Let's imagine somebody in my family wanted to get started making our own kombucha

[conuly]

and let's also imagine that this someone doesn't have the time or inclination to research the best starter kit and, frankly, neither do I.

Any recommendations or preferences?

Comments

[james]

Okay this thing always makes me start singing to myself "Kombucha, my lord, kombucha..."

;-)

[conuly]

Welp, now I gotta greet my sister that way.

[james]

You're welcome.

[readerjane]

Run far awaaawy! Kombucha is nassty.

[conuly]

I'm not gonna be the one drinking it.

Anyway, I've been known to make my own pickles and yogurt, so can I complain?

[readerjane]

...but I bet you were wise enough not to combine the pickles and yogurt.

[conuly]

...of course!

[tielan]

I got a scoby off someone else to start my kombucha.

Are there any kombucha makers in your sister's area? Does she belong to any hippie/home gardener groups? There's almost certain to be a half-dozen people who make kombucha in any home gardening group, and they always have spare scobies, because the damn things multiply when you're not looking.

[silveradept]

This, yes, and from when my ex was making it, you'll need a tea of some sort, some crocks to let it do the work in, and then, the thing a lot of people forget, a lot of bottles to put the stuff in. Washed glass bottles of any stripe will do, but I found the Herbert's Lemonade bottles were just right.

[tielan]

Oh, yeah. LOTS of bottles!

It's actually really easy.

1 scoby and 100ml of kombucha in 1L of cooled black tea made with 1/2 cup of sugar. Put in a non-reactive container (huge glass jar works for me) and cover with a cloth, putting an elastic band around the mouth so no creepy crawlies or flies can get in. Leave for about a week but taste in four days, checking for tangyness, which means its fermenting right.

Decant into glass bottles and store in fridge. Or do a secondary ferment, add fruit, and make it slightly fizzy!