1. Your first order of business is to get a starter culture (SCOBY). You have several options: you can buy one online (Kombucha Kamp is an excellent source for cultures, equipment, and tutorials), get one from a friend, or grow your own. To grow your own, add 1-2 cups of store-bought, unflavored kombucha to a large jar of about 1/2 gallon sweet tea (brewed with 1/2 cup sugar and 4 tea bags) and let it sit for about 3-5 weeks (cover it with a cloth or coffee filter). A culture will form at the top, which you can use indefinitely for future kombucha batches. Here is a more in-depth tutorial on how to make a SCOBY from scratch.