Help the new guy !

[Mdesanti]

Firstly, hello and its wonderful to join a group of like minded folks with the DIY spirit. Here is my issue...
I grew a SCOBY from a bottle of GT's Kombucha in a 2gal glass jar and it took about 3.5 - 4 weeks to get to about 3/8 inch thick.

I then brewed 16 organic black tea bags with 1 gal of spring water and 2 cups sugar; then added 1 gal of cool spring water and let it cool to (wait for it !) 104 degrees and dropped Mr. SCOBY in. he sank to the bottom and has stayed there all week Is he dead ? Did I cook my SCOBY after giving it loving care for 4 weeks ???

Thanks for any suggestions.
Mdesanti

 

[Hopzz]

If I had to guess, most of the healthy bacteria inside the SCOBY might have been compromised when you dropped it into such hot water.

I would recommend waiting until the tea mixture is cooled down to at least 75F before putting the SCOBY in it.

When home brewing beer we have to wait until the wort is about that temperature before we add yeast or else it can kill off the yeast too.

Normally a healthy SCOBY will brew up kombucha in a week's time too. I would regrow one if it were me.

Good luck man...kombucha is amazing.

 

[Jaybird]

You probably did kill it to be honest. only way to tell is wait a few weeks and see if you have kombucha or just sweet tea. But I think I would be starting another starter SCOBY sooner rather thank later though.


Don't worry you can make another.

Good luck.

 

[theDREWery]

With black tea I always just make sun tea, using hot tap and just leaving it in a window while I'm at work. In winter I just use hot tap and leave the tea overnight wrapped in a towel.

 

[Mdesanti]

I will start over tomorrow. Thanks y'all ! And I'll post again with better results.

 

[Fire Me Boy!]

Isn't that too much sugar for 1 gallon?

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Kombucha is outside my brewing experience, but I'd have to agree with the general consensus that 104 degrees is too hot for a SCOBY starter.

 

[2ball]

Isn't that too much sugar for 1 gallon?

it was 2 gallons, because he added a 2nd gallon of spring water after brewing the tea.

 

[telebrewer]

Isn't that too much sugar for 1 gallon?

He added another gallon of water to make the total 2 gallons

 

[Fire Me Boy!]

He added another gallon of water to make the total 2 gallons

Thanks. I read the OP like three times and that didn't register.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

Your tea:sugar:water ratio sounds fine to me, it's what I use. 8 oz sugar + 8 tea bags to 1 gallon of water.

The hot water probably didn't help, but more importantly, I don't see where you mentioned using starter tea?

Some of the current thinking is that you don't really need the scoby at all, it's really the starter tea that's the important thing, and the scoby is just a byproduct of this type of fermentation. For example, note that you just made kombucha and grew a scoby only using starter tea

Try it again, but also make sure to reserve 2 cups of so of the kombucha from your first go around. When you make your next batch add both the scoby and starter tea. Then you should be fine.

 

[Mdesanti]

Ok I grew a new SCOBY and brewed and bottled a new batch and it's not half bad... I did use the starter tea and went with the 2 gal recipe. It's been in the bottle 72 hours and it has some fizz but I'd like more. What would you all recommend to get more fizz ???

 

[Fire Me Boy!]

Ok I grew a new SCOBY and brewed and bottled a new batch and it's not half bad... I did use the starter tea and went with the 2 gal recipe. It's been in the bottle 72 hours and it has some fizz but I'd like more. What would you all recommend to get more fizz ???

More time or forced carbonation.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

Or slightly more sugar, fruit, juice, or whatever you're adding to it prior to bottling?

 

[ericbw]

I think you'd need to be at about 120 or more to kill your SCOBY. You know how we boil things to sterilize? 104 is pretty warm, but you wouldn't burn yourself on it. When you rehydrate yeast (or proof it for bread), you can/should do it at about 105 degrees. Some SCOBYs float and some sink. They are in charge!

For more fizz, leave it longer in the bottle, but then chill it for a few days before drinking. When it is warm, it will produce CO2 (filling the headspace and mixing with the oxygen), then the cold temperature helps the liquid to absorb it.

 

[ericbw]

Deleted double post.