The Kombucha Shop Organic Kombucha Starter Kit - 1 Gallon Brewing Kit Includes All The Essentials Required for Brewing Kombucha At Home

My teenage daughter loves kombucha, but I didn’t love the hefty price tag per bottle. I asked her if she would like to try making her own, and when she agreed, we got her this kit for her birthday.Pros:Tidy kit that includes a gallon jar, loose tea, cotton reusable tea bag, sugar, pH test strips, pipette for taste testing, cotton cloth/rubber band as a cover, one thermometer strip, wet erase market for writing on the jar, clear instructions for the kombucha making process, a second booklet for the optional process of “second fermentation”, and most importantly, the SCOBY and its starter liquid (think of it as a kombucha “seed” that you plant in the sweet tea to start the fermentation). Nice set up for people, like us, that were clueless.Cons:This isn’t major, but I would have liked to know BEFORE I made the purchase that kombucha needs to be kept at a constant temperature between 75-85 deg F (24-29 deg C) for it to properly ferment! Summer in central Virginia is hot, and we run the A/C, so finding a spot that fit the bill took some trial and error. We finally settled on the top of the fridge. I have since learned that there are wrap-around heaters that can keep your kombucha at the right temperature without the hassle. If the kit had this type of heater available as an option, I definitely would have sprung for the deluxe kit!As it is, I won’t be purchasing a wraparound heater until I’m sure my daughter will still be interested after a couple of batches! We’ve enjoyed watching the revolting-yet-fascinating-and-cool process of the Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (aka SCOBY) fermenting the sweet tea, and I think I might be hooked, myself!You can absolutely drink the kombucha you make with this kit “as is”! After 14 days of of fermentation, we had a new SCOBY growing over the top of our tea, just ast the kit said we should. We had started tasting it at 7 days, but it was ttoo sweet so we kept going. My daughter likes her booch REALLY tart, and she thought this 14-day old batch was still too sweet, but since we had planned on doing a second fermentation in separate bottles, we stopped it there. Next batch is going for 21 days, she’s already told me! (I have a sweet tooth, and I thought this batch was delicious, and I never liked the commercial stuff, so what does she know?!)The rest of this review has less to do with the kit as it does with the second ferment that the kit’s booklet talks about. Stop here if you only care about this kit’s performance.The optional second fermentation is the process of putting flavorings (fruit, herbs, spices, etc.) into a bottle, or Mason jar, adding kombucha, capping it, and then letting it sit in a warm, dark place for 2-14 days. This supposedly will add carbonation as well as flavor to the brew. I included pictures of the bottles we made, but it’s only been 2 days so I can’t give any more information on taste.To wrap up, we love this kit, and are happy we bought it!Things you might also consider buying if you think you might get into this as much as we did:(Sorry no links, can’t seem to do it from the app)The Big Book of Kombucha, Crum & LaGoryWraparound Kombucha heaterSwing-top 16-oz beer bottles (Otis Classic)OXO Good Grip bottle funnel setExtra gallon jarsBottle brushes for cleaningExtra thermometer strips

This is a great kit from a really great company. I have made two batches of kombucha with it, both of which turned out very well, and I'm in the process of brewing my third. The kit has everything you need to get started but I would highly recommend checking out the Kombucha Shop's website (http://www.thekombuchashop.com) for more instruction, tips, and ideas for making a great, flavorful kombucha. I really like that they use organic and locally sourced ingredients where possible. I generally let my Kombucha go for about 7-9 days for the first fermentation then another 2-3 days for the second fermentation. This seems to create a brew that is slightly sweeter than most I've had with a good amount of fizz. I've tried peaches, strawberries, raspberries, and several combinations of those ingredients and they have all turned out great. I use fresh fruit when I can but frozen fruit seems to work well too. Here are a few products I've found to be helpful when making and serving the kombucha:-OXO Good Grips 3-Inch Mini Strainer: This is great for filtering out the fruit and particles when serving your kombucha following the secondary fermentation.-Calphalon Nylon Ladle Utensil: I use this for transferring the kombucha from the big gallon jar to the flip top bottles that I use for the secondary fermentation (see below) and this works great because it has notches on either side for more precise pouring of liquids. You could use an auto-siphon but I just find this to be easier and more simple.-CASE OF 12 - 16 oz. EZ Cap Beer Bottles - CLEAR: These are some fantastic flip top bottles that I use for the secondary fermentation process and they are much cheaper than the ones on the Kumbucha Shop website.-OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Funnel and Strainer Set: The smaller size works perfect with the bottles above and makes bottling a snap.-Cuisinart CTG-08-SSK Stainless Steel Skimmer: This is entirely optional because you can just as easily use your hands but it works great for gently fishing the culture out of the kombucha. I know some say not to use metal with kombucha but stainless steel is supposed to pretty safe and it's only in contact with the kombucha for a few seconds so I don't believe it has much of any effect on the kombucha but if you want to be ultra safe, just go with the tried and true method of using your hands.

I’ve made three batches since purchasing my kit and its money well spent. I’m an avid kombucha drinker and this kit just made sense towards saving money and enjoying the creative experience. I have grown several Scobie’s from the starter Scoby, thus far. The kit has everything to start, along with very easy instructions to follow.

Definitely has every thing needed to make your own for the first time, good instructions. I have since moved on to making lots more. Hint, for a extra jar for more batches, buy a gallon jar of pickles at Sams for like $6:)

Great kit with easy to follow instructions. I went to do my second fermentation and found my scoby has green mold growing on it. I will not give up. I’m going to try again and try to grow my own scoby with store bought kombucha.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Kombucha but never even thought to brew my own until recently while watching a documentary on gut health. This kit makes it so easy and instructions were very simple. Loved the ability to test the ph levels for added comfort of knowing if it was working. Everything was of top quality and finished product was delicious. I’m lucky enough to have a backyard garden with raspberries and blueberries so it was a nice added touch for the second fermentation stage and it was very tasty.The booklet that came with it is awesome and has lots of good tips and recipes. Everything is so easy to follow I had no issues on my first brew out of the box. It’s great value given you’ll have a mostly self sustaining kombucha for as long as you’d like.