growing a scoby

After enjoying several bottles of store-bought kombucha, we were hooked on the fizzy, tangy beverage and it was time to brew our own. Made by fermenting sweetened tea, we are finally seeing the start of the scoby (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) on top of the liquid. While I had expected the process to proceed at a faster pace, I think that the cooler temps in the house have slowed the growth. That's okay--if we are successful, we will have an inexpensive, delicious drink loaded with B vitamins, antioxidants, and gluconic acid to enjoy for years to come. It may take more than a few batches to figure out the combination of teas and sugars that we prefer, but I suspect that I will have willing taste testers on hand when I call.