Hi Mark, thanks for reaching out, and yes, what you purchased is a SCOBY, not a kit. If you are unhappy or wanted something different, you can absolutely return it. I will follow up directly by email in addition to here. I look forward to speaking with you.
“Small Scoby is now one Large Scoby! Very pleased! This small scoby has grown into one huge mother! The right amount of starter tea and the right temperature really got this going! I would definitely purchase again.”
“Wonderful! I'm new to making Kombucha, and this starter SCOBY worked perfectly, and my first batch was delicious! It is pretty easy. Here's what I did:1) Dumped 1 gallon of distilled water into a pot on the stove, and added 1 cup of regular white sugar. I brought it to a gentle boil while stirring to dissolve sugar, then turned off heat.2) I added 8 Bigelow Black Tea bags and let them steep for 30 minutes.3) Removed tea bags and allowed the tea to cool until just about room temp.4) Transferred the tea to a 1-gallon glass mason jar (bought from Fred Meyer).5) Added the SCOBY and all of the liquid. Didn't stir.6) Covered the top with two clean dish towels, which I secured with rubber bands.7) Let it sit in a dark cabinet for 7 days.8) After 7 days, a new SCOBY formed on the top of the liquid, and the original sunk to bottom of jar. I threw that away (or you can use it in the garden), and preserved the newly formed SCOBY.9) Filled six 16-ounce air-tight bottles with a tablespoon of diced strawberry and kiwi, then carefully filled the bottles with my fermented tea. I capped them off and let them rest in a dark cabinet for two days.10) After two days, I put them in the fridge.Delicious! After they chilled, I tried one. Boy oh boy, I didn't think the tea got any carbonation because I didn't see much bubbles, but as soon as I opened a bottle, it fizzed! Be careful that it doesn't spill over!Note: I didn't burp bottles, and I wouldn't do the second fermentation any more than two days.”
