Recent content by Anamalier

Yeah, I see the blue circular spot in the two upper photos, but not the one you pulled out with your hands. According to https://www.kombuchakamp.com/kombucha-mold-information-and-pictures article you should not try to salvage a scoby that has mold on it. That's all I got.

I'll try again.

yes

I've made a few good batches of Kombucha and I love it. It has great flavor! I've made batches with black tea with spices and Yerba Mata. My main problem is that I cannot get the fizzy bubbles that seem to happen in the store bought type. Now, really the taste is so good I do not really "need"...

That's cool, I can see how it would even taste good. Like they say, you can make alcohol out of water and sugar.

A month? I think it is 9-10 days. I let my first batch go about 15 days and it was super-tart. I figure after a month you are looking at vinegar.

im new too, but i also get brown stuff

I'm In

That's what happened to mine too. It was gray/black & ugly and looked like it was going to poison me, and a week later it was a puffy slimy white thing that looked fresh and sanitary. With Germ phobia and so on,I think we are afraid to work with fermentation. I have learned a lot. I am going to...

I really don't know. I am a newbie who just made a first batch. Not an expert, in other words. Here is an old thread about the same subject. Perhaps you can start your research here? https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=340323

It is not mold. That is a baby Scoby forming off the original one you put in. It is a kind of shiny, and lighter colored "growth area." As it gets older it will get darker. The cells are doubling in size, in a way. I was very scared about mine too, but it came out okay.

GT worked fine. I used a flavored one and got a really thin scoby with about 1/2 a bottle. I'm still learning too. my main problem has been keeping the tea/scoby warm enough. Too cool/cold and the yeast/bacteria will go into a dormant state.

Maybe the larger batch needs different settings? Because there is more water, it may take more yeast or heat or something. A guide I have seen says that tea that is too sweet is that way because the yeast (Scoby) is semi-dormant. It is just not eating the sugar as fast. A guess only. I am just...

1/10 to 1/26. I just tasted the batch. It is amazing. The scoby is like a thin pancake, not a big puffy thing. I used 8 black tea bags, and 2 herbal "Celestial Seasonings" Bengal Spice. It dosent need anything else. I can drink it as it is.

I am not an expert, but I have never seen Kombucha made in a jar with a spiggot. I know it happens but I have never seen it. I am guessing, (as a person who grows a lot of plants) that if there is something to hang on to in the container, it will.