The Ugly Truth about the Amazing Drinks - Kombucha

If you've tried homemade kombucha and fell in love with it, or read/heard about all the health benefits, you might be ready to start your own brew.  

It is a wonderful thing: much cheaper than almost any store-bought drink, be it soda, flavored water, juice, or pre-made kombucha and more health benefits that any other drink that I know of.

But as we know, sometimes the magic behind the curtain is not nearly as attractive as the finished product.  This is certainly one of those cases.

I mentioned in a previous post my difficulty in dealing with the wonderful SCOBY that makes the delicious and healthy drink possible.

I'm going to share with you some of photos of my healthy SCOBY in order to prepare you.  Again, this is a healthy SCOBY.  Remind yourself that it is similar to making beer and just jump into making it.  The squeamishness about it goes away very quickly.

The first photo is of a SCOBY sitting in starter liquid while I prepare a fresh batch of tea.

Healthy SCOBY

Fermenting Equipment

Supplies, supplies, supplies!

Even before you order/get your SCOBY, you need to have the right supplies on hand. 

To get a good idea of what to expect of your SCOBY if you have not worked with one before, read this post.
To read about my first experience with my SCOBY's, click here.
Once you have your supplies and are ready to brew and ferment your first batch of kombucha, click here.
For your first batch of Milk Kefir, click here.

 - Very Important -

NO METAL SHOULD BE USED NEAR YOUR SCOBY!  I honestly, can not explain the science behind this statement, but all the fermenting gurus are quite emphatic about it.  I trusting them on this and passing it along to you.

Also, do not wash any of the equipment, bottles, or your hands with soap right before caring for your SCOBY.  We are working with bacteria and yeast.  Soap could harm them.  Instead clean with very hot water and a scrub brush dedicated to cleaning fermented beverages/foods equipment, then rinse everything (including the scrub brush) with vinegar.  Rinse your hands with vinegar, as well, especially before handling the SCOBY.

Click the Read More below to see my list of essential equipment.