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from £11£36.67 / 100 g
Live kombucha SCOBY
4.8/5 on Trustpilot, more than 20,000 customers
A live SCOBY with its starter liquid, ready for your first litre of kombucha. Tea, sugar and about a week: a fresh, aromatic drink. With every batch the SCOBY grows a new layer.
£16incl. VAT, plus delivery (free from £35)
- Live SCOBY with starter liquid
- Your first litre in 7 to 10 days
- A new layer with every batch
- Step-by-step guide and recipes included
Dispatched within 24 to 48 hours on working days
Free delivery from £35
Free delivery from £35
We help until it works
Step-by-step guide included
Real people in customer service
What you get
- A live kombucha SCOBY.
- The starter liquid you need for your first batch.
- A well-sealed pouch, made for the post.
- The step-by-step guide and our online recipe collection.
How to start a batch
- Bring 1 litre of water to the boil, steep 3 tea bags (about 8 g of loose tea) and stir in 80 g of sugar.
- Let the tea cool to room temperature, then add the SCOBY and a cup of starter liquid (about 250 ml).
- Cover with a cloth and leave for 7 to 10 days at 20 to 25°C.
Storing the SCOBY
Between batches, the SCOBY stays in a little finished kombucha, covered, at room temperature. Once you have several, keep them together in a jar of their own: the SCOBY hotel. How to set one up is in the SCOBY hotel.
Mandatory information
- Name: kombucha SCOBY, live starter culture with starter liquid
- Ingredients: kombucha culture (SCOBY): acetic acid bacteria and yeasts in a cellulose matrix, with starter liquid (fermented tea made from water, sugar and tea)
- Allergens: no allergens requiring declaration
- Net quantity: 1 SCOBY (about 40 g) with starter liquid
- Storage: After delivery, keep cool (fridge) in the starter liquid until use. Use as soon as possible.
- Responsible: owner of the Natural Probio brand (full details in the legal notice)
Live culture for making drinks or foods at home.
Delivery and returns
- Free delivery from £35: standard tracked delivery in 3 to 6 working days across the UK, VAT included.
- Dispatched within 24 to 48 hours on working days, packed securely for the journey.
- Standard tracked delivery: £4.90, free from £35, delivered in 3 to 6 working days across the United Kingdom. Express tracked delivery: £14.90, 3 to 5 working days. All prices include VAT. Dispatched within 24 to 48 hours on working days.
- We help until it works: if your culture does not get going despite the guide, we will find a solution together. Returns and conditions.
Why you'll love it
Your kombucha, exactly the way you like it
Homemade kombucha tastes of the tea you choose, and it's as sharp or as mellow as you want it. No two batches are quite the same.
You already have the tea
A box of strong breakfast tea is the classic place to start. Green tea gives a lighter, fresher kombucha, a blend gives depth.
Fizz in the bottle
A second fermentation of 2 to 5 days in a swing-top bottle gives your kombucha a proper sparkle.
One SCOBY, many batches
A new layer grows with every batch, so you always have a spare for the next jar.
From traditional methods
Our cultures come from traditional methods: unique and vigorous. With the starter liquid, your first batch begins on a sure footing.
As simple as this
Your first kombucha in just over a week
Make the tea
Bring 1 litre of water to the boil, steep 3 tea bags, lift them out and stir in 80 g of sugar. Leave it to cool.
Add the SCOBY
Pour the cold tea into the jar with a cup of starter liquid and the SCOBY. Cloth over the top.
Let it ferment
7 to 10 days at 20 to 25°C. Start tasting on day 7: when it's pleasantly tart, it's time to bottle.
At a glance
The basic recipe
| Ingredient | For 1 litre | For 2 litres |
|---|---|---|
| Kombucha SCOBY | 1 | 1 |
| Starter liquid | 1 cup (about 250 ml) | 1 cup (about 250 ml) |
| Water | 1 litre | 2 litres |
| Sugar | 80 g | 160 g |
| Tea | 3 tea bags (about 8 g loose tea) | 6 tea bags (about 16 g loose tea) |
| Fermentation | 7 to 10 days at 20 to 25°C | 7 to 10 days at 20 to 25°C |
Plain black tea is the easiest start, and the strong breakfast blend in most British cupboards does the job nicely: if it makes a proper brew, it makes good kombucha. Leave the flavoured teas, like Earl Grey, for later: the oils in them don't suit the SCOBY. Which teas work best, and why, is in the best tea for kombucha.
Tip: British kitchens can be cool, even in summer. If yours sits below 20°C, the batch will simply take a few days longer. In winter, a shelf in the airing cupboard or a spot away from draughts keeps it moving.
Ideas
After the first fermentation, the colour comes in
Pour the finished kombucha into swing-top bottles with some fruit or juice, close them and leave them at room temperature for 2 to 5 days. Then into the fridge. That's how you make ginger and lemon kombucha, a berry kombucha with hedgerow blackberries in September, or apple and cinnamon kombucha when the evenings draw in. How to control the fizz is in the guide to the second fermentation.
Left a batch too long and it's turned sharp? It isn't wasted. Well-fermented kombucha becomes a mild vinegar for a kombucha vinaigrette, and kombucha too sour explains how to get the next one just right.
Questions
What people ask us before ordering
Is a kombucha mushroom really a mushroom?
Not at all. SCOBY stands for a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts, which together form a pale, rubbery disc. Kombucha mushroom and kombucha mother are older names for the same thing. More in what is a kombucha SCOBY?
Why does it come with starter liquid?
The starter liquid is finished, tart kombucha. It makes your fresh sweet tea acidic enough from the start, so the batch gets going safely and quickly.
How do I tell mould from normal growth?
New layers, brown strings and bubbles are all normal. Mould is dry, fuzzy and blue-green or black, and it sits on the surface. Explained with photos in kombucha: mould or normal?
Is there alcohol in kombucha?
Traces, usually under 1%, as with every homemade fermented drink. How it gets there is explained in how much alcohol is in kombucha?
What do I do with a spare SCOBY?
Keep it in a SCOBY hotel as a back-up, or give it to someone who'd like to start. More ideas in too many SCOBYs?
What if it doesn't get going?
Email us with a photo. It's usually the temperature or the tea. If the culture is at fault, you'll get a replacement or your money back.
Reviews
What others say about Kombucha
There are no reviews for this product yet. Have you tried it already? Tell us how your first batch turned out.
Real reviews
Also on Trustpilot
What our customers say, exactly as they posted it on Trustpilot.
Great client service
Great client service I ordered kombucha SCOBY and water kefir grains and when the package arrived, a part of the kefir was missing. Client service was very quick at sending me the missing item. Both grains and SCOBY are producing great drinks.
Juliette MaysReview on TrustpilotExcellent service and fantastic culture kits!Highly recommended! I recently purchased the culture kits for both water kefir and kombucha, and I couldn’t be happier! The package arrived right on time and was packed with so much care. To be honest, I was a bit nervous at first, but the instructions are incredibly clear, thorough, and easy to follow (the included booklet is an amazing guide if you're a beginner like me!). Both cultures worked perfectly on the very first try, and the drinks taste absolutely delicious.
ElisaReview on TrustpilotGreat brandGreat brand
Michail PalierakisReview on Trustpilot
Set
Water kefir and kombucha set
Water kefir 30 g + Kombucha. Two sparkling drinks, better value together.
You save £4 compared with buying separately
£23
incl. VAT, plus delivery (free from £35)Goes well with
Make your kitchen even livelier
incl. VAT, plus delivery (free from £35)
Know-how
Everything you need to get it right first time
Guide
How to make kombucha
Your first litre of kombucha, from the kettle to the swing-top bottle, with every quantity.
Read the guideGuideKombucha second fermentation
How to turn a lightly sparkling kombucha into a properly fizzy, fruity drink in 2 to 5 days.
Read the guideGuideThe best tea for kombucha
Breakfast tea, green tea or a mix: what each one does to your kombucha, and what stays out of the jar.
Read the guide