I'm new to KT and have two projects growing on my kitchen
1. Trying to grow a scoby from the the botton third of several bottles of storebought organic unpasteurized KT (a combo of Katalyst Kombucha and GT) in a quart-sized jar of sweetened tea.
and
2. a gallon with a scoby from a friend - with 1 cup sugar, 3 cups brewed black tea, and several cups of the KY she gave me with the scoby. (My friend does the continuous brew method in a 2 gallon crock and never bottles it - and says that the KT is always a bit different because she just dumps in a gallon of sweetened tea whenever the crock gets below half full.
Its fall and my kitchen is cool so I'm aware things might take longer.
Here are my questions:
As I buy and drink store bought KT in the next week or two - can I always pour the bottom inch of the bottled KT in either my bigger jar (with the scoby from a friend) or into the smaller jar (where I'm trying to grow a scoby)? If I pour it in the jar with the friend's scoby - will it just enhance that tea and the scoby growing in that tea? Or might it interfere with the already-grown scoby that is in there? I don't love drinking the globs but since I'm trying to grow scobys - I hate the idea of pouring them down the drain. If I do user them - which jar should I add them too? If I drink straight from the bottle I might get germs in the bottled KT (I suppose) and then might those germs contaminate my other projects if I then add those dregs into either of my other jars?
Question #2
The KT and the scoby that my friend gave me - it didn't smell nearly as wonderful as the store bought KT I've been drinking - but is it always the exact same bacteria/yeast combo in every KT (and only the tea used to brew and the flavorings that make the difference in taste)?
1. Trying to grow a scoby from the the botton third of several bottles of storebought organic unpasteurized KT (a combo of Katalyst Kombucha and GT) in a quart-sized jar of sweetened tea.
and
2. a gallon with a scoby from a friend - with 1 cup sugar, 3 cups brewed black tea, and several cups of the KY she gave me with the scoby. (My friend does the continuous brew method in a 2 gallon crock and never bottles it - and says that the KT is always a bit different because she just dumps in a gallon of sweetened tea whenever the crock gets below half full.
Its fall and my kitchen is cool so I'm aware things might take longer.
Here are my questions:
As I buy and drink store bought KT in the next week or two - can I always pour the bottom inch of the bottled KT in either my bigger jar (with the scoby from a friend) or into the smaller jar (where I'm trying to grow a scoby)? If I pour it in the jar with the friend's scoby - will it just enhance that tea and the scoby growing in that tea? Or might it interfere with the already-grown scoby that is in there? I don't love drinking the globs but since I'm trying to grow scobys - I hate the idea of pouring them down the drain. If I do user them - which jar should I add them too? If I drink straight from the bottle I might get germs in the bottled KT (I suppose) and then might those germs contaminate my other projects if I then add those dregs into either of my other jars?
Question #2
The KT and the scoby that my friend gave me - it didn't smell nearly as wonderful as the store bought KT I've been drinking - but is it always the exact same bacteria/yeast combo in every KT (and only the tea used to brew and the flavorings that make the difference in taste)?