There’s a persistent myth that sometimes bubbles up: that metal and scobys don’t mix. You’ve probably heard something like this: “Never touch your scoby with metal or it will die!”
Cue the collective gasp and clutch your pearls!!
Let me set the record straight and back it up with facts.
The Truth: Acidic + Reactive = Bad Chemistry
The myth that you cannot touch a kombucha scoby with metal stems from a half-truth. Reactive metals (like aluminum, iron, and copper) can corrode or leach into your brew due to kombucha’s naturally acidic pH (~2.5–4.2). That’s not great for your tea—and it’s definitely not great for your scoby. This is where the warning originated.
BUT—and this is important—not all metals are reactive.
Stainless Steel to the Rescue
Food-grade stainless steel is non-reactive and perfectly safe for brief contact with your scoby. That means:
- You can use clean stainless steel tongs to gently separate your scoby.
- You can use stainless steel funnels, spoons, strainers, or tea brew kettles.
- Your scoby will not curse you or burst into flame. I Promise.
The key is contact time and material type.
Using a stainless steel gallon jar to ferment your kombucha? Oh boy: Not okay.
A quick scoby snip or transfer with stainless steel tongs? Totally fine.
Sources to Back It Up
I don’t just swirl green tea leaves for my info. Reputable educators, fermenters, and researchers agree. Take it from Jessica Hanson: my sister. We grew up in western Wisconsin and share a passion for gardening, crafting, and brewing kombucha. She’s a science teacher with over 20 years in the high school setting, mainly chemistry and physics.
“When I explain how stainless steel works for my students, I start by explaining that stainless steel is an alloy. Alloys are materials that are mixtures of metals. Normally, alloys are mixtures of metals that are heated up, mixed together for consistency, and then cooled. The reason why we create alloys is because they exhibit properties that are useful. We literally mix together elements to give them combined properties – isn’t that cool? In the case of stainless steel, this alloy is created because is has the ability to resist heat, which makes it useful for cooking, but it does not react with heat or the food it touches. This is helpful in many cooking situations but is especially important when working with a kombucha scoby because it simply leaves no chemical trace.”
Additional sources that are not my sister:
- Kombucha Kamp, a leading authority on home brewing, states: “Short-term contact with stainless steel (like using a spoon or tongs) is perfectly safe.”
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health confirms stainless steel is non-reactive and widely used in food prep.
- The FDA lists stainless steel as a food-safe material approved for acidic food processing.
Here’s the Bottom Line
Your scoby is strong, magical, and resilient. A pair of clean, food-safe stainless steel tongs won’t disrupt fermentation or cause any sort of disruption. In fact, they’ll help keep your process sanitary and smooth.
P.S. Is the plural of scoby “scobys” or “scobies”? Seems both are acceptable – what do you think? Drop me a line!
