Grow own Scoby with store bought FLAVORED buch

[homebrew93]

I'm a first timer here. I'd like to grow my own scoby. All the recipes seem to state one should use an unflavored batch of buch to do that. I wanted to ask here what the ramification are of using a flavored kombucha to create a scoby. In my area the only kombucha we see being sold is all flavored. So any inside would be appreciated.

 

[Yooper]

I don't know- I'd have to think about what the flavoring is. Is it artificial? Or maybe the SCOBY was rendered sterile so the bottles don't explode, if it's been sweetened?

 

[homebrew93]

The label and the ingredients. It says it has live cultures. ANy thoughts? thank you very much!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Oz4SDFL8e5MEtBUGRPZm5pNjQ1eDNTeERld2VpVTBfM0Zn/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Oz4SDFL8e5OXJLbEJ0Q0RaZTR2TUd5ZVdoS1lDT2NEV0RZ/view?usp=sharing

 

[pvpeacock]

I'm curious to know the answer as well.

 

[RPh_Guy]

If it has the live cultures, it's fine to use.

 

[Yooper]

That's a lot of ingredients for a "natural" kombucha. The sparkling water addition shows that it was made and then diluted with the sparkling water to provide carbonation.
You know, if it was me, I'd buy a SCOBY for $7 from Amazon and not deal with all of the stuff in there, none of it good for growing a culture. The culture may have been live when the kombucha was bottled, but with that list of ingredients I'd be willing to bet you will not grow a strong live good tasting kombucha culture from it, sorry to say.

 

[DIYer]

I've grown a scoby from the Gingerade flavor of GTS kombucha. It had a large "blob" in the bottom of the bottle and I didn't have any plain on hand, so I thought I'd try it, and it worked just fine. I'm actually converting it to a jun scoby using green tea and honey.

To yooper's point though, the GTS kombucha has far fewer ingredients, and the Gingerade flavor basically had only ginger and honey as additional ingredients.

Wouldn't hurt to try with what you have, but if it doesn't work, look for a brand with simpler, more natural ingredients for the next time.

Edit: Just got back from the store, and the Gingerade is just the plain GTS kombucha (which is Kombucha Culture, Black Tea, Green Tea, Cane Sugar) plus ginger juice. No honey.

 

[homebrew93]

THanks for the input guys. I figured what do I have to lose and bought a $3 bottle of ginger flavor kombucha from that compnay to give it a try. I have a different question. - I used foodgrade tupperware made of plastic. I know there is concern for leaching chemicasl from plastic BUt can I use a FOODGRADE tupperware safely?

 

[DIYer]

THanks for the input guys. I figured what do I have to lose and bought a $3 bottle of ginger flavor kombucha from that compnay to give it a try. I have a different question. - I used foodgrade tupperware made of plastic. I know there is concern for leaching chemicasl from plastic BUt can I use a FOODGRADE tupperware safely?

I can't help with the Tupperware question. I always use glass for kombucha.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Food-grade plastic is safe.

 

[homebrew93]

My starter must have been bad. All i got is mold... I think..

 

[RPh_Guy]

Bummer.

How did you make the starter?
Let the bottle of commercial kombucha sit in the fridge for a few days to settle. Then let it warm to room temp.
Add about 7-10 grams of sugar in 100mL de-chlorinated tap water or spring water. Steep a little tea (or use yeast nutrient) and bring to a boil and then chill to room temp before adding the culture. Keep covered with foil.
Carefully pour off most of the liquid from the commercial kombucha, trying not to disturb the sediment.
Swirl and add the sediment to your starter.
Cover with foil and let sit at room temp.

If you're not sure whether you have mold, post some good photos. Use the "Upload a file" button.
Mold looks fuzzy or hairy.

 

[homebrew93]

It's green and black and looks like mold. I'll post some pics. So basically what you are saying is make 100 ML of black tea with 7-10 grams of sugar. Let the tea cool off and let the kombucha gunk on the bottom warm up to room temp and put the two together so they can boogie?

 

[RPh_Guy]

basically what you are saying is make 100 ML of black tea with 7-10 grams of sugar. Let the tea cool off and let the kombucha gunk on the bottom warm up to room temp and put the two together so they can boogie?

Yep, you got it.
... and keep covered. Mold spores float through the air.

Cheers

 

[Seamonkey84]

I used unflavored GTS, and mixed it 50/50 with tea with a tablespoon of sugar per cup. I just grew my first scoby and pitched it into a gallon of tea within ten days.

 

[DIYer]

I used unflavored GTS, and mixed it 50/50 with tea with a tablespoon of sugar per cup. I just grew my first scoby and pitched it into a gallon of tea within ten days.

This is how I do it too. You can do 50/50 black and green tea for the tea component too. And you can use decaf if caffeine is a concern.

 

[lump42]

I just started a culture last Friday with GT's Gingerade. I added swirled the whole bottle and added it to a half gallon mason jar. I figured the adding the whole bottle would help get the pH down a little quicker. Then topped the jar off with sweet tea, cooled to room temp. The sweet tea was a half gallon of filtered water, steeped 4 tea bags, added 1/2 cup sugar. I'm using the canning ring to hold a coffee filter in place. 24 hours later I say bubbles forming like I do in a yeast starter.

 

[homebrew93]

When you guys say you are using filtered water, are you using tap water that was filtered with like a catridge filter? That is what I have under my sink. Nothing fancy.

 

[Seamonkey84]

As long as it removes chlorine/chloramine, that’s what kills off microbes. Another note about filters, Chloramine is harder to remove and saturates active carbon twice as fast as regular chlorine.

 

[lump42]

When you guys say you are using filtered water, are you using tap water that was filtered with like a catridge filter? That is what I have under my sink. Nothing fancy.

I use filtered water from a large brita filter. It removes the chlorine taste. To be safe, I added a small dose of campden to break down the chloramine just like I do for brewing.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Be careful adding sulfite, it can inhibit the culture.

 

[lump42]

Didn't think about that....Only added 1/20 of a tablet. It's bubbling away fine now.

 

[Seamonkey84]

The sulfite should be gone after 24 hours if you let it vent.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The sulfite should be gone after 24 hours if you let it vent.

It will be gone immediately if you thoroughly aerate before pitching the culture.

No need to use sulfite with filtered water.

 

[lump42]

I don't trust the Brita filters to remove all the chloramine, so I added campden. The water was boiled for a few minutes before the tea was brewed. That should have driven much of the sulfite out. Plus it was aerated and just had a coffee filter over the top.

 

[homebrew93]

Quik question. I am pretty much going to aerate this. It is a small quantity. Only about a quart or so. This is my first time and I am just doing a test run anyhow so not using a lot of water. How long does it take to get the chlorine out? the water has been heated in an urn anyhow for quite a while which probably boiled off some of it.

It will be gone immediately if you thoroughly aerate before pitching the culture.

No need to use sulfite with filtered water.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Quik question. I am pretty much going to aerate this. It is a small quantity. Only about a quart or so. This is my first time and I am just doing a test run anyhow so not using a lot of water. How long does it take to get the chlorine out? the water has been heated in an urn anyhow for quite a while which probably boiled off some of it.

There are two different potential compounds added to city water that you want to remove: chlorine and chloramine.
Which one your local water source adds can vary.
If you don't remove the chlorine compounds, the fermentation may produce a Band-Aid™ plastic flavor (chlorophenols).

Boiling for some duration or letting the water stand for a day or so will remove chlorine but not chloramine.

Both chlorine and chloramine can be removed by either activated carbon filtering (i.e. charcoal filtering) or by using a small dose of sulfite.

 

[homebrew93]

Ok thanks. IT's gross that our drinking water contains all this crap. Different question for the room here. I woulnd up adding the kombucha and scoby bits. But the sugar wasnt really all fully dissolved. I had used more sugat than I think I should have. So there is some sugar crystals on the bottom. Is that still going to be ok?

 

[DIYer]

IT's gross that our drinking water contains all this crap.

It would be even grosser if it contained all the nasties bugs that the chlorine kills...

 

[homebrew93]

Well I'll be durned.. I grew me-self a scoby. It looks like any other scoby and I tasted the starter batch. man is that stuff kombitchin! strong..

I read that you can use flavored teas on a second batch. so I mixed some pomegranate tea with the black tea and some green tea in there as well for my second batch. This starter batch though is strong I feel like I could mix it with 2 parts seltzer to one part kombucha and it still tastes strong. Anyhow that's where I'm at..

And ps I went out and got some glass containers between about 3/4 qurt and up to 2 quarts apiece to use in future batches. (i just know my lil scoby is gonna give me grandscobies so I figured i would need a few containers at some point)

 

[lump42]

Mine worked as well. Second batch is taking off like a rocket and within 24h was showing signs of a new SCOBY. I've been using 1/2 gallon (2 quart) mason jars. I use the mason jars for really small hops tests (1/4 oz of hops and boiling wort racked on top and left to cool).

 

[homebrew93]

This is my lil scoby-doo

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1izIA_0VVR0Yjvc2QwO4ItXbNdeqdeOSE/view?usp=sharing

 

[realrick7]

THanks for the input guys. I figured what do I have to lose and bought a $3 bottle of ginger flavor kombucha from that compnay to give it a try. I have a different question. - I used foodgrade tupperware made of plastic. I know there is concern for leaching chemicasl from plastic BUt can I use a FOODGRADE tupperware safely?

Why in the world would you intentionally bleach plasticizers from the acids into your final product? How difficult is it to go buy a 1.3 gallon glass jar, or thoroughly wash a 1 gallon glass jug, or buy a half gallon mason jar?

That is very definitely not the place to save a dollar producing kombucha at home