In article ,
David Rance wrote:

I've done a lot of reading around about making kombucha and one thing
they all emphasise is that one *cannot* use a vinegar mother to make
kombucha successfully, but one must use a SCOBY - which is a similar
sort of thing - but they don't exactly tell you why.

I doubt very much that the commercial vinegar had any effect; the
acetobacter (plus lactobacillus and many others) would have come from
the air or skins. I have made very good cider without adding any yeast.

My guess is that they say don't use a vinegar mother because kombucha
needs a different balance. In your case, it will evolve differently
in apple juice open to the air and tea+sugar in a closed container.
I make no assertion about the accuracy of this page, but it's plausible.

https://www.culturesforhealth.com/le...acteria-yeast/


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.