#1 – SCOBY
We saw this one earlier in the chapter. Remember, it’s an acronym, which is just a fancy way of saying it likes to use initials.
SCOBY =
Symbiotic
Culture
Of
Bacteria &
Yeast
Though you may be tempted to say “Scooby” like your favorite cartoon dog, it is most commonly pronounced with a long ‘o’ like in “go.”
The SCOBY is a complicated organism and therefore goes by several aliases – AKA “Culture,” “Mother,” “Baby,” “Mushroom,” “Pancake,” and my personal fave – “Full Moon.”
Despite the differences in names, the SCOBY always serves the same function – as mother ship to the colony of bacteria and yeast that work in symbiosis (harmony) to convert the nutrient solution into Kombucha. A weirdly wonderful process!
P.S. About that “Mushroom” nickname – the Kombucha culture is NOT a mushroom. This is a powerful mythological misnomer, but one that is generally harmless. You may sometimes hear Kombucha referred to as “Mushroom Tea,” mostly because it sounds better than “Bacteria Tea” which might be a more exact description.
#2 – Starter Liquid
All fermented foods (sour dough bread, yogurt, etc.) require a bit of the old batch in order to start the new batch. Every time you brew, you’ll hang onto a cup or two of mature KT as Starter Liquid for the next brew.
Due to commercial producers trying to make another $3, many have duped people into believing that the LIQUID alone is the SCOBY – which is not accurate. Mother Nature KNOWS BEST and she doesn’t make mistakes – so don’t let them fool you – the SCOBY & Starter Liquid are both needed for the tastiest, healthiest Kombucha,
Always begin with quality ingredients. In this case, that means you need some well aged starter tea and yeast with your culture.
Watch out for dehydrated cultures (they get mold easily). It makes sense, considering dehydrated anything is not as good as the original.
For that matter, when seeking out a first culture, also avoid refrigerated cultures (“dead” brews and mold problems) and especially watch out for silver dollar size cultures or even test tube sized cultures (yes, test tube) that are too weak to protect your brew.
And while growing a SCOBY from your favorite brand is a tried and true method to discern how much processing they are doing (pasteurizing, from concentrate, sterile filtered, spinning cone column – all of these will not grow usable SCOBYs), it is not recommended and in fact we have numerous complaints from people who did that and they wasted time and money trying to get a tasty batch and ultimately ended up buying an authentic culture from Kombucha Kamp – so save $$ and time and get your full strength SCOBY & starter liquid from us!
If you have not been gifted a clean full sized culture with strong starter liquid, they are available here.
BONUS DEFINITION: KT = Kombucha Tea. Mature, fermented Kombucha. Convenient shorthand that sounds cool. Technically sweet tea becomes KT when the pH drops to 3.0.
#3 – Nutrient Solution /Sweet Tea
We all need to eat. Even the Kombucha culture. So we make a tea and sugar mixture to feed the culture. (Yes, you need to use sugar. Don’t worry, the sugar is NOT for you.) When combined with starter liquid and SCOBY, Kombucha will brew.
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I hope you’re enjoying chapter 1. Over the next few days, you’ll be receiving the full contents of my original kombucha seminar in this e-Course for FREE, a class that costs $50 in person. There’s a ton of great stuff to cram into just a few short lessons.
I have been inspired to offer this introduction to kombucha for free as a thank you to all the wonderful new brewers I’ve met and helped over the years. You have helped me learn as well. I believe that knowledge is power and I know you will feel empowered by the end of this series, just as I do whenever I brew Kombucha. This e-Course is meant to be simple and to inspire you.
Remember, you don’t have to absorb every word right now, take what works and is interesting for now and come back for the rest later.
Even after only one chapter, you’ve learned a lot about Kombucha.
☮+♥ Hannah
Hannah & her SCOBYs
