Kombucha - making your own?

I regularly make it. It's not complicated or time-intensive at all. It also usually makes a good number of bottles. But the best part is playing around with different fruit infusions. Apple cinnamon kombucha has been the best so far.
The only downside is getting used to handling the scobi. It just feels weird and looks like a jellyfish.

I prefer water kefir (as opposed to milk kefir, which is a different culture) to kombucha. Water kefir has a shorter fermentation time (24-48 hrs for the kefir vs. 2-4 weeks for kombucha), and is also more tolerant if you ignore it or forget to feed it. I killed my kombucha scoby through neglect, but I've gone a good month without doing anything to my water kefir culture, and when I started feeding it again, it bounced right back!

The health benefits of both are a little sketchy. Yes, they are both fermented and contain a variety of bacteria, yeasts and other probiotics, but there is some conflicting information out there about how well the body actually accepts these external sources of yeast and bacteria, and whether or not the sugars that they are typically prepared with for consumption basically negate the health benefits by feeding the sugar-loving bacteria that are already in the guts. Do your own research and draw your own conclusions.

I will say that several years ago I had a terrible 6-month bout with C. diff (a naturally occurring but terribly opportunistic gut bacteria that basically kills off everything else in the gut biome and causes debilitating diarrhea and dehydration). As part of my recovery, my nurse practitioner recommended daily servings of kombucha, kefir, sauer kraut or kimchi, so I started making all of them. After eating the saurkraut or kimchi or drinking the kefir, I experienced some relief from my symptoms for a few hours, but the kombucha didn't seem to make a noticeable difference.

That was 3 1/2 years ago, and I continue to make water kefir and kimchi--enjoying one or the other about twice a week because I LIKE them--regardless of their questionable health benefits

Water kefir definitely has fizz, just ask my ceiling. lol I bought the kefir grains online, and once it got going it was very easy to make. I had a lot of fun coming up with various flavor combinations.

I have been making kombucha for a few years now. My hubby and I both like it and it helped us stop drinking so much pop. I make it every 3 weeks. Flavor with whatever fruit is in season (or that I froze for the winter). Mine is very fizzy (aka explosive at times).
I did make water kefir for awhile. I honestly did not like the taste of it and found it a pain in my a** to have to do something with it every 24-48 hours.
I actually have found kombucha has improved my GI symptoms (acid reflux, bloating, etc) but then I wonder is that because I don't drink pop anymore versus the kombucha itself.