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For those new to making kombucha, the process can be intimidating. Every little thing is confusing. Does it matter if my kombucha SCOBY sinks? Can I cut my SCOBY in half? Why can’t I ferment the kombucha SCOBY with fruit juice? How much sugar is left in the kombucha when it’s done? How can I tell when my kombucha is done? It’s taking an unusually long time for my SCOBY to grow. How long is enough?
Today, I’m answering these and other frequently asked questions about kombucha. Hope it helps!
Does it matter if my kombucha SCOBY sinks?
If your SCOBY sinks after you put it in your sweet tea, that’s okay. A new SCOBY will grow across the top. Sometimes, if your SCOBY culture is weak, it may take a while longer to grow a new one across the top. This isn’t bad, just inconvenient. So, to prevent this inconvenience, you can ensure your SCOBY won’t sink by bringing both it and your sweetened tea to room temperature before trying to rest the SCOBY across the top. A kombucha SCOBY will sink when it is a different temperature than the sweetened tea — even a few degrees matters.
Can I cut my SCOBY in half?
Sometimes, you want to double your batch, or share a SCOBY with a friend before yours has produced a baby. You can safely cut a SCOBY in half. Just make sure your scissors or knife are completely clean before you handle it to avoid contamination. The next batch you brew with the cut SCOBY will grow a new SCOBY to grow across the top, as always.
My SCOBY is a different size than my container. Does it matter?
Nope. As with cutting the SCOBY, all that will happen is that a new kombucha mother will grow across the top of the liquid, taking on the shape of the new container.
Why can’t I ferment the kombucha SCOBY with fruit juice?
If you’re opting to use the double fermentation method to create flavored kombucha, you can’t allow the SCOBY to be in the same vessel as the fruit juice, fruit, or other flavorful additions. That’s because the fruit juice contains a different type of sugar than the one kombucha thrives on. This causes a slightly different balance of bacteria and yeast to grow in your culture. While that may be desirable for the short term results (flavored kombucha), it will ultimately weaken your SCOBY. To keep your SCOBY uncontaminated, simply make sure it is always grown in a sweetened tea with no fruit or fruit juice added.
How much sugar will be left in my kombucha when it’s done?
That’s entirely up to you! The shorter your brew time, the sweeter it will be. That’s because sugar is the food for the SCOBY. As with all cultured foods, the longer it ferments, the more sugar it consumes. For those of you who desire less sugar, just let it ferment until it is very tart. Be prepared for it to be quite sour, though.
My kombucha isn’t fizzy, how can I fix that?
There are a lot of factors that go into making a nice, fizzy kombucha. But I’ve found that if people are following my instructions for the double fermentation method, the lack of fizz is usually because they don’t leave enough air at the top of their final bottle. When decanting your kombucha into a bottle or jar that contains fruit juice for the second ferment, be sure to leave at least an inch to an inch and a half of air at the top and seal with a lid.
How can I tell when my kombucha is done?
That’s entirely up to you! So many factors affect how long it can take to get to the flavor you desire. In Texas in the summer, my kombucha fermentation takes 7 days from start to finish, including the second ferment with fruit. In the winter, when room temperature is about ten degrees cooler, my kombucha takes about 12 to 14 days to reach the same level of tartness. There are people who live in more Northern climates who let their kombucha brew for 21+ days! If you’re concerned about safety, just use a pH strip to make sure you’re drinking the brew between pH levels 2.5 and 3.0.
My SCOBY isn’t growing! HELP.
If you’re trying to grow your own SCOBY from scratch, my first response is to give it more time. Sometimes, it can take weeks for a thin layer of something to appear across the top, then it will thicken up over the course of the following week. If, however, more than a month has gone by and absolutely nothing is growing, then it means the bottle of organic, raw kombucha you purchased was weak or old. Sadly, this happens from time to time. You can try again, or you can breakdown and order a kombucha SCOBY online. (Where to buy a kombucha SCOBY.)
If you’re not trying to grow your own SCOBY, but are instead in the middle of fermenting a batch of kombucha, then you may have inadvertently killed your culture. To avoid this in the future:
- Don’t use antibacterial soap to clean your fermentation vessel.
- Make sure you’re using filtered water that’s free of chlorine and other contaminants that can harm your SCOBY. (Where to buy water filters)
- Don’t add your SCOBY to hot or even warm tea.
- Don’t add any herbs, spices, honey or anything else foreign that can harm your SCOBY.
- Keep the fermenting vessel away from any disturbing fumes such as paint or solvents.
Is kombucha safe to drink when pregnant or nursing?
Yes and no. See my post Is Kombucha Safe When Pregnant or Nursing for more detail.
I want to double my recipe and brew 2 gallons. Will it take twice as long to brew?
No. Fermentation time is affected by a lot of things from temperature to the strength of your SCOBY, but the quantity of kombucha you’re brewing is not one of those things. It doesn’t matter how big your batch is.
I don’t like sweetened teas. Can I brew kombucha without sweet tea?
No. Absolutely not. You wouldn’t be providing the SCOBY with any food, so it would die.
Where to Find a Kombucha SCOBY
If you want to eliminate a lot of the guesswork, you can buy a SCOBY online from a reputable source. I recommend these companies.
(photo by dorywithsurfs)
Have you ever tested the alcohol content of your kombucha from either the first and/or second ferment? I recently used a hydrometer and tested the first batch at .5%; 2nd ferment I think added about another .5% or less for around 1% total alcohol by volume. Not sure if it’s accurate though!
Does kombucha exacerbate a systemic yeast problem???
I have a systemic yeast problem and was specifically told not to use any yeast products including kombucha.
Sara Jo Poff — No, I’ve never tested the alcohol content. But, that sounds about right. As long as there’s sufficient oxygen reaching your ferment and you’re not adding too much sugar to your sweet tea, the yeast have no reason to produce alcohol instead of CO2.
Dawn Turpin Walsh — No, it shouldn’t.
Just an FYI, people on an anti-Candida diet generally avoid anything fermented so not sure this would be a good idea, but it may depend at which stage in the elimination diet you are on.
Thanks for getting us started with this. We started our SCOBY about a year and a half ago, and though the original mother has long since been turned to compost, her great great (ad infinitum) grand daughters are still producing for us with very little effort on our part.
This is going straight to my bookmarks! And thanks to your comprehensive guide on kombucha, I can now have my daily dose of all-natural fizzy delicousness.
Joshua Allen Donini — You’re welcome! I just killed my SCOBY. Sad, but true. It had been getting weaker, and I don’t think it wanted to get rescued. I actually just bought a new one today from one of my sponsors so I can keep up my kombucha habit.
I had to laugh at the old shirt you use for your cover. Way to recycle/reuse!
OK…really new to this…what’s a SCOBY? I am assuming an acronym maybe?
thank you!
You’re right. A SCOBY is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast — a starter culture for the ferment. Sometimes they’re called “mothers.”
For more info, read my post on How To Brew Flavored Kombucha.
trying our first batch of kombucha this week!
I try to be pretty non-fussy with cooking & keep foods as simple as possible… but something I keep hearing about are the heater things you can use to keep kombucha at the right temp..? Do you worry with that? With keeping it warm enough? Sounds like extra steps, but I don’t want to compromise my brew
Pros? Cons?
I personally don’t use one because I live in Texas. It never falls below 72 degrees in my kitchen, so I’ll never need a warmer. If you live in a more Northern climate and can’t guarantee a room temperature between 74 and 78 degrees, it’d be a good idea to get SOMETHING to keep the ferment warm.
I live in Pittsburgh, PA and had the heater at 68F all winter. It was on up high on a bookshelf next to the heater vent in the kitchen, but I cannot imagine it was that much warmer than the thermostat 10 feet away. I had no problem at all and have had my scoby for over a year now.
Could you make this with an herbal tea, instead of black or green tea?
Kaylene Hebdon — No. In order for it to actually BE kombucha, it needs to be a fermented tea. The SCOBY needs the caffeine, tannins, and other goodies in real tea leaves to create the beneficial acids that make kombucha so worth while. That said, you CAN add herbs for flavor if you’re willing to do a second ferment (without the SCOBY) to flavor it.
Finally got up the nerve and tasted (store-bought) kombucha for the first time last week and LOVED it, but it was very expensive. Now to get up the nerve to attempt making it myself. Because I could easily drink this a lot
Thank you so much for all the great info on how to do this!
Can you store your scoby in unsweetened tea between brewing batches?
I would store it with a little (at least half a cup of) kombucha OR sweetened tea, but not with unsweetened tea. Wouldn’t want it to die from lack of food.
I am the same Mary! Toatlly loved it and was so excited to see it for sale here in NZ as had never found ti before. Cant wait to start making my oewn.
During the winter, I grew a scoby according to your instructions. It took 6 weeks but I did end up with a 1/8″ scoby. I have made kombucha several times with this scoby. The new scoby that I get on a batch is very thin. I cannot keep it intact. I usually let it brew 8-10 days. It is always a thin film, not a thicker scoby. Is this normal? I feel like I am getting a decent kombucha. It has a distinct, vinegary scent and I like the taste. Is my scoby too weak? Please advise. Thanks and I enjoy your site and use it frequently.
No, Diane, this isn’t normal. 1/8″ is about as thin as I would ever allow a SCOBY to get. Really healthy ones can be more than an INCH thick. Mine are most often at least half an inch thick.
I think your SCOBY is weak — so weak it’s barely there. If I were you, I’d buy a SCOBY or see if a friend has one to give you.
I thought that might be the problem. I will purchase one. Thanks.
After drinking store bought Kombucha intermittently for a few months, I finally followed your instructions and grew my own scoby, and am now on my 2nd batch of delish home brewed bucha! I have some questions, though. my home-brew is giving me headaches (i think). Do you think something is wrong with it? Or is it just more potent than the store bought? Or did my 5 day long honeymoon (a week ago) at an all-inclusive resort with way too many non-real-food pina coladas just create lots more junk to detox from my system? Opinions?
Also, My new husband and I have also decided to try to have a baby; do you think I should stop drinking it since I didn’t drink it for very long before ttc?
Thanks so much!
Headaches after drinking it can be a sign of detox. As with all detox reactions, you can either plow through it or ease off the kombucha and do it more gently (drink less while your body adjusts).
If I were you, I’d buy some pH strips and test to make sure my brew was acidic enough. Then, assuming it passed muster, I’d keep drinking it throughout my pregnancy because it’s quite beneficial.
All that said, I’m not a doctor or a medical professional. Listen to your body. Do what seems best for you.
i made my own scoby using store bought kombucha and the first batch was great. now my second batch is taking very long to brew and the ph is only about 5 after 6 days. smell kind of yeastie and vinegar at the same time but weak and not that fizzy. i’ve bottled it up with some grape juice for extra fermentation but am wondering if this is safe to drink and why is it so weak??? did it need more time?
TIA
Is there a way to strengthen a weak SCOBY? And what about mold? I had several spots of green mold on one of mine this week-the compost got that one. Thanks!
You did the right thing. If it’s molding, you need to throw it out and start from scratch with a new SCOBY.
And as for how to strengthen a SCOBY, that depends on what’s weakening it. It could be almost anything — unfiltered water, antimicrobial soaps, interference from other household appliances or EMFs, not enough oxygen, not enough sugar, too much sugar. I’d try to eliminate anything obvious first, then perhaps try adding more culture to the mix with a bottle of raw, organic kombucha (preferably locally made so that it has a shorter shelf life).
Another common question, or suspicion, is that metal destroys the SCOBY. I have not myself observed this to be true in all the years I’ve been making kombucha. I suppose you don’t either since you advise cutting it with scissors.
I don’t think a few minutes of contact with metal (OR plastic) is dangerous for the SCOBY. I would, however, think twice before fermenting the SCOBY in a metal or plastic vessel. That’s true for any fermentation, however. Metal and plastic both have chemical additives that I wouldn’t want leaching into my acidic ferments.
Agreed. I got a funny comment on my blog the other day about allowing kombucha to contact metal, “It is reminiscent of the Celtic fairy lore in which iron was horribly weakening and repulsive to the fairies.”
I’m not that superstitious myself.
But I’ve heard this many times before. I think that the warning against fermenting in metal has morphed into contact with metal…
Hey there, thanks for this great Q&A article! I’ve been brewing for several months now, but my last couple batches are TOO strong/acidic. I think this is because the weather is warming up and I wasn’t shortening my fermenting time to accomodate the warmer weather (does that sound possible?) I JUST ordered pH strips (thanks to this article) so now I can remedy that problem going forward (along with shorter time). But is there any use for a too strong batch? Can I use it as vinegar? Or cook with it? I hate to throw it away, but it’s not drinkable.
Thank you!
Oh yeah…wasn’t done with my question above (d’oh sorry). I have not been removing the oldest layers of the mother before brewing a new batch – would that cause problem of creating an overly strong brew? I had just been carrying over the whole thing from the previous batch until the bottom looked too funky (never moldy, just brown and mucky and um, just kinda “tore up” and tired) but I’m thinking I should remove a little more with each new batch? Is there a point where the mother is TOO thick that it could cause problems (i.e. is 1″ thickness ideal)?
I was wondering about the thickness also. After the first week, I drain the Kombucha into a second container, wash up the first container, and start brewing with the same scoby. I do flip it over to keep the even appearance. But because it floats very near the top, there is no baby… it just adds to the mother. This process has created a layered looking scoby. I was wondering how thick I should let it get before splitting it!
Steve, the baby SCOBY quite often grows on the underside of the mother so the layering you see is actually the baby attached to the mother. I usually pull them apart and use the baby for my next batch. I think this is the the right thing to do but I am not sure if it matters. Hope someone else with more experience will comment on this…
Some of my batches of kombucha taste a little watery. Any ideas of why this would be? It happened on the apple flavored more so than the grape. Other batches turned out GREAT. I use 5 organic tea bags per gallon in the first fermenting and add about 1/8 fruit juice for the second.
I would never buy a SCOBY when they are so incredibly easy to make. I just made a SCOBY and it took roughly a week and it’s gorgeous. Please do not buy what can be easily and cheaply made by you.
Not everyone has good luck creating a SCOBY from scratch. And there is nothing wrong with spending money on something that will, down the line, be healthy and save you tons of money on not buying soda or kombucha!
But what do you do with kombucha? Is it just a tea that you drink?
Linda: It is a flavored fermented tea full of healthy-for-you probiotic organisms that you need in your digestive system. Kind of like the kind that is in yogurt. It is also fizzy like soda pop, only without all the sugar. The sugar in kombucha is mostly eliminated during the fermenting process.
How long can Kombucha brew if I’m out of town for a couple of weeks. Can it sit in the closet that long?
How long is it good for in the refrigerator?
Hello,
It seems that Kevita makes a version of kombucha that’s low in calories and sweetened using stevia. I was wondering if you had any recommendations to alter your recipe so that you can make a sugar free (except for feeding the SCOBY) version of kombucha that’s sweetened mildly with stevia.
Is the fruit juice step necessary? If I skip that step and just add stevia will this give me the results I desire?
Thanks!
The fruit juice step is not necessary, it is just a personal preference thing. I regularly leave several servings plain in case I don’t want any fruit. However, I will say that I find kombucha with ginger to be incredibly delicious – and you can use ginger without adding any appreciable amount of sugar.
You may find, however, that your kombucha will not become fizzy without a second ferment with fruit or juice. Ginger might solve that issue, as well.
How do you flavor it with ginger?
And are there any more benefits to using the fruit juice?
I am one week into attempting to grow a SCOBY. Can anyone tell me whether or not adding a probiotic would be beneficial?
I bought a scoby and the mother was at the bottom and a little baby was floating on top. Made kombucha. On 5th day, i checked and saw a very white disk floating on top (i didn’t know yet that it was a new scoby) and i stirred it and then asked hubby to taste and he said it tasted like sweetened ice tea. So i put it back in the laundry room. Two days later when i checked i saw that the new scoby that i stirred settled at the bottom in one piece with the mother. And then there is a new tiny white film forming on top again. I put it back in the laundry room as it was not sour enough. Today, i checked again, and the white film turned into a new scoby except that this time the edges were brown to dark brown and the original daughter has attached to it. There are also whiter and thicker spots on this second round scoby. So i took all the scobys and put them in separate bottles. The two young round scobys are not thick enough so i put them in the laundry room with the original tea where they grew. The original mother with tea is in the fridge. I added apple and grape juice to the tea and put it away in a dark closet to ferment for two days.
Will it be safe to drink this even if the second scoby that formed had brown edges? The daughter also has a round dime-sized brown spot that attached to this second scoby. Will it be ok to use this for a new batch of kombucha?
Since i made the first round scoby sink to the bottom with the original mother, will it be ok to use it when it thickens to 1/4 inch?
How will i know if i have ethanol in my finished kombucha tea? I read that sometimes the alcohol turns into ethanol (which can kill?) when implements/tools are not properly sterilized. When i read this, now hubby and i are kinda staring at our kombucha not wanting to even taste for sourness.
I wonder who would be the first to taste after 48 hours of fermenting it with fruit.
Many thanks to you for sharing your knowledge.
Melly
I got impatient and started my SCOBY with the green variety of GT’s with seaweed, etc., because they were out of the plain, but my floating blob has several dark flecks in the viscous white blobs. There does not appear to be open mold spots on the top. Do you think this is okay? I am so anxious to get this going that I hate to have to start over again. Currently this is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick with lots of bubbles resting on the bottom side. BTW, I keep mine in the cabinet over the fridge…exhaust from the fridge keeps it steadily warm year round.
A friend told me that she cooks and eats her extra scoobys. Anyone else doing this..How?
thanks
Stephen
I have been continuous brewing for about 1 year now and would like to take a break. How do I take a “vacation”?
I’ve been brewing a batch separate from the normal tea one which is made entirely with apple cider (no tea). It does at least as well if not better than the tea kombucha, so don’t say that it can’t be done with fruit juice, because I’m here to tell you it can. I can’s say for sure that all juices work, but apple certainly does.
If others have tried this and failed, it could be because many store-bought juices contain preservatives which are specifically in there to prevent microbial growth (not what you want!). So make sure what you’re using is only pure juice with no preservatives.
Also, what you’re brewing over your apple cider is definitely NOT kombucha. You may have started with a kombucha mother, but you’ve created an entirely different colony of bacteria & yeast.
Kombucha, by definition, is fermented tea. Any studies done regarding its health benefits have been done on real kombucha, so whatever fermented apple cider you’re drinking may not have those same benefits (glucaronic acid, for example, which needs the tea in order to be produced).
Think of it like this. You can use the same culture of brewer’s yeast to ferment all kinds of things — mead, beer, or even hard liquor. But you wouldn’t call those substantially the same beverage. They’re completely different! In the same way, popping a kombucha culture on top of apple cider will produce something altogether different from kombucha (probably something much more akin to apple cider vinegar, in which case you’ve got both an ACV mother and a kombucha mother on your hands)!
I wanted to grow a scooby,but the unflavore at the health store are cold would that be okay to use?
I made my tea with Ginger green tea. It was mixed in the tea bags. I added the sugar to the ginger green tea and let it ferment for about 10 days. When I poured it out it was really bubbly and foamy. Smells and looks more like beer than the Kombucha it normally makes. What happened and is it ok to drink?
I’m not an expert, but my reading has led me to understand you do NOT want to use flavored teas to make kombucha. Rather, if you want it flavored, a two-stage fermentation process is necessary. The reason is this: SCOBY food is tea and sugar. Anything else – literally – can change the balance of the bacteria and yeast in the SCOBY. If you want ginger kombucha, you’ll probably get better results by adding ginger juice OR a big chunk of minced/thinly sliced ginger to the second fermentation. You want to keep your SCOBY out of that. Using it too long with additives to your tea/sugar blend can weaken it and make it susceptible to contamination, and even if it doesn’t, it will likely change the flavor/strength of at least your next few batches of kombucha, if not permanently.
is it ok if your scoby floats to the top and is exposed to the open air and gets my coffee filter wet that i was using to cover the jar for a few weeks?
How long can you keep the mother and starter in the refrigerator in a glass jar? Would it still be good after a few months?
Hi, I’m very knew to brewing and haven’t even received my scoby yet, however, I’ve found conflicting info on storing your scobies. That being said, what is the best way to store them? How long usually? And, what is the best cloth to cover with? Again, cheesecloth is conflicting, thx!
I used a double fermentation method using green tea and Cran-cherry fruit juice. This is my second batch (I was given scobies) It smells sour, taste is ok and it is not real fizzy. My first batch (with a different scoby) was with a Black Assam tea and Apple-grape. It was just awesome! Did I do something wrong? I go about 7 days then bottle it. I use a seedling heater to keep them warm.
Cranberry and cherry are very sour – nearly no sugar there. Sugar feeds yeast; yeast makes bubbles. You could add a bit of sugar to that particular juice before adding it to the kombucha, or you could blend it with a sweeter juice. Make sure the bottles are closed up tightly.
how do you brew your hot water/tea since you are not supposed to use metal??? we only have a stainless steel kettle.
A stainless steel kettle is fine for brewing your tea. You brew your tea and put it in a glass jar, let it cool to room temp, then add your SCOBY. The SCOBY is not in contact with your kettle. The main concern is that SCOBY not be fermenting in contact with metal or plastic. The comments above from Kristen M on June 20, 2012, sum up the concerns nicely.
“I don’t think a few minutes of contact with metal (OR plastic) is dangerous for the SCOBY. I would, however, think twice before fermenting the SCOBY in a metal or plastic vessel. That’s true for any fermentation, however. Metal and plastic both have chemical additives that I wouldn’t want leaching into my acidic ferments.”
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I hate tea, I wish I could stomach it. I try every year to see if my tast buds have changed. It makes me gag.
can I use herbal tea like rasberry or chamomile anything that does not taste of tea.
I really wnat to try this brew. Help please.
1. Use the very best quality organic white, green, or black tea you can get your hands on, and keep the steeping time short. A couple of minutes is usually perfect. Make sure you heat the water to the correct temperature before making tea with it – black takes hotter water than green, and green takes hotter water than white. That should reduce the amount of tannins in the tea and produce a pleasant flavour.
2. No, you can’t use herbal or decaffeinated teas to make kombucha. The tea and sugar are perfect food for the SCOBY. Anything else will be imperfect food, and will eventually weaken or kill the SCOBY.
Honestly, kombucha hardly tastes like tea at all. Kind of like a really light beer or vinegar. The best way to decide if you like it or not is to buy a bottle and try some. The ones with ginger tend to be my favorites. :]
Can I boil Ceylon cinnamon stickers and ginger with the tea?
Hi,
I have a pretty thick scoby and it has a top of fairly stiff white surface on top. Is this ok, or should I renew the scoby?
Thanks
I didn’t think my baby had grown after 7 days so I had a dumb idea to warm it up in the oven and I forgot to turn it off, it got up to 350! Even worse when taking the mother out to toss I realized there was a baby, I just didn’t see it. So is the bacteria killed in the tea as well as mother and baby? Is it worth drinking at all?
Hi, I have a question. I made a batch of Kombucha and added fruit, strawberries, it’s been in a glass container on th counter with a lid. Its been about 5 days, its half gone and now I see what looks like a scoby on the surface of it. It’s thick and big, it seems alive, but there is fruit mixed in with it. What can I do with this? Will the fruit eventually go bad, can I salvage this second scoby somehow?
Thank you.
I was told that Kombucha has to be in a cool setting 78 or under. We live in a mobile home, and it gets above 78 in the late afternoon until the sun goes down past the trees. Will my kombucha go bad?