I have been brewing kombucha for two years now, using children of the original SCOBY I started with. They typically ferment in a week and taste great. The only problem is my SCOBYs are very thin. I see online people using fat, 1/2 to 1 inch thick SCOBYs while mine are 1/8 or 1/4 in thick. So, are thin SCOBYs the sign of something wrong, and how do I fatten up mine?
How to get a fat scoby?
- Thread starter acircleda
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Vellum
Well-Known Member
I find it fascinating that your scoby hasn't gotten thicker over the years. I have no specific answer for you but perhaps with some clues we can figure it out.
Where did your original scoby come from? What size vessel are you fermenting in (volume, shape)? What batch size are you doing? Does your scoby produce a new layer after every batch? What is your kombucha recipe/process? Mine will look almost like a Pillsbury flakey roll in that it has tons of separate layers all stacked on top of the other.
Probably the most important thing to ask though: Do you enjoy the kombucha you are producing? If you answer yes, then maybe you have nothing to worry about.
Where did your original scoby come from? What size vessel are you fermenting in (volume, shape)? What batch size are you doing? Does your scoby produce a new layer after every batch? What is your kombucha recipe/process? Mine will look almost like a Pillsbury flakey roll in that it has tons of separate layers all stacked on top of the other.
Probably the most important thing to ask though: Do you enjoy the kombucha you are producing? If you answer yes, then maybe you have nothing to worry about.
hunter_le five
Sheriff Underscore
I have to peel/trim mine every few batches because it gets too thick.
Care to share your exact recipe/process?
But this, mostly.
Why is a thick scoby important to you? What difference do you think it will make?
Care to share your exact recipe/process?
But this, mostly.
Why is a thick scoby important to you? What difference do you think it will make?
I am doing a continuous brew system in a 2 gallon Yorkshire glass jar with stainless steel spigot. I typically let it get to about a gallon before I refill. My recipe is the typical kombucha recipe:
1 gallon water
1 cup sugar
8 teabags
It is typically ready in 4-7 days depending on tempt. I do get new layers, but they are also thin on their own. So, even with 5 layers, the entire scoby family is too thin. They also do not separate easily, not that tearing the scoby hurts though. The older layers are a bit scraggly, but still producing.
I wanted a thicker scoby because I have read they are healthier, and all the scoby's I see seem to be thick. We are trying to increase our kombucha production to sell at the local farmers market, and I feel the scobys we have, while they produce delicious KT, don't seem to resemble the competitors beasts.
Maybe I have scoby-envy?
1 gallon water
1 cup sugar
8 teabags
It is typically ready in 4-7 days depending on tempt. I do get new layers, but they are also thin on their own. So, even with 5 layers, the entire scoby family is too thin. They also do not separate easily, not that tearing the scoby hurts though. The older layers are a bit scraggly, but still producing.
I wanted a thicker scoby because I have read they are healthier, and all the scoby's I see seem to be thick. We are trying to increase our kombucha production to sell at the local farmers market, and I feel the scobys we have, while they produce delicious KT, don't seem to resemble the competitors beasts.
Maybe I have scoby-envy?
hunter_le five
Sheriff Underscore
Others will disagree, but I am in the same camp as snarf, in that the gelatinous puck that we refer to as a "Scoby" is actually just a waste byproduct, and doesn't really contribute much if anything. It's mostly just a big blob of cellulose.
Most if not all of the fermenting power comes from the bacteria and yeast floating around in the liquid tea. This is actually what we *should* be calling "scoby", but nobody asked me.
If you are producing a good product, then I don't see a problem.
Most if not all of the fermenting power comes from the bacteria and yeast floating around in the liquid tea. This is actually what we *should* be calling "scoby", but nobody asked me.
If you are producing a good product, then I don't see a problem.
Fedora
Glorified Janitor
I agree.
I actually throw the pellicle away after each batch. I leave 16 oz or so of finished booch in the fermenter and dump the sweet tea on top. It works just fine. Finishes in seven days and tastes great.
hunter_le five
Sheriff Underscore
Fedora
Glorified Janitor
You're a credit to the American People.
My temperatures are a bit cooler, which is why my booch may take a little longer sometimes. The house is usually in the high 60s or low 70s during the winter and spring. The summer, high 70s.
According to this site: http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kombucha_balance/#Thin SCOBY I may have too much yeast (compared to acetobacter bacteria). Sound correct?
hunter_le five
Sheriff Underscore
Maybe. Where did you get your starter tea from?
