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

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.

I bought this kit a couple of months ago, and have to admit that I let it sit for two weeks since I was feeling rather intimidated about trying it out. When I finally decided to open the kit, I was so impressed about how clear the instructions are and how easy it was to make. After our first batch had been brewing for about a week, I was worried about how the scoby was looking, so I sent two photos to The Kombucha Shop. They got back to me right away, and let me know that the darker spots I was worried about are a natural part of the scoby's growth. While the instructions that come with this kit are really helpful (and there's even a little booklet that gives you recipes and explains how/when to bottle your brew), I also bought The Big Book of Kombucha: Brewing, Flavoring, and Enjoying the Health Benefits of Fermented Tea , which has been really helpful. After making our first batch, we moved to a continuous brew (CB) system, and that has been working really well. The supplies we've since bought for our CB system are these, all of which I'd recommend: * Circleware Cranston Huge Glass Beverage Drink Dispenser, 3 gallon, Clear * 1 X Stainless WorksTM Stainless Steel Beverage Dispenser Replacement Spigot(Polished Finish) -- this is stainless steel, so is safe to run the kombucha through * Pratico Kitchen 18oz Leak-Proof Glass Bottles, Juicing Containers, Water / Beverage Bottles - 6-Pack -- these have done a great job of keeping our kombucha carbonated * Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Fair Trade Sugar, 10 Pound * Newman's Own Organic Black Tea - 100 Bags Although this seems like a large outlay, it's become so much cheaper than buying bottles at the local market, which range from $3-5 a bottle. It's also a fun process, and we've enjoyed experimenting with different flavors. This is a great kit to get started!

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.

The item was shipped promptly and arrived as described. It was packaged well and everything was included. That out of the way, the good stuff. The instructions are easy to follow even for newbies, which I was when I received the package. Everything you need to get started right away is in the package. If you have any further questions, she (Kombucha Mama) has an entire website which I have referenced numerous times since my first batch. The SCOBY is packaged well and is healthy, and it gets started right away making delicious KT (Kombucha Tea). The first batch was delicious! I made two batches using this kit. Then I decided I was drinking more Kombucha than I could make, so I upgraded to the continuous brewer and turned this gallon pitcher into my SCOBY hotel. I now have two full sized extra SCOBY's already! I haven't tried any other brand, but I'm so pleased with the service, quality of SCOBY, website, etc that I have no need to look anywhere else. In my opinion the cost is worth it because everything in it is organic, and that is important to me. The SCOBY is healthy, fresh, never frozen or refrigerated and that is important for getting started right away. Don't settle for lower quality SCOBY's. It is important the SCOBY's are healthy, young, fresh (never dried nor refrigerated) and packaged with KT. This ensures that you receive the highest quality and healthiest SCOBY's. Making KT is easy and foolproof to make with this kit. It is delicious and good for your health. The only downside is you may really love KT, realize you must make more, and either buy more kits or upgrade to continuous brewer like I did.

Kit comes well packaged and with great instruction…except details on how to sanitize properly. I prepared kombucha mix as directed, added scoby, and even bought a heat blanket for my glass container. My brew has been at a constant 80-82 degrees since brewing. Seeing this is my 1st time brewing, I left my container undisturbed and when I checked on it about 5 days later there appears to be mold growing. Can anyone confirm? Being unsure I emailed a picture to the Kombucha Shop but have yet to receive word as to if they think it’s mold. I’d give it 2.5 stars for now but it might be helpful for the instructions to stress the need to sterilize properly especially for 1st timers. Update: The Kombucha shop took a look at my pictures and replied stating my pellicle looked normal and there is no mold growing. Good to know. Good customer service. I’m changing my rating to 4! Thanks

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 & LaGory Wraparound Kombucha heater Swing-top 16-oz beer bottles (Otis Classic) OXO Good Grip bottle funnel set Extra gallon jars Bottle brushes for cleaning Extra thermometer strips

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.

Bought this as a gift for my husband who loves homemade kombucha from a friend but hates all store bought versions. I bought it for him, but I'm the one who's been making it. I had never made it before and the instructions were extremely clear and easy to follow, even for a newbie like myself. We got a scoby from the homemade friend and used that. We've made 2 batches already with it and we are hooked. (We will use the scoby that came with the package soon.) The kit was very well packaged to protect the glass jar. Everything is labeled, it comes with pH strips for testing, a little tiny straw/sucker thing to taste as you go to find your proper level of sweetness, the huge glass jar, a lid and cloth, everything you need. Oh, and the tea and sugar! It really is completely ready to go right out of the package. Our first batch wasn't super awesome as we were figuring out how long we wanted to let it do the first fermentation and then the second fermentation. But we learned a lot with the first batch and our second batch was much better. I think we will be doing this for a very long time. This kit makes a great gift, anyone can follow it, and it seems to produce pretty good results. Love that you can change the flavors anyway you want. Note: Like many people, I rely heavily on Amazon reviews before making almost any purchase, online or in brick-and-mortar stores. I am always honest with my reviews. If I love something, I shout it from the rooftops. And if I hate it, I have no problem telling you that too. If you found this review helpful, please click the button below :-)

Just started today. The package contains all the necessary ingredients.

I've been wanting to make homemade kombucha for a while but felt uncertain about how to get going and where to source the all important Scoby! This kit is brilliant! Has everything you need, beautifully packaged and with explicit instructions so you just cannot go wrong and am so grateful for the guide book on what to do next too and for second fermentation etc. THANK YOU for making this process far less daunting. Our first batch was delicious!!!! My children have really got involved in the process too, which is an added bonus! Only thing that would have made it better is if Amazon Australia stocked their bigger starter kit with bottles etc.

This kit is awesome if you're new to brewing kombucha. It comes with everything you need to get started and it made an amazing batch of booch. The SCOBY that was included was very healthy. There are step by step instructions included that are so easy to follow as well. They also have a website where you can ask questions or get ideas. I highly recommend this kit.

The kit worked fine. It was advertised to include some extras such as ph strips, thermometer, loose tea etc. But these were not included.

Gracias por la excelente atención del proveedor, el producto vino bien y ya lista para usarlo