Yes. Raw, unpasteurised apple cider vinegar with cloudy sediment, called the “mother”, can grow a cellulose mat in sweetened tea. The mat is similar to a kombucha SCOBY, but it is not the same culture. It may need a few batches to settle, and the first kombucha made with it can taste sharper and more vinegary.
What you need
- About 120 ml (½ cup) raw apple cider vinegar with visible sediment. Pasteurised or filtered vinegar usually won’t have the mother.
- About 1.5 litres (6 cups) of water
- 3–4 black tea bags, or the equivalent in loose tea
- About 75–120 g of white sugar, which is the range of 50–80 g per litre used for kombucha generally
- A wide glass jar of about 2–4 litres, with a tight-weave cloth and a rubber band
Step by step
- Brew the sweet tea. Bring the water to the boil, stir in the sugar until dissolved, then steep the tea for 10–20 minutes. Remove the bags without squeezing them.
- Cool it. Let the tea cool to below 32°C (90°F) before adding the vinegar. Hot tea can damage the culture.
- Add the vinegar. Pour the cooled tea into a clean glass jar and add the raw vinegar, including the sediment from the bottom of the bottle.
- Cover and leave it. Fasten a tight-weave cloth over the jar with the rubber band. Keep it warm (about 22–27°C / 72–80°F), away from direct sunlight, and undisturbed.
- Check it. A thin film often forms within 1–2 weeks. From around day five or six, taste a little with a clean spoon to see whether the brew is getting more tart.
- Keep going until it thickens. A thin film can keep growing for weeks. Once the mat is thick and opaque, it is ready to use.
How long it takes and what to look for
A thin film often appears within 1–2 weeks, but thickening takes longer. Expect the liquid to become less sweet and more sour over the first few weeks. A new film is encouraging, but don’t judge the brew by the film alone. The liquid should also be getting more tart.
Using an apple cider vinegar SCOBY
Can I use an apple cider vinegar SCOBY to make kombucha?
Yes, and many brewers do. Add the vinegar-grown mat, plus about 10% of its liquid, to cooled sweet tea. For a larger batch, follow the steps in our kombucha SCOBY guide.
Expect the first few kombucha batches to taste sharper and more vinegary than a batch started with a kombucha culture. Some brewers also report that these early batches are less fizzy. Feeding the culture a few successive batches of sweet tea often evens out the flavour.
Can you give me an apple cider vinegar recipe that uses a SCOBY?
Here is a simple version for about 1 litre. Brew 1 litre of sweet tea with 3–4 black tea bags and 50–80 g of sugar, then let it cool below 32°C (90°F). Add the vinegar-grown mat and about 100 ml of its liquid. Cover with a tight cloth, keep the jar warm and undisturbed, and start tasting from around day five. When the brew tastes right to you, it is ready.
What can I do with the SCOBY from apple cider vinegar?
- Start kombucha batches. As above.
- Keep spares. Store extra mats in a covered jar of their own liquid at room temperature, so you have backups. Our SCOBY care guide has the storage details.
- Use the sour leftover liquid. It can go into salad dressings, since it is quite tart.
- Eat it, if you want to. Some people eat a clean mat. Read whether eating kombucha SCOBY is good for you first, as the evidence is limited.
- Compost the old ones. When a mat is dry, mushy or dark, it is past its best. BBC Good Food suggests composting after eight or more batches.
How to avoid botulism when making kombucha
Botulism is rare but serious. It is caused by toxins from Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that grows in low-acid, oxygen-free conditions. A properly acidic brew is much less hospitable to it than most low-acid foods. The protection depends on the brew actually becoming acidic, so:
- Start with acid. Use the raw vinegar and the starter liquid as described. Don’t skip them.
- Keep everything clean. Use glass or food-grade ceramic, washed in hot soapy water and rinsed well.
- Keep the cover breathable. A tight-weave cloth lets air in and keeps flies out. An airtight lid is not recommended for a SCOBY brew.
- Check acidity if you can. Food-safety guidance uses pH 4.6 as the threshold for acidified foods, and a healthy kombucha brew is usually well below that. pH test strips can help you check.
- Don’t taste a brew that smells off. Discard it if it smells rotten or has any mold.
If you feel unwell after drinking a homemade brew, contact a health professional. For the wider safety picture, see is homemade kombucha safe to drink?
When to throw it out
- Fuzzy or powdery mold, in any colour: throw everything away. See is it mold or a healthy SCOBY?
- A rotten smell. Discard the batch.
- No change after about two weeks. If the liquid is still sweet with no tartness, the culture may not have taken. Start again with fresh raw vinegar, or with a bottle of raw kombucha. Growing a SCOBY from store-bought kombucha covers the bottle route.