See the below, but basically, no raw or unripe elderberries. Also, if there is any chance of the rosehips being chewed, or cut open, remove the seeds (rose seeds are a traditional source of itching powder).
From http://elderberries.ning.com/forum/topics/elderberry-faq-what-they-are:
Can I eat the berries raw?
Some say that as long as they’re ripe you can eat them uncooked in small quantities, but most sources maintain that berries need to be cooked to fully remove all the toxins. (In addition, elderberries are really quite bitter until they’ve been sweetened with sugar or honey.) Again, as the non-doctor giving advice, I’d err on the side of caution and make sure your elderberries are washed and cooked. On the plus side, I’m collecting quite a few elderberry recipes here, so there should be no shortage of ways to cook them.
From http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blrosehips.htm:
Anyone using rose hips for cooking should remove all the seeds. They are covered with sliver-hairs that, when ingested, irritate the digestive system and cause what the aboriginal people call "itchy bottom disease."
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If you want your Kombucha be strong, consistent, and to taste like a commercial one, then you need to use the same SCOBY contained in a commercial kombucha. Remember, making Kombucha, just like brewing wine, mead, or beer, is nothing more than glorified yeast herding. You give the SCOBY what it wants to eat, and it does the rest. It's really that simple. You just need the same starter as a commercial company.
Now, many companies spend years perfecting their strains of yeast/bacteria, and trying to raise your own or getting a starter from "some guy" often just won't compare because it is either weak, or it hasn't been fed properly, it contains too much acetalbacter, etc.
So, how do you do it? You use the SCOBY that commercial kombucha makers provide you in the bottle and propagate it. In homebrewing we use a similar procedure called "washing yeast," where you take a commercial beer, drink the majority, and then use the dregs of yeast at the bottom to ferment your own beer.
Start with an unpasteurized, raw commercial bottle of Kombucha that you like that has not been sorbated or sulfited. Check the bottle for wisps of sediment in the bottle, indicating that it contains some mother, the more the better.
Then, you prepare food (black tea and sugar), and mix the two. Cover with some cloth, store in a warm (I would guess at 65-70 degrees F based on my experience brewing wine/beer and alsoo purposely making vinegar) and dark place, and let the mother start to grow. It'll take 2-3 feedings before you have a strong mother, but it should form. If it doesn't? Grab another bottle of kombucha and try again.
This link explains the process in better detail.
http://grist.org/food/mother-load-the-secret-to-diy-kombucha/
Once you have the mother, just continue feeding and do whatever you can not to break the cycle of feedings so it doesn't get stressed. You are dealing with living things, and so they will have a tendency to fall into cycles. If you break the cycles, they'll get stressed.
Best Answer
The SCOBY should act in the presence of fresh sugar, so if you are getting cold tea, then it isn't working, assuming all the conditions of time, temperature and clean vessel are met.
You can try again, dosing with a little more sugar, but if it isn't turning tea into booch then it is probably dead.
Not sure if you cultured that SCOBY or bought it, so you might need to make a new one with good booch and tea.
Also, I've heard that decaf tea is a no-no, so not sure if that entered the picture?