Kombucha too sweet / no fizz after 3 weeks

[Rob T]

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!

 

[Yooper]

The starter tea may have been a little sluggish, but if it's not growing mold, it's fine so just try to be patient!

 

[Atalanta]

On another booch site, they said it can take a while for a first batch to get going. I got a Jun scoby from a co-worker and the first batch was a bit sluggish (he had stored it in the fridge), but no mold. This weekend I'll be pouring off the second batch and starting a continuous brew in a larger container. When I checked on the scoby, it had started growing a new layer (i read that Jun scobys don't reproduce like kombucha ones do).

My first batch did smell yeasty, I live in an old house so kept it on our gas stove (has pilot lights) to keep it warm. I got a heating mat on amazon for when summer passes and the house drops to freezing again.

 

[HiImBrian]

I've made kombucha a few times, but never with a kit. I've always just bought a bottle from Whole Foods and grew my own scoby. I guess if this batch doesn't work out, I'd just dump in a bottle of booch and keep waiting.