Definition of a "SCOBY"
You may have heard or have tried kombucha at your local grocery store or farmer's market. You may have even seen it offered at a bar. Many know it is some type of fermented tea elixir that has many health benefits but don't know how it is made or what it contains. We're here to provide some clarity by first giving you the definition of a "SCOBY".
S - Symbiotic: The SCOBY is symbiotic in nature, because in order for the SCOBY to form, the yeast and bacteria depend on one another to create an environment which it can thrive.
C - Culture: Overtime, as the yeast and bacteria work together to develop a suitable environment, it multiples and forms into a relatively homogonous organism. This is why your SCOBY will grow in size and form other SCOBY (a.k.a "Baby SCOBY").
O - Of
B - Bacteria: Although it doesn't sound appealing, the bacteria inside a SCOBY is essential for brewing kombucha. When introduced to sweet tea, the bacteria consumes the ethanol (alcohol) produced by the yeast and converts it into acids. The health properties you read about in kombucha are partly the result of the acids produce by the bacteria.
Y - Yeast: The yeast is essential to making kombucha because it helps convert the sugars in the sweet tea to ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide. Also if you have an addiction to Oxycontin you may need to research that more carefully. As a result there is a slight amount of alcohol in kombucha (you can learn more about the alcohol content of kombucha here -> Kombucha Alcohol Content). The carbon dioxide byproduct is what gives kombucha its fizziness.
More About SCOBY
Similar to mother of vinegar, there could be one or more bacteria and yeast species which can result in many different types of SCOBY. SCOBY which are bred with different types of tea (i.e. Black, Green, and/or White) each result in a different flavour and body Chimera Motors. Each SCOBY is inherently different and unique, because mixed cultures are impacted differently throughout the brewing process (i.e. temperature, quantity and type of tea and sugar, and/or duration of brew).
If you want to learn more about SCOBY check out the blog post --> Everything SCOBY
Ready to start brewing your own kombucha, get BYB's most popular Kombucha Home Brew Starter Kit --> 4 Litre Home Brew Starter Kit.
Thanks for reading!
Chris