The batch doesn't smell bad, I just yet to try it. Also. Starter tea was this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7S1CV5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_1M7GDQKHD2T164YM922P
Cheapest option if you can't get some starter tea for free from someone you know, is to buy a bottle of GT's raw kombucha. That's all you need. Don't spend the $20 or $30 odd bucks that people on amazon want to charge you (like this garbage: https://www.amazon.com/Kombucha-Brewing-Strong-Starter-Cultures/dp/B07FB9V17W/). A bottle of GT's or HealthAid is $5 or so and perfectly fine to start brewing with.
I mean, idk where you are, but there are lots of sources for SCOBYs. You don't necessarily need raw kombucha sold for drinking, but you have to have some liquid kombucha.
https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Kombucha-Scoby-Live-Culture/dp/B009ZW8RP4
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Deal link: Amazon
Category-wise subreddits for Amazon Deals:
Is your reddit feed getting flooded with deals for products you are not interested in? Below are our category-wise subreddits where I crosspost from the main sub.
Category | Subreddit |
---|---|
Electronics | /r/Deals_Electronics |
Computers and Accessories | /r/Deals_Computers |
Video Games | /r/Deals_VideoGames |
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Get a fermentaholics scoby from Amazon. My first batch was great and I’ve been brewing for almost a year and haven’t looked back.
Fermentaholics ORGANIC Kombucha SCOBY With Twelve Ounces of Starter Tea - Live Starter Culture - Makes A One Gallon Batch - 1.5 Cups of Strong Mature Starter Tea - Brew Your Own Kombucha https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7S1CV5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_WRBR6S56F5G0VBR9CC8P
Awesome, thanks so much. I ordered a SCOBY from Amazon so hopefully, it will work out (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7S1CV5/) along with this tea https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X74H834/
Can I start with the 1-gallon batch in the full-sized bucket or is the surface area a factor?
You don't need a SCOBY to start. Just buy a unflavored kombucha from you local grocery store , maybe two and start with that. If you still realy want to buy a SCOBY you can buy one on amazon.
I started with https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7S1CV5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xLeNFbZ3Z04TS
I only used like half of it cause it said it came with 4 pellicle, but now I'm rereading it and I think it meant 4 inches... Oh shoot did I mess up....
I decided to try this one when I first started:
I've got a strong delicious ongoing culture, and I even sell starter cultures locally to anyone who wants them (I would consider offering to ship to you, but it wouldn't be a good idea until spring here, it would definitely freeze in the mail in the North Dakota winter) The good thing about purchasing from Amazon is if it fails you can easily get a new one free or get a full refund.
I choose that one because the directions on the back are very similar to my prefered brewing methods, so if you do go with that one and want to follow their directions I can say from experience that I am very happy with the flavor their cultures are producing.
Let me know if you have any other questions I can help answer, I've been teaching some Kombucha making classes, and it's always good to hear what questions people think of that I may not have thought to answer.
I got mine from Kombucha Kamp’s website. Also, I’ve seen at least two of the more popular YouTube guides references this same Amazon scoby: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZW8RP4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OM-LCbTK7PA33
Personally I was a bit more hesitant with Amazon as the reseller isn’t at control of the warehouse temperature. There’s also a scoby subreddit for those looking for one I believe. Also maybe worth mentioning is many users claim you can jump a batch with a bottle of plain GT and a little extra time (I’m sure it’d work with enough effort, just something I’ve never done).
You can order a scoby off of Amazon if they'll ship to your country and start with a super small batch of tea with a little extra sugar. Let that go for a bit til it smells nice and vinegary, then add it to a full batch of tea.
All my things I got on Amazon, except for the plain kombucha, and I buy black tea bags from the grocery store.
Gallon or 2 gallon glass jar. Personally I would just get a plain one since I got one with a spigot and it just ended up getting clogged, so we don't even use it.
Scoby, I got this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7S1CV5/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_07p-Db4F7Y8SW
I'd advise to get extra starter tea for the first batch you do, I didn't and ended up getting mold and then had to.buy another scoby. You can find where you can get plain GT kombucha on their website, don't use flavored.
Swingtop bottles(and optionally chalk labels for them). Pretty self explanatory, the size doesn't really matter just make sure they are for fermenting and not square. I use the liter size.
If you have any questions let me know
How much are you brewing that it’s going to take $50-75 of starter? Or is it just some really expensive starter. Personally, I went to a few stores looking for GT’s classic original and couldn’t find any. I ended up buying this perfectly good starter on amazon for $12.99. Smelled just right and looks to be going well https://www.amazon.com/Fermentaholics-Kombucha-Twelve-Starter-Culture/dp/B01N7S1CV5/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=fermentaholics&qid=1592791315&sprefix=fermentaholi&sr=8-3
Make sure you're using unflavoured booch to start your scoby. Any added flavouring/fruit/juice will make it mold.
Here's what I use to make my SCOBY: 2 quarts water, 3/4 cups sugar, 3 tbsp of green tea, a bottle of unflavoured kombucha (this brand - pretty easy to find here in Ottawa, Canada, and a well-known brand). I covered it with a clean hand towel and secured it with a rubberband. Let it sit in the corner of my kitchen away from windows/direct sunlight. My apartment isn't air conditioned but I do my best keep it cool, so I'd guess the temp was around 25 degrees Celsius. Mine was ready to use in about 2 weeks. I posted pics from the process here.
Hopefully this helps! Don't give up, you'll get it!
Amazon, will deliver anywhere. I used this one. Have done 4 batches, over 10 gallons worth. Now have sooo many scobies. 1 X Organic Kombucha Scoby - Live Culture by Scoby Kombucha https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZW8RP4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YKUPCbFHJDVAE