SCOBY—a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also known as a mushroom or a mother
1 tablespoon of loose-leaf tea from the camellia sinensis plant (black, green, oolong, white or puerh) OR two tea bags
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar with the live mother (or ½ cup kombucha)
½ cup granulated sugar
Hot water (a cup or two)
Room temperature or cold water (a few cups)
Notes on ingredients
The only real trick to making kombucha is finding a SCOBY. Ask for one in your neighborhood Buy Nothing group or search on craigslist or in a similar marketplace. Kombucha Kamp sells them. I have seen SCOBYs on Etsy also. Please start looking for your SCOBY now.
You may be able to grow a SCOBY. Buy a bottle of good-quality raw kombucha, pour a few inches into a wide-mouth jar, secure a cloth over the jar and keep the jar on the counter. In a week or two, a thin film may form on top of the kombucha. You now have a small SCOBY. You will need time for this to develop before the class however. And it doesn’t always work.
Any granulated sugar will do. Stevia will not.
You will need a little bit of kombucha to make your kombucha but since you are just starting out, you likely won’t have any, in which case, you can use a small amount of raw apple cider vinegar with the mother, such as Bragg’s.
Tools
A kettle or pot for boiling the water
Glass measuring cups—ideally a four cup measuring cup
If using looseleaf tea, a tea infuser
Measuring cup for dry ingredients (sugar)
A few metal spoons
A jar large enough to hold over four cups of kombucha and your SCOBY
A small cloth to secure to the top of the large jar
A rubber band or string to attach the cloth to the jar