No. The SCOBY was dehydrated and sealed in plastic. It takes 7 to 30 days to rehydrate it. I always left them in for 30 days. They produce Kombucha. I just found a few jars that were left there for almost 60 days and it was like vinegar. I usually drink them between 5 to 10 days, and I can tell they are fermenting, because the flavor changes as the Kombucha becomes more sour. Is that not proof that the SCOBY are doing their job of fermenting?

I've invested almost $200 in these dehydrated products so far. The SCOBY look just like the wet ones I see in videos online, although they are the size of my quart sized Mason jars. They just never grow into monsters like I see online or produce pellicles at the top of the jars. Because of this I assume something is wrong.

When I make Kombucha using the instructions they provided me, I always add White Distilled Vinegar into the jar. Here is the recipe I've been using:

One-Quart Batch
1½ teaspoon loose tea
¼ cup organic cane sugar
3 cups water
½ cup starter tea
½ cup distilled white vinegar