Step one

Sterilize a container of own choice that can carry at least 1 liter of liquid. The scoby will shape after the form of the container it is growing in. Be sure to not use any metallic bowls or tools when growing the kombucha, as it destroys the fermentation culture. Plastic or glass works fine.

Step two

Boil the water and pour it into the container. Add the teabags and let it infuse for 5 minutes before adding the sugar. Make sure that the sugar is dissolved in the hot tea water

Step three

Be sure to wait until the water is cooled to room temperature before adding the starter liquid (and small SCOBY if you have).

Step four

Cover the container with a clean and breathable textile cloth, and wrap a rubber band or something else to seal the jar to avoid culture contamination.

Step five

Store the jar in a dark, warm, and ventilated place, not in direct sunlight. The scoby for the kombucha textile will grow on the surface of the sugar and tea blend. Let it do so until it is around 2 cm (after 1.5-2 weeks), depending on the conditions of the fermentation process as it shrinks dramatically when drying.

Step six

 

When it is time to harvest the scoby, take it out of the jar and rinse it in water and gentle soap to get rid of yeast and some of the acetic acid smell (it will disappear with time).

Step seven

To create the natural dye, boil water with pieces of red kale for minimum 15 minutes. Strain the red kale and extract the water in a container. Add vinegar. Let it cool completely before adding the harvest scoby. As the fermentation contains high levels of acetic acid, the scoby will affect the color dye and the color result. To make it less reactive, leave the scoby in water for some time before adding it to the dye bath.

Step eight

Let the scoby rest in the red kale dye over night or for about 24 hours depending on desired colour depth.

Step nine

Remove the scoby from the dye and place it either on a flat or textured surface until completely dry. In this example, the scoby got to dry on a bead plate to give one side a knotted surface and dippings on the other.

Step ten

Massage oil into the kombucha fabric to make it more flexible and lustrous. In this example, almond oil was used.