Moggbomber
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- Jul 2, 2016
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Hey all! I have two jars of kombucha brewing. I've brewed once before, which turned out fine, but I'm definitely still in the beginners phase. All three brews (first one and current two) are from the same story and children and same mixture of black and green tea. The first brew went well....pretty textbook.
When I cooled the tea both times for these two current batches, I noticed a film on the tea. It looked oily but had what looked like dust on the surface. While the tea was cooling, there was a lid on it 100% of the time. I figured I would continue with the brews because this is all a learning experience anyway.
I used white vinegar and starter tea to set the ph of my brews. Both started in the 3.5-4 range. Within a few hours of adding the scobies, the "oil and dust" settled on the top of the tea in the vessels. They didn't really "grow" like mold does, and they didn't look fuzzy. Now, the scoby is growing on the surface like normal and looks healthy save for the oily nodules (dust). In some spots, the scoby has "consumed" the stuff, whatever it is.
I did some reading and found out that black tea can create an oily film and that apparently boiling tap water can make some minerals come out and solidify once cooled. Is this possibly a combination of the two? Has anyone ever seen something similar?
I'm trying to attach the pics.....
When I cooled the tea both times for these two current batches, I noticed a film on the tea. It looked oily but had what looked like dust on the surface. While the tea was cooling, there was a lid on it 100% of the time. I figured I would continue with the brews because this is all a learning experience anyway.
I used white vinegar and starter tea to set the ph of my brews. Both started in the 3.5-4 range. Within a few hours of adding the scobies, the "oil and dust" settled on the top of the tea in the vessels. They didn't really "grow" like mold does, and they didn't look fuzzy. Now, the scoby is growing on the surface like normal and looks healthy save for the oily nodules (dust). In some spots, the scoby has "consumed" the stuff, whatever it is.
I did some reading and found out that black tea can create an oily film and that apparently boiling tap water can make some minerals come out and solidify once cooled. Is this possibly a combination of the two? Has anyone ever seen something similar?
I'm trying to attach the pics.....
