One of the reasons your kombucha may not be bubbly is because it’s fermented for too long. The good yeasts in kombucha eat the sugar and then release carbon dioxide. This is what creates carbonation. If you let it ferment too long the kombucha go flat. If you don’t let it get vinegary, it will…

Yes, absolutely. You need only part of the SCOBY to ferment the tea. You can even make a pot of kombucha without the SCOBY and just use the starter tea. It will take up to three weeks, but it can be done.

Yes! Feel free to check on it every so often to see how it’s doing. To do this, just pour off a couple ounces for a taste test. Such a test might go like this: 4 to 6 Days—Too sweet; not all sugar converted. 7 to 9 Days—Tastes like sparkling apple cider. 10+ Days—Vinegar taste…

The SCOBY will last a long time, but not forever. If it turns black or starts to develop mold, or if it stops culturing your tea, it’s time to toss it.

Simply keep it in a jar with a lid and your starter tea (from the previous batch) on your counter for up to a month.

Your kombucha should have a neutral odor at first, and then gradually take on a more vinegary smell. If you begin to notice a rotten or unpleasant odor, toss the liquid, and carefully examine the SCOBY for any signs of mold. If the SCOBY has no mold, simply start again with fresh, filtered water and…

No, it’s not safe! Throw the tea and the SCOBY out immediately. As for why this happened, there are a couple of possibilities. Sometimes people do not follow the recipe exactly, throwing off the ratio between the ingredients, which in turn throws off the fermentation process. Be exact in your measurements. The other cause can…

Ahhh, the eternal question. Since you grow a new SCOBY each time you make kombucha, you’ll have to get creative. The SCOBYs can stack on top of each other and form a SCOBY hotel. I’ve fed them to a friend’s chickens, used them as fertilizer in my garden, given them away—the list goes on and…

Don’t be alarmed! This is your new SCOBY forming! It will grow to the diameter of the jar or crock it is in. So if you have a wide jar, you will have a big SCOBY each time you make kombucha.

Absolutely. You may also see dark brown spots. Both of these are normal. They’re simply a by-product of the good yeasts eating the sugar out of your tea.

Your house is probably on the cooler end of the spectrum, and kombucha takes longer to ferment at lower temperatures. Just leave it to ferment longer. I use a brew belt for a dependable temperature. You can also use a heating pad, but brew belts provide a consistent temperature that is more easily controlled than…

It is 100 percent okay if your SCOBY sinks. Sink or float—it makes no difference to your kombucha. It won’t affect the brew or the taste.

Store your scoby with enough kombucha tea to cover the scoby, in a glass jar with a lid, preferably plastic. Store on your counter at room temperature. This will last a month, or a little longer stored this way.

Your kombucha should have a neutral odor at first, and then gradually take on a more vinegary smell. If you begin to notice a rotten or unpleasant odor, toss the liquid, and carefully examine the SCOBY for any signs of mold. If the SCOBY has no mold, simply start again with fresh filtered water and…

No, it’s not safe! If there is mold then you should throw the tea and the SCOBY out. As for why this happened, there are a couple of possibilities. Sometimes people do not use the right ratio of sugar and tea to starter culture, and so the tea doesn’t ferment properly. Be exact in your…