2 Weeks and still sweet!

[funkyjelly]

Whats up people,

So I've been brewing about two gallons of Kombucha (for the first time) and just wanted to hear some tips and suggestions from some experts. I made my own SCOBY turned out pretty nice to my knowledge just by looking at it and comparing pictures of other scobes. I guess what I really want to know is...will it take longer to ferment based on the volume of water,tea sugar etc...? I read it takes up to 2 weeks to ferment but I just tried it and it was still pretty sweet. It formed a thin layer around the original SCOBY...but anyway let me know what you guys think and suggest! I appreciate it! Thank You!

 

[8rnw8]

I ferment a half gallon with a few SCOBY's in it and it still takes 7-10 days before its tart enough. 1 SCOBY for 2 gallons of tea is going to take a bit. It might be helpful if you also post your tea recipe to make sure there isn't an issue there? And how did you grow your SCOBY?

 

[funkyjelly]

I used 10-12bags of tea with about 2 cups of sugar

 

[funkyjelly]

I used 10-12bags of black tea with about 2 cups of sugar

 

[8rnw8]

Typically they say to use 4 teabags per half gallon, so you might be a little light there.

Also one cup starter tea per 1/2 gallon, so 4 cups starter tea.

This being your first batch, I don't know if you had enough starter tea, you didn't tell me how you grew your SCOBY.
The SCOBY needs an acidic environment, so if you don't have starter tea you should add vinegar initially. I would think it would still ferment slowly though. Is it any more sour?

 

[funkyjelly]

Yeah I did'nt use any starter tea

I made the scoby the same way actually and added some apple cider vinager with mother. After the scoby was done i stored it in the refrigerator for a bit in a little bit of water.

I still have the starter kombucha! i never threw it out and it formed another healthy looking scoby. Should i pour some in there and add this scoby as well?

 

[8rnw8]

You should store your SCOBY in kombucha, not water. It might be worth adding that SCOBY and the kombucha, especially given the size of the batch you are doing.

 

[8rnw8]

If you made your SCOBY from apple cider vinegar, you should be feeding it alcohol, not tea. Apple cider vinegar mother turns alcohol into vinegar, not sugar into alcohol.

 

[8rnw8]

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-kombucha-scoby-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-202596