Recent content by Brewer-Joe

I've poked holes in scoby to release the gas inside... Mostly because I don't want it getting up too close to the cover on the jar... Not because it's a problem

Throw it out... I wouldn't drink, or re-use any kombucha that had mold... not for starter, or anything other then compost... with something solid things would be different, but in a liquid, there's no way to know what is going on in the liquid. I cut mold off cheese and bread to salvage...

You drilled the hole? I'd like to hear about that... I don't do continuous brew, if I did, I'd want it a bit lower then that. I would think the ideal spot would be maybe about 1/5th the distance from the bottom to the top. Enough room above the bottom of the jar, that dead yeasts and other...

yup, all that sounds pretty normal. How long it takes, depends on many factors, one of the biggest factors is temperature of the area you are fermenting in. But factors are related to how much yeast and bacteria were in your stater and/or scoby when you started. It's not practical to try...

I ferment mine , only until it tastes good... for me, that's when it's just a little sweet still and just a little tart. I've had some smaller batches finish in 4 days ( at 85F )... other larger batches have taken 7 days at that same temperature. I'm thinking of cooling my fermentation...

Owly likely has more experience then I do... I just recently started fermenting sweet tea again, after about a 15 year lull in my activity. I too am, a bit dismayed by the amount of ... well malarkey that gets spread around about Kombucha. Some would have you believe that only Kombucha brewed...

I was ready to buy a Lasco 100, but then found Honeywell Heat Bud (HEC100) a possibly better option... mainly because it has two heat settings ( 170 and 250 watts ). But then, I found that Staples had them for $9.99 each , and if shipped to local store, no shipping charges... so ended up...