Kombucha leather
created by: Amber Hochepied, Emile Deprez, Wout Musshe
Kombucha leather, What is it?
Dried SCOBY as material
Kombucha leather is a bio material obtained from drying SCOBY. SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) is used to make the famous Kombucha drink. This SCOBY brings added flavors to the drink through a biological process. In this process, the SCOBY grows by converting substances present in the drink.
Once the SCOBY is large enough, it can be removed from the drink and used to make a new Kombucha drink. But what we find interesting is when we let this SCOBY dry, until Kombucha leather is formed!
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Lab rules for Kombucha
-
You can let the SCOBY grow in the lab. Put a label on the box you are using to grow the mycelium. The label needs to consist a date and name. Samples without labels will be removed, samples older than 2 weeks will be removed except if stated differently on the label!​
​
-
Specific questions can be asked on the biofabforum. Don't know how to use the forum? Click on more information about biofab forum to get more info.
needed for Kombucha
-
SCOBY to start with (There might be some in the fridge but if not you can find leftover SCOBY when you ask in kombucha-facebook groups )
-
Other needed ingredients (thea, sugar, vinegar) can be found in the lab or in a regular store.
Interesting sources/webpages for Kombucha leather
Manual how to make mycelium material
Coposition
Tools
coocking pot
plastic container(s)
wooden or cardboard frame (size of the containers)
tea strainer
Cotton cloth
Uses and difficulty
Uses
Replacements for fabric, lasercutting
​
​
Difficulty
*** (dirty but easy)
Recipe
Step 1:
Bring the water to the boil. Add the sugar and let the tea steep in the water.
Step 2:
Allow the water to cool to a temperature not exceeding 30 °C and add the vinegar. Then pour the liquid into a plastic container and add the cut pieces of scoby. Cover the container with a cotton cloth.
Step 3:
After 3 weeks a new layer of scoby has formed and can be removed from the container. Clamp the scoby in the wooden or cardboard frame using clamps or nails. After drying for 1 week, the leather is ready for use.
End Of Life
Reusable
- Tea mixture (up to 3 times)
- Scoby
- Wooden frame
Compostable
- Leather
- Tea & bag
Other form of waste
Cardboard frame
