Kombucha Chaining: How to Create a SCOBY

[NotLuckyButBlessed]

Wow, thanks Rebekah for taking the time to type all that.  I guess you can use fruity tea as long as it is not "oil of..(whatever)".  I though all fruity teas had oils in them  .  I used Earl Gray once and it caused mold b/c it has oil of bergamot in it.  I am going to branch out and try these teas then.  Thanks so much - sounds tasty!     

I bought my starter batch from someone else and used the process of chaining to start my Kombucha. She uses Earl Grey and has never had any mold problems. I use Earl Gray too and also have not had a problem. Strangely enough, everyone thinks the Earl Gray tastes peachy... My dh, mom and step-dad all made comments about it being "peachy" which is what gave me the idea to try peach tea. But it was not as peachy as the Earl Gray. Anyway, if you have started a batch with Earl Gray, don't throw it out thinking you are wasting your time. It just might work.

[Youthful One]

I bought my starter batch from someone else and used the process of chaining to start my Kombucha.

What is the "process of chaining"?

(I have a guess, and I'm thinking this is what I need to do...)

[NotLuckyButBlessed]

I bought my starter batch from someone else and used the process of chaining to start my Kombucha.

What is the "process of chaining"?

(I have a guess, and I'm thinking this is what I need to do...)

Yes, chaining is what you talked to me about when you talked about buying the GT's and using it as a starter for your, in this case, Kombucha. This can also be done with Kefir and probably other things too. This makes buying a SCOBY unneccesary as you will be growing your own.

In my case, I started with 1 quart of Kombucha. I boiled 3 quarts of water then added 1 cup of sugar and my tea bags (I add more tea than most as I like our Kombucha to have a stronger tea flavor -- plus my kids think of it more like carbonated iced tea and they love iced tea). When it is cooled sufficiently I pour it into a gallon jar (my we've been eating alot of pickles!) and add my quart of Kombucha. I put cheesecloth on top with a rubberband and set it in a box under our low counter/desk area in the kitchen. We personally like ours around 8-9 days. Right around that time it switches into more vinegar. Then the kids definitely don't want to drink it and it becomes more of a chore than a delight for us. Anyway, we have now grown some beautiful SCOBYs/mushrooms/pancakes of our own.

I also used this basic method of chaining for kefir. One thing I did not know to start with though, is that the kefir I originally got was from a cow (I thought I got goat) and I tried to use it with goat milk. It is edible but not very tasty. Use cow milk with cow kefir and goat milk with goat kefir.

[Youthful One]

Okay, it's day 7 on my 'grow your own scoby' experiment.

And I don't really see a scoby.

It smells super-yummy, like really good, peachy kombucha.  But I don't see anything larger than a quarter-size jellyfish - which is pretty much what I threw in there from G.T. Dave's.  Except what I see now isn't as much of a single jelly-fish type entity as a slight film on top that is minutely thicker in a couple of areas than others.  There is also a fair amount of sediment at the bottom.

I know I have a few more days until the 'recommended' harvest time.  Is it hoping too much to have a scoby and drink it too?    Or do I just resolve to leave the whole thing until there is a strong enough scoby to pull out (no matter how vinegar-y it becomes)?

It smells so yummy, and I'm so impatient to have my own kombucha!

(As a side note: the scobys you gave me are remaining lopsided - at about a 30* angle in the jar.  There seems to be a fair amount of floaties in there too.)

[LoveSunflowers]

I grew my one SCOBY on accident! I had let a batch of 'bucha ferment too long and it was way to tart for us. Anyway, I was trying to decide if I should just throw it out or suck it up and drink. Well, I strained it out and set it on the counter with a lid on it. A few days later it was forming a baby. I decided to let it go and see what happens. It grew a nice, big, white baby! I kind of forgot to do something with it before I went on vacation, so when I got back there was baby in the jar at least an inch thick!! It was amazing. So, I had no knowledge of growing your own scoby but it does happen.
Jessica

[cinmama]

After reading this thread, i decided to try and grow a SCOBY.  I had some store bought bucha in the fridge.  I made some sweetened tea and put the remaining into the jar with the tea, then covered with a cheesecloth.  There probably was not more than 3-4 oz of the bucha left in the bottle.  I was skeptical.

I checked it today (6 days or so) and there were a bunch of bubbles around the top of the jar at the sides, which i thought may be something.  Then i smelled it, and WOW!  it smells yeasty, definitely not like regular tea.  I think i may have something going here!

Anyone know what i should expect next?  how long until i see a pancake?

[Badgermom]

I got my first kombucha mushroom this way.  I just bought a bottle of kombucha from the store, poured it into a bowl, covered it and put it in the cupboard.  It's been over a year now, so I don't remember exactly, but I think I had a mushroom in about 2 weeks or so.  I've been using it's descendents ever since!  By the way, it does start out as a film on the top, but when you touch it, it is solid.  My first one was quite thin, but they get thicker as you go.