Not sure if it's working?

[sailplane]

I started with one bottle of GT's Kombucha and some water+tea+sugar to grow a Scoby. Once it got about 1/4 of an inch thick, I brewed some more tea and sugar, and added the Scoby.

I used about 2 cups of the first brew, along with 1/4cup sugar, 2cups of water and one tea bag. See the photo for what I ended up with. Does it look normal? It has lots of mushy stringy pieces.

The scoby went to the bottom when I put it in and now another one is growing on top again. Is this normal?

I only had one tea bag, but I'm planning to start a bigger batch, and hopefully brew 2-3 gallons at once, but I'm not sure if what I have now is good for anything.

 

[8rnw8]

Looks normal so far. Try to keep to the ratio: 1/2 gallon water, 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tea bags, 1 cup starter (finished batch to lower ph) and you should be fine.

 

[sailplane]

Looks normal so far. Try to keep to the ratio: 1/2 gallon water, 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tea bags, 1 cup starter (finished batch to lower ph) and you should be fine.

Thanks for the reply. Should I leave the scoby disc in there if another one is growing on the top? If it can brew without a disc at all, is there a point to putting it in? Does it make it brew faster?

 

[8rnw8]

Yes, you can leave it in. Each batch will grow a new SCOBY. Eventually you can discard the oldest ones if you want, or google various other uses for them. My current batch of kombucha probably has 7-8 SCOBY's in it. Lol. Hard for me to get rid of the little buggers.

It will definitely ferment faster with more SCOBY's.

 

[sailplane]

Yes, you can leave it in. Each batch will grow a new SCOBY. Eventually you can discard the oldest ones if you want, or google various other uses for them. My current batch of kombucha probably has 7-8 SCOBY's in it. Lol. Hard for me to get rid of the little buggers.

It will definitely ferment faster with more SCOBY's.

Ok, I started a new batch and left them both in now. I used your recipe, but the water got really dark. When you say 4 bags of tea, is that a 1gram bag, or 2gram? I noticed some bags are bigger than others. The tea I just got is Tazo English Breakfast, and I used 4 bags for 1/2 gallon. The new Scoby is growing on the top yet again, so it's working, but I hope I didn't make it too strong.

 

[8rnw8]

Hmmm... Not sure what weight they are. I was told to use black tea, but I've heard of people using green tea as well. I don't think it has quite as much for the SCOBY to munch on.

The tea will definitely be strong. I use 4 Lipton tea bags, and usually throw in a hibiscus tea bag also (SCOBY can't use it but I like the flavor it adds).

 

[sailplane]

The batch is now finished and tastes great. The initial scoby even rose to the surface to join the newly formed scoby around the 4th day. It got very bubly, with very big bubbles during the process. It took around 7-8 days, in pretty warm temps.

The key is definitely fresh air. It wasn't doing very well in the original photo, very little bubbles. I had it covered with a tissue. It definitely needs a cheesecloth, and I think air movement helps as well. I found next to my fridge there is a slight breeze when it turns on, so I keep it there.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Spaceman]

Hmmm... Not sure what weight they are. I was told to use black tea, but I've heard of people using green tea as well. I don't think it has quite as much for the SCOBY to munch on.

The tea will definitely be strong. I use 4 Lipton tea bags, and usually throw in a hibiscus tea bag also (SCOBY can't use it but I like the flavor it adds).

You can absolutely use green tea. In fact, it creates an entirely different flavor profile compared to black tea. I did notice that my 100% green tea batches would tend to get a stronger vinegar taste faster than pure black tea. Black tea also creates some perceived sweetness in the booch. Try blending the two!

Also, I highly recommend discarding older scobies after a few brews. I never go more than 2 brews with the same scoby. The flavors created start to change as the scoby ages (this could be desirable depending on how you like to brew). The young scobies ensure you are getting a healthy fermentation and will make your batches consistent from one to the other.

What to do with the old ones? You can start a scoby "hotel" in your fridge to keep them in a state of hibernation until you are ready to use them OR...

Option two - take a deep breath, gently place the elderly scoby in your sink garbage disposal, thank it for all the work it has done in creating delicious booch, and then flip the switch and send it to scoby heaven. I know, its hard to let go after all it has done for you, but you will have new scobies appearing in every batch and no longer have room to store them all. You may have an emotional connection to that strange white glob, but remember - it is mostly just cellulose, the heart and soul of the scoby is in your booch.