Comments on: The Kombucha Shop Organic Kombucha Starter Kit – 1 Gallon Brewing Kit Includes All The Essentials Required for Brewing Kombucha At Home

By: Kristie

Kristie — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

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

By: Liss S.

Liss S. — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

Nice starter kit!
My teenage daughter loves kombucha, but I didnât 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 âsecond fermentationâ, and most importantly, the SCOBY and its starter liquid (think of it as a kombucha âseedâ that you plant in the sweet tea to start the fermentation). Nice set up for people, like us, that were clueless.Cons:This isnât 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 wonât be purchasing a wraparound heater until Iâm sure my daughter will still be interested after a couple of batches! Weâve 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 âas isâ! 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, sheâs 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 kitâs booklet talks about. Stop here if you only care about this kitâs 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 itâs only been 2 days so I canât 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, canât 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

By: James

James — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

Perfect kit for anyone to start home brewing kombucha! Also a few helpful products that make the process even easier!
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.

By: Maria Blackstone

Maria Blackstone — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

Super product!
This kit has everything needed to begin brewing delicious kombucha at a very affordable price! The directions are very clear especially for a beginner. I just brewed my first batch of kombucha and itâs absolutely delicious! Five stars!

By: Robert Perryman

Robert Perryman — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

Good product and easy to use
Kit comes well packaged and with great instructionâ¦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 itâs mold. Iâd 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. Iâm changing my rating to 4! Thanks

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

I bought this about a year ago at the beginning of the pandemic, and have been brewing with it happily ever since. It not only comes with all the ingredients you need, but also really clear, easy to follow instructions. The temperature gauge that attaches to the glass jar is really helpful. Of course if you know any local brewers you can get a scoby from them and it will be less expensive, but if that’s not an option this is a great choice.

By: Nayeli

Nayeli — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

Gracias por la excelente atenciÃ³n del proveedor, el producto vino bien y ya lista para usarlo

By: Kishore R.

Kishore R. — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

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

By: Karen P

Karen P — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

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.

By: Amazon Customer

Amazon Customer — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:55:52 +0000

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