I have been drinking kombucha for a long time but this is my first time brewing and I'm using a kit. I've been tasting the brew daily and waiting for it to become more tart, but it's still very sweet (tastes kind of like apple juice) and I see no sign of bubbles around the scoby. It's been 21 days.
I think I see plenty of yeast below the scoby (see pics). I've been keeping the temperature around 78 and upped it to 82-84 a few days ago in hopes of stimulating the yeast. It now tastes a little more acidic but the strong apple juice flavor is still dominating. It tastes very sugary. The pH is around 3.0.
I'm worried I ruined the scoby by waiting too long. I got this for a Christmas present and didn't start brewing till late April, just days before the date marked on the starter pouch. My house is also pretty cold in the winter (wood heat), often upper 50s in the mornings.
Any help would be much appreciated! I don't want to start over!
I think I see plenty of yeast below the scoby (see pics). I've been keeping the temperature around 78 and upped it to 82-84 a few days ago in hopes of stimulating the yeast. It now tastes a little more acidic but the strong apple juice flavor is still dominating. It tastes very sugary. The pH is around 3.0.
I'm worried I ruined the scoby by waiting too long. I got this for a Christmas present and didn't start brewing till late April, just days before the date marked on the starter pouch. My house is also pretty cold in the winter (wood heat), often upper 50s in the mornings.
Any help would be much appreciated! I don't want to start over!