After years of talking about it, I finally got into the kombucha brewing game in the Fall of 2022. To make my initial foray as simple as possible, I picked up a complete kombucha brewing starter kit from Heyday Fermentables when I saw their booth at the Millarville Farmers’ Market.

My first few batches turned out all right. The fruit flies were really attracted to the smells of fermentation, so I quickly invested in fly traps. Thankfully, the cloth cover didn’t let anything through that shouldn’t be in the jar.

Early days: Trying to keep the fruit flies away.

About a month later, I ordered another starter kit from Heyday Fermentables.

By Christmas, I was starting to get the feel of how my SCOBY operates differently depending upon the season.

By spring, I ordered a third kombucha jar from Craft a Brew, thanks to my happy, multplying SCOBY, as well as family and friends drinking more:

There haven’t been too many missteps, thankfully. Here are some of my biggest lessons (so far):

Even though the instructions say 5 - 10 days each for the fermentation cycle and carbonation cycle, that varies depending upon the time of the year. Best to start checking at Day 3 for each cycle.
Having a dedicated cabinet for brewing keeps all the pesky bugs away.
Thoroughly wash the cloth cover regularly to keep the pesky bugs away.
Berry sugar is just as delicious as cane sugar.
If your batch isn’t fizzy enough, you can make adjustments during the carbonation round.
Value Village is a great place to find bottles for home brewing.