SCOBY keeps sinking

[rorymcg]

Hi everyone,

I used a bottle of kombucha from the store to build up my own scoby. Once my scoby got to about 1/8 - 1/4" I heated up a batch of sugar tea to put my scoby in. Once I put the scoby in it sank, but within a few days a new scoby began to grow. I read that if the temperature of the new batch isn't identical to the batch you are moving your scoby from, your scoby will most likely sink. The new batch was a bit warmer, so I guessed that is why. After about a week, my new scoby was about 1/2" thick. I made a new batch of sugar tea and let it cool to room temperature for a few hours. Once the temperature was the same, I transferred my scoby to the new batch and the scoby seemed to stay afloat. I checked the next morning, and it was lopsided (part of it was floating and part was on the bottom). So, my questions are:

- Is there a way to prevent your scoby from sinking?
- Is there any lag time with fermentation when your scoby sinks and a new scoby needs to grow? If not, a sinking scoby / new scoby probably doesn't matter, right?

Just curious with my kombucha culturing experience so far. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

 

[divrguy]

My first few SCOBY sank. Didn't effect the brew or growing of a new one. Then when they got a little thicker, they seemed to float a little better. When I poured new tea down the side of the container, it seemed to float it better but all of my brews are continuos brews right now so I can get a nice thick SCOBY.

I don't believe from what I have read that it matters whether it sinks or not it will still brew KT.

 

[rorymcg]

My first few SCOBY sank. Didn't effect the brew or growing of a new one. Then when they got a little thicker, they seemed to float a little better. When I poured new tea down the side of the container, it seemed to float it better but all of my brews are continuos brews right now so I can get a nice thick SCOBY.

I don't believe from what I have read that it matters whether it sinks or not it will still brew KT.

Good to know. The first batch came out well so not too worried. Just wasnt sure if the original scoby sank and a new one formed if the fermenting process would take a few more days than if it had not sank. Also, do you just pour your new batch of tea on top of your scoby? Or do you place your scoby on top of your new batch of tea?

Thanks!

 

[shelly_belly]

Mine always sink and then another one forms. So, I quit using them and just use 10% kombucha in each new batch. This works great.

 

[kyt]

The SCOBY will always sink unless there is enough of something less dense then tea under or in it. Like trapped air or CO2 bubbles.
Handling the culture risks contamination, stop touching it, just leave it in the vessel. You can tip the vessel to pour out the tea or use a racking cane to siphon from beneath it.
The SCOBY is unnecessary for proper fermentation, but if you really want to keep it around, you can refloat it by using a bendy straw and blowing bubbles under it. This tends to work best with thinner pellicles. If yours is too thick, leave it in the jar after next harvest, and pour your new tea down the side of the jar rapidly. This will add needed aeration and create bubbles to float the pellicle. Sometimes the CO2 from active fermentation is all you need to put it back at the top.

Lastly, matching the tea temps is unnecessary. Just make sure its not so hot that it kills the microbes, and not so cold that it shocks them. 21-27°C (70s°F) is perfect. You'll also risk mold if you go below 20°C.

posted via Home Brew mobile app

 

[rorymcg]

Mine always sink and then another one forms. So, I quit using them and just use 10% kombucha in each new batch. This works great.

For my 1 gallon batches, I pour 2 cups of my fermented tea into my new batch.

The SCOBY will always sink unless there is enough of something less dense then tea under or in it. Like trapped air or CO2 bubbles.
Handling the culture risks contamination, stop touching it, just leave it in the vessel. You can tip the vessel to pour out the tea or use a racking cane to siphon from beneath it.
The SCOBY is unnecessary for proper fermentation, but if you really want to keep it around, you can refloat it by using a bendy straw and blowing bubbles under it. This tends to work best with thinner pellicles. If yours is too thick, leave it in the jar after next harvest, and pour your new tea down the side of the jar rapidly. This will add needed aeration and create bubbles to float the pellicle. Sometimes the CO2 from active fermentation is all you need to put it back at the top.

Lastly, matching the tea temps is unnecessary. Just make sure its not so hot that it kills the microbes, and not so cold that it shocks them. 21-27°C (70s°F) is perfect. You'll also risk mold if you go below 20°C.

Good to know. I'll just pour the KT into another container, but leave behind about 2 cups - is this ideal? How long do your batches take till they have fermented to your desire?

 

[kyt]

Good to know. I'll just pour the KT into another container, but leave behind about 2 cups - is this ideal? How long do your batches take till they have fermented to your desire?

Yes you can do that. I don't because I utilize multiple fermentation vessels. I currently have (5) 1 gallon olive jars, and (2) .5 gallon mason jars. I fill the gallon sized to a marked 3 liter line, and the half size to the 1500ml mark. So I empty all of my jars into one bottling bucket, leaving the cultures behind. Maybe once a month I'll take the culture out and rinse the trub from the bottom. I'll use the spigot on the bucket to shoot 1 liter of finished KT down the in-side of the jar, and under the culture. Rarely do my cultures not float.

Then I process the remaining KT to bottle or secondary, whatever. Once I've filled everything I wanted to fill, I dump my new tea on top of however much KT was left in the bucket. There's no sense in dumping it, might as well put it back. I'll make 1-2 gallons of tea concentrate, then top up the bucket to however much I need for the vessels I need to fill. Then top up the jars with the spigot.

Since I start with 1/3 of the containers' total fill volume, I harvest/start every quarter moon phase (7-8 days). If I'm bottling or doing 2F, those will sit for 4-7 days (sometimes I forget to put them in the fridge :cross: ).

 

[shelly_belly]

Kyt, what's in the soda bottles?

 

[kyt]

Apple Spice KT

posted via Home Brew mobile app

 

[rorymcg]

Yes you can do that. I don't because I utilize multiple fermentation vessels. I currently have (5) 1 gallon olive jars, and (2) .5 gallon mason jars. I fill the gallon sized to a marked 3 liter line, and the half size to the 1500ml mark. So I empty all of my jars into one bottling bucket, leaving the cultures behind. Maybe once a month I'll take the culture out and rinse the trub from the bottom. I'll use the spigot on the bucket to shoot 1 liter of finished KT down the in-side of the jar, and under the culture. Rarely do my cultures not float.

Then I process the remaining KT to bottle or secondary, whatever. Once I've filled everything I wanted to fill, I dump my new tea on top of however much KT was left in the bucket. There's no sense in dumping it, might as well put it back. I'll make 1-2 gallons of tea concentrate, then top up the bucket to however much I need for the vessels I need to fill. Then top up the jars with the spigot.

Since I start with 1/3 of the containers' total fill volume, I harvest/start every quarter moon phase (7-8 days). If I'm bottling or doing 2F, those will sit for 4-7 days (sometimes I forget to put them in the fridge :cross: ).

Wow, awesome process! I may need to get another 1 gallon jar or two to up my volume. Thanks for the suggestions. First batch has been in the bottles about 4 days. I'll check them tomorrow.

Any favorites to mix your KT with in a secondary? That apple spice sounds/looks great.. I know I'll be fooling around with ginger.

 

[kyt]

Fresh pumpkin puree is one of my favorites. Mix in some cloves, cinnamon, and oat water and it tastes like liquid pumpkin pie.

posted via Home Brew mobile app

 

[thebuchaman]

Ive noticed that with me, I end up with a better quality product from brews where the scoby has sunk to the bottom.