Kombucha is sludgy?

[kev211]

So I just bottled my first kombucha. All black tea and used an original gt's to build my scoby. One of the bottles I could fill all the way so I figured I'd chill it and drink it un carbed. Well it's chilled now and it tastes great, but it's a lot thicker than most commercial boochs and almost sludge like. I put whole frozen raspberries and blackberries in the kombucha for 3 days and then "strained" it through the cheese cloth into the bottles. What could cause it to be thicker than most "standard issue" kombucha?

 

[sailplane]

So I just bottled my first kombucha. All black tea and used an original gt's to build my scoby. One of the bottles I could fill all the way so I figured I'd chill it and drink it un carbed. Well it's chilled now and it tastes great, but it's a lot thicker than most commercial boochs and almost sludge like. I put whole frozen raspberries and blackberries in the kombucha for 3 days and then "strained" it through the cheese cloth into the bottles. What could cause it to be thicker than most "standard issue" kombucha?

I have just done the same thing as you, and also ended up with thick almost syrup like liquid, and lots of sludge. Are you using a cheese cloth so it can get enough air?
At the beginning I used a paper towel, and that doesn't provide it enough oxygen.

 

[kev211]

I have just done the same thing as you, and also ended up with thick almost syrup like liquid, and lots of sludge. Are you using a cheese cloth so it can get enough air?
At the beginning I used a paper towel, and that doesn't provide it enough oxygen.

Yup. Regular old cheese cloth

 

[sailplane]

Yup. Regular old cheese cloth

Maybe it has something to do with adding whole fruit then? I think the usual way to do it is to juice them and add the juice. You would need a masticating type of juicer for berries.

 

[kev211]

Maybe it has something to do with adding whole fruit then? I think the usual way to do it is to juice them and add the juice. You would need a masticating type of juicer for berries.

I read somewhere (may have even been HBT) that adding whole fruit is fine, but its best to freeze them first since it causes the cell walls to burst and lets more juice flavor out