Where to Get a Scoby for Making Kombucha
You can find a scoby mother in a variety of places. Check out Etsy, Amazon, or if you’re familiar with making your own kombucha, you may already have one ‘in stock’ from a previous batch.
You can even make your own. Yes, that’s a thing! The best part of these unique fungi: you can use and reuse!
I won’t lie; a scoby is some crazy mix of looking like a gelatinous glob of fat, alien substance, with chicken colored skin, but oh what a wonderful gift it offers us. Let’s start with an obvious question…why is it called a ‘mother scoby’?
First, ‘mother’ refers to the ability this scoby has to continue to regenerate, creating new layers of scoby, which can later be separated and used to create new scobies.
The word ‘scoby’ is actually an acronym, which stands for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast." What gives us the fermentation in kombucha is the process by which these bacteria and yeast in the scoby, feed of the sugars that are added when making kombucha.
If you’re someone who’s interested in making your own from scratch, it truly isn’t too difficult. You simply need some tea, sugar, and pre-made kombucha, which is available at most gas stations or grocery stores.
I encourage you to try and make your own. Do a little research and dive into the creation of this exotic and fun endeavor.
Bucha Benefits
Kombucha has some amazing health benefits. Besides the fact that it’s tea-based, which is already a plus, it’s also rich in beneficial probiotics. Probiotics help your gut with healthy bacteria that can improve digestion and inflammation.
How about antioxidants? Yes, those, too!
Antioxidants are substances that fight free radicals—you know, those pesky molecular beings that can damage our cells. There is scientific evidence that suggests drinking kombucha regularly reduces liver toxicity caused by toxic chemicals.
Here’s some heart-healthy news: Did you know heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death? I was astounded to find out this little-known fact. Well, good news—studies have shown that kombucha can greatly improve your risk by reducing your “bad” LDL and improving your “good” HDL cholesterol.
Want another? Kombucha may help to boost your metabolism. Constipation issues? Call on kombucha! There’s even growing evidence that kombucha may assist with the prevention of certain types of cancer.
What reason is there to say no to this fun, fruity, and healthy beverage?
Tea Starters
Here at Plum Deluxe, we have some truly amazing options to start you off down the road of making your own hard kombucha, or just kombucha if you’d rather. How about our Just Hibiscus herbal tea? Try making this and adding in some yummy fruits with a hint of lime or ginger.
Another option is one of our mates. I recommended our Raspberry Revitalizer lemon mate. The aromatic and flavor profile of this is out of this world. Couple with some fresh ginger and raspberries—it’s a must-try!
Would you like something a little smoother? Give our Housewarming Blend a try and add some fresh blackberries or peaches. It is so, so delicious!
Hard Kombucha Recipe
Equipment:
Directions:- 1 Scoby Mother
- 1-gallon mason jar
- Cotton breathable cloth
- Filtered water
- 1 package Plum Deluxe Be Well Blend
- 2 cups cane sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon dehydrated champagne yeast
- Blueberry juice (to taste)
- Cherry juice (to taste)
- Rose water
Round One:
Bring two cups of water to a boil; remove from heat.
Steep the entire package of Be Well Blend for 5-10 minutes.
Add 1 cup of cane sugar and stir to dissolve.
Add sweetened tea mixture to the gallon jar.
Fill the jar up with room temperature filtered water, leaving about 3” of space at the top.
Stir in your scoby mother.
Cover with your cloth and tie a string around to secure.
Place in a location on your counter out of direct sunlight and allow to ferment for 8 days.
Round Two:
Dissolve 1 cup of cane sugar into 1 cup of filtered water.
Once it cools, add ¾ teaspoon of dehydrated champagne yeast.
Within a few minutes, you will see foaming, which is the yeast that has re-awakened and is eating up the sugar to produce more alcohol.
If you don’t see this occurring, feel free to try again with a new packet of yeast, although I didn’t have any issues with my first batch.
Remove the cloth from your mason jar, remove the scoby along with one cup of tea. *This may be stored and saved for another round of kombucha.
Once the foaming process has begun, add the mixture to your gallon of kombucha and stir it in well.
This time, instead of a cloth, you’ll need to loosely close the lid over the top.
Place in a location on your counter out of direct sunlight and allow to ferment 7-14 days. *You know it’s working when you see bubbles forming and rising to the surface.
Final Step:
After 7-14 days of second fermentation, it’s time to add flavors. *I stopped fermentation at 10 days and it was perfect.
You’ll want to try out your kombucha to see how dry and boozy it is before adding your juices.
Pour a cup of your boozy kombucha, add cherry and blueberry juice to taste, and finish off with one drop of rose water.
Enjoy!
*This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All information and resources found within this article are based on the opinions of the author. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
