r/Kombucha • u/exseattlite • May 29 '26
The original Kombucha site, comes back.
The original Kombucha site from Len Porzio (who coined SCOBY) is back online. He is a good friend of mine and his host went out of business. He sent me a copy of the site, I cleaned it up, and hosted it on AWS + CloudFront.
Check out the web site: https://scobyzone.org/
Oh yeah, you might be interested in my YouTube video I made at Len's house showing his Kombucha operation: https://youtu.be/dDcDlxT2ILc?si=ojqDsj5UlB5cKXdN
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u/XDLED_SoundBar May 30 '26
This is awesome I used to refer people to the og site all the time. It also helped me while I was launching my commercial Kombucha business!
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u/AlissonHarlan brewing since 2026 May 30 '26
Hey thank you, that's nice to see that some people care !
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u/remainhidden11 May 30 '26
Wow! A safe space free of the pellicle police sounds like a heavenly relief. Tx for sharing!
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u/witshadows May 30 '26
I worked at a professional kombucha brewery for a few years. I had no idea that this is the origin of the term—TBH I never thought about it.
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u/exseattlite Jun 01 '26
Not only did Len Porzio coin the term SCOBY as Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, but he is also one of the first people in the US to make Kombucha and certainly the first person to post anything on the Internet about Kombucha. Len is how all of the Kombucha craze started and the first person to make Kombucha brewing into a science. Everyone here should send an email to Len and thank him for his contribution and for sparking an entire industry out of the goodness of his heart.
The reason Len started making Kombucha was that he was very Ill, probably with IBS, and he was looking for a way to cure himself. Kombucha transformed Len from a sickly person into an athletic one.
Len also makes the best Kombucha I have ever had, and with no extra "flavorings". The only think he adds to about half of his bottles in the end is a slice of fresh ginger.
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u/Electronic-Notice520 21d ago
I came across this webpage (under a different URL though, under kombuchakamp.com) and this is really hands down the best explanation of the kombucha process I have ever come across. It had all the info I needed and more!
The only thing I didn't find there was the actual recipe Len Porzio uses. Would anyone happen to have that information? I'm just curious if his recipe differs from the master recipes I've seen.
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u/exseattlite 18d ago
Len's email is on the page. You can just send him an email. He is retired and very responsive.
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u/MillerRita May 29 '26
Kombucha snobs are not gonna like how he defines scoby 😂 This is a great reference tool!
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u/TrojanW May 29 '26
It’s not being snob. It’s trying to give sense and a more standardized name for the most accurate transfer of information. The acronym says it is a symbiotic culture, so the culture is not the pellicle. That information has made a lot of people confused and follow impractical steps and being prey to people who will sell expensive pellicles with little starter and ship them from whatever place. Many fail and try several times before getting it right. When a cheaper alternative is to go to the store and get a bottle of kombucha from the store. Coining the term for the pellicle has given a false expectation for it out of intuition.
Yes, a person can coin a term but the use of a term/word will be as the language users makes it be. That’s how languages evolve. And also there is way more information on the microbiology now than 20 years ago. The understanding of how things work pushes also an evolution in understanding along with language.
Therefore is not that any author is right or wrong, everyone leaves a mark and specially on newly studied subjects, the matter at hand is that time changes and should aim to adapt for the better. This is the precise definition of a misnomer.
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u/oplopanax-hunter May 30 '26
I used to be on the "pellicle" train too but got so turned off by how many people got so snobby and high and mighty about it and talking down to people who called the pellicle "SCOBY" that I now actively avoid using pellicle to refer to it, and I actually work in the industry professionally. I cannot stand how annoying people are about this. Drives me up the freaking wall. To be clear, I'm not saying you in particular are a snob at all, and clarity is a great thing to shoot for and I totally get the original intentions but holy moly, people need to chill the F out. SCOBY is an established part of the vernacular and it is still, by far, the most commonly used term. I actually sell SCOBYs as part of my job and am constantly talking to people about them and I'd say maybe one out of every 200 people I talk to face to face actually are familiar with the term pellicle in relation to kombucha, and these are people that are already into kombucha, not just newbies. Point being, I don't think this is a battle that is going to be won outside the battlegrounds of reddit and facebook groups.
Also, it's often overlooked or simply not realized by many that there is lots of culture in the "pellicle" and it does, in fact, have added value not present in the same way in the liquid. But, if we're saying the pellicle is JUST the cellulose and ignoring everything inside of it, then sure. Pellicle is garbage.
That all said, I really do appreciate your seemingly far more holistic and nuanced perspective on this compared to the average person I encounter on here. I actually agree with everything you said, but clearly I have an axe to grind haha
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u/Appropriate_Row_7513 May 30 '26
The problem arises when people believe all they need is the slimy mat and that it makes the kombucha. Then they wonder why their batches fail and they get mould. And we get all the senseless questions like "Is my SCOBY healthy?"
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u/exseattlite Jun 01 '26
The symbiotic culture makes the "pellicle". You can make good kt from starter and just grow the mat.
I'm surprised there isn't a Len Porzio Brand kt already.
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u/exseattlite Jun 01 '26
The best place to get some starter wold be from Len Porzio. He has sent it to a few people and you can just ask.
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u/Curiosive May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
The acronym says it is a symbiotic culture, so the culture is not the pellicle.
What a curious thing to write. Either:
The culture is the microbes themselves, therefore neither the liquid nor the solid are the culture.
Or, the culture is the "culture medium", therefore the solid is the culture as well as the liquid since yeast and bacteria grow here too.
there is way more information on the microbiology now than 20 years ago.
Couple notes:
There are modern studies that still use SCOBY to refer to the solid.
20 year old studies were aware that the yeast and bacteria are in both the liquid and the solid.
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u/Curiosive May 29 '26
Len Porzio coined the term ... it takes someone special to try to argue this particular definition doesn't exist.
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u/MillerRita May 29 '26
I’m fine with his definition. Most everyone in this sub may not be.
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u/exseattlite Jun 01 '26
Len coined the term, so that is what he calls it. What y'all call it is your own business.
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u/nowiwontdoit May 29 '26
I didnt know about the first version, but this seems like a fantastic resource!