When it comes to brewing kombucha, many people believe that a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) or cellulose pellicle is essential. However, you can actually make kombucha without a SCOBY. That’s right! You don’t need a SCOBY (or “mother” or “cellulose pellicle”) for brewing kombucha at home. Instead, you can use a starter from a previous batch or even purchase raw kombucha commercially to get started on your brewing journey.

The starter is a crucial ingredient in brewing kombucha because it contains the necessary bacteria and yeast cultures that ferment the sweet tea into the tangy and fizzy beverage we all love. While many of your friends will still swear by a SCOBY for brewing kombucha at home, the starter can serve the same purpose and provide the necessary microorganisms for fermentation. In fact, using a SCOBY might reduce the oxygen supply, which the bacteria and yeast need to digest the sugar in the sweet tea. (Besides, the cellulose pellicle is actually a waste product of the bacteria and yeast; it just happens to also contain a high concentration of bacteria and yeast.)

If you already have a previous batch of kombucha, you can use a portion of it as a starter for your new brew. Simply add the starter liquid to your freshly steeped sweet tea (we use a ratio of 0.5L of starter to 3.5L of sweet tea), and it will kickstart the fermentation process. The bacteria and yeast in the starter will consume the sugars in the tea, converting them into beneficial acids and carbon dioxide.

If you don’t have a previous batch of kombucha, you can purchase raw kombucha from a store. Look for a brand that is unpasteurized and unflavoured (although we’ve had success with flavoured kombucha too).

Remember, the starter is crucial for a successful kombucha brew, as it provides the necessary microorganisms for fermentation. But a SCOBY is not. Whether you use a previous batch or purchase raw kombucha, you can still enjoy the process of brewing your own kombucha without the need for a SCOBY or cellulose pellicle.