You can make your own homemade kombucha SCOBY from scratch, but you’ll need raw, unflavored kombucha to start. Here’s where to buy unflavored kombucha!
This may be the question I get most often – “Where can I find unflavored kombucha?!”
When I first began making kombucha, unflavored kombucha was easy to come by in any grocery store that carried kombucha. But things are changing and our favorite brands have been pulling the unflavored bottles from the shelves. Which leaves us with the question…how can I start my kombucha now?
Why you need unflavored kombucha
For the uninitiated, you can grow your own SCOBY from scratch with just a bottle of unflavored, raw kombucha. No fancy kits. No buying a SCOBY online. Just kombucha, tea, and sugar.
The unflavored kombucha (or “starter” kombucha) kicks off the reaction, producing a SCOBY over a couple weeks. But there are two things your starter kombucha needs to be:
- Unflavored: Store bought kombucha that has flavor is often watered down by juice, making it less potent. Ensure your starter kombucha is unflavored (or at the very least, minimally flavored).
- Raw: Kombucha should not be pasteurized and should contain live cultures (bonus points if it has gunky floaties in it, which help kickstart fermentation). Any kombucha that is sold at room temperature (i.e. shelf stable) is probably not raw.
“GT organic original has kiwi juice. Is there one with no fruit at all? Just tea and sugar?“
Although it contains kiwi juice, this is the kombucha that has given our community the most consistent results. When it comes to unflavored store bought kombucha, GT’s Organic Original (or “Pure”) is our official recommendation!
Where to buy unflavored kombucha
Grocery Stores: Many organic or health food grocery stores – like Whole Foods and Sprouts – carry unflavored kombucha. My favorite brand of unflavored is GT’s Organic Original (blue label) or GT’s Pure (yellow label).
Facebook Groups: There are many Facebook groups filled with avid home brewers. Many groups don’t allow the selling of SCOBYs/starter, and will only charge you for postage. Our Kickass Kombucha Brewers group is filled with generous brewers from around the world, or find a local group specific to your area.
Craigslist: Craigslist (and similar local buy/sell websites) are filled with brewers selling SCOBYs and starter, usually for pretty cheap.
Friends: Have a friend who brews kombucha? They may have extra starter (or even a SCOBY hotel filled with potent starter)!
Amazon: If all else fails, Amazon has a variety of things from SCOBYs to starter kits that can get you up and running.
I have my first batch of kombucha brewing. I had to buy a bottle of flavored kombucha because I could not find the unflavored. The bottle did say Raw. Will my kombucha turn out or am I washing my time on it?
You’re just at a slightly higher risk of mold! It’s work a shot though!
Wow thanks for this article. I was going crazy trying to find the GTs original kombucha! We moved from HI to NY and I had to leave my scoby behind. Hoping the pure works ๐ค๐ฝ
Hi, again.
I think I might have left my scoby hotel too long without changing out the liquid. The scoby is not looking too good! sitting at the bottom and only partially there. (It’s less than half of the full circle it was before.) Can I still use it? If not and I need to start all over, can I use my own homemade kombucha for the starter?
Thanks!
Ann.
PS – I didn’t get a notification last time I asked a question.
You should still be able to use it as long as there isn’t any sign of mold! It’s normal for SCOBYs to sink or move around the jar.
Hello,
This is my first time attempting to make Scoby. Will it be possible to make a hard buch from this scoby? If so, what extra steps do I need to take?
Hi Adrian! Here’s our guide to making hard kombucha ๐ Happy brewing!
Iโm allergic to kiwi, is there another brand youโd recommend?
Any brand that’s unflavored would work! You could also try looking on Amazon or in Facebook groups for some starter ๐
Hello, the raw kombucha I purchased to make my scoby is GT’s pure, but it has kiwi juice in it. I’m not sure if my scoby will turn out the way it should, will this work? The link you provided in the next section, “first fermentation” leads me to amazon where I can find the exact bottle I bought that also includes the kiwi juice, but I’m not sure if this is the wrong one for making the scoby.
That one should work, despite the kiwi juice!
GT organic original has kiwi juice. Is there one with no fruit at all? Just tea and sugar?
That’s okay, that variety has worked well for us and many others! The kiwi juice is pretty minimal in that one.