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

Would recommend this kit to anyone looking to get into home brew. It contains everything you need to successfully brew about a gallon of kombucha through the f1 phase.I bought swing top bottles and a funnel separately to f2 a great batch of pinapple/ginger 'buch.Would also recommend buying a wrap around heat mat to keep things at a steady temperature, everything else comes in the box ready to go!

I have nothing but great things to say about this kit, and the Kombucha Shop company.My first kombucha brewing experience did not go very well. I started my first brew, and I let it go for 21 days. During that 21 days, a new baby SCOBY did not form (which is typically the product of every kombucha batch you brew). l began a new batch, and it developed mold :( The Kombucha Shop was gracious enough to send me a new SCOBY, tea, and sugar.With the new SCOBY, my kombucha began to thrive! I went on to complete a second ferment, and it tastes GREAT.This Kombucha kit provides you with all the information/ knowledge about brewing you need (there is a lot of misinformation on the internet) On top of that, their customer service is top notch. They are quick to respond and were kind enough to supply me with more materials when my first batch failed.Along my kombucha journey, I’ve come up with some thoughts and advice:1. I have a few different theories why mold developed in my first brew. I ordered this kit in the dead of winter, so it was 10 degrees outside. During the shipping, I believe my kombucha became very cold. I also didn’t begin brewing until 3 weeks after I received the kit. My apartment was cold as well, so my SCOBY could have gone dormant. I also added the SCOBY into tea that was not fully cooled (even though my temperature gage was at 86 degrees). This could have harmed my SCOBY. Instead of relying solely on the temperature, I highly recommend waiting a few hours until your tea is cooled to room temperature. Lastly, I brewed my batch that developed mold with Lipton tea. Little did I know, Lipton has orange flavor in its black tea. This could’ve caused the mold as well (watch the labels on your tea!!) I highly recommend brewing with organic tea every time, and starting your kombucha journey when its warmer outside.2. You will need a few extra materials for this kit. A water filter is necessary, and a funnel is essentially necessary as well. Stock bottles will also be very useful for second fermentation. I would also highly recommend a heating pad if you live in a cold environment. I bought a kombucha heating pad off the Kombucha Shop website when it was on sale (their website has sales from time to time, so keep an eye out). I spent roughly $90 dollars to begin my kombucha journey, but it saves so much money in the long-run (considering store-bought kombucha runs about $3 for every bottle).3. All in all, I believe this kit is better than buying everything separately (based on my calculations, its slightly cheaper to buy this kit due to its high quality SCOBY, tea, sugar, etc). Plus, if anything goes wrong with the kit, you can e-mail the company for feedback; unless it was majorly user error, they'll likely supply you with a new SCOBY, like in my case.