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KOMBUCHA SCOBY & MOTHER CULTURES

A kombucha scoby is the basic starting point for creating a steady supply of your own nutrient-rich kombucha at home. The right kombucha mother culture provides a steady supply of the yeasts and bacteria that convert normal tea into kombucha. All of the kombucha scobys for sale at Cultures for Health are grown right here in our facility for maximum vibrancy and health.

What is a Kombucha SCOBY?


A kombucha SCOBY, also sometimes referred to as a kombucha mother, is the base of the bacterial colony that produces delicious, bubbly kombucha. If you’re familiar with kombucha, you’ll recognize it as a firm, slick, off-white mass that grows at the top of your kombucha as it’s brewing. A Kombucha SCOBY plays a critical role in stabilizing your kombucha colony and ensuring that the good bacteria take over and help stop bad bacteria from taking hold.



SCOBYs are a Colony of Bacteria and Yeast

SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. These various yeast strains and bacteria colonies join together and create a floating mass that we refer to as a SCOBY. This SCOBY serves as a stable growth media for all the probiotics that consume the sugar in your kombucha tea.



What’s the Purpose of a Kombucha Mother?

A kombucha mother serves as a big buffer for those beneficial bacteria. When you add new tea to your kombucha brewer, all kinds of bacteria attempt to colonize this new food source. A kombucha mother or SCOBY is like a giant home base for the beneficial bacteria that we want. They immediately colonize all the fresh new tea before any negative bacteria have a chance to take hold, helping to ensure that your kombucha is safe and delicious.



How to Make a SCOBY

SCOBYs form naturally as good bacteria and yeasts consume the sugar in kombucha tea. To create a new SCOBY, all you have to do is help nature take its course. By taking a jug of sweetened tea and adding a cup or two of healthy, living kombucha and a chunk of an existing SCOBY, you’ll create the perfect environment for a new SCOBY to form. You’ll see it grow at the top of your kombucha over the next couple of weeks. Once you get into kombucha brewing, you’ll have as many SCOBYs as you could ever want!



Kombucha SCOBY Frequently Asked Questions



Where Can You Buy A SCOBY?

At Cultures for Health, we obviously believe that we sell some of the best SCOBYs on the market! Grown in our own facilities, we have kombucha SCOBYs for sale, both dehydrated SCOBYs and live and active SCOBYs. We even have kombucha SCOBYs for jun tea. One of our favorite kombucha SCOBYs for sale is our live kombucha starter kit that has everything you need to get started making your own kombucha.



Is Eating SCOBY Good For You?

Yes, surprisingly SCOBYs are actually good for you. They’re not usually eaten since their appearance and consistency can be off-putting for some people, but SCOBYs are actually a great source of protein. You can even check out our own experimentation on making SCOBY candy.



Is It Ok To Drink The SCOBY In Kombucha?

A normal kombucha SCOBY is a pretty large solid mass that you’re in no danger of accidentally drinking! However, as kombucha is brewing, you’ll often see strings and small masses form inside the brew. Many people strain this out before drinking, but that’s purely a matter of preference. All those things are perfectly safe to consume.



What Is Kombucha SCOBY Good For?

Kombucha SCOBY mothers are best for making more kombucha! As your friends taste your kombucha, you’ll suddenly find more and more people who need a SCOBY to get started. So kombucha SCOBYs are also great for making friends! They’re also perfectly edible and even make great SCOBY dog treats.



How Many Times Can You Use A SCOBY?

A healthy kombucha mother can be reused as many times as you want. Over time they may start to look a little “scary”, getting darker and starting to look less healthy. It’s not a big issue, but this is when many people choose to create a new SCOBY. Just pull out the old SCOBY after you’ve freshly fed your kombucha culture. Cut off a chunk of the old SCOBY and drop it back into the kombucha. This will keep the whole colony stable while a new, fresh SCOBY forms at the top of your kombucha over the next couple of weeks.