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, p
ipette 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
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Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2018 by Liss S. Liss S.
