Scoby looking green / blue

[The forager]

I’m new to kombucha making and am wondering if this looks normal?

 

[rushpapers]

Infection.

 

[bracconiere]

i would NOT drink that!

for my curiosity, was it able to breath or did you put a lid on it?

 

[rushpapers]

He probably didn't give it enough low pH starter.

 

[bracconiere]

He probably didn't give it enough low pH starter.

for both our benefit, what's that? and what ph is ideal? same as beer and 4.2, cider 3.x or so? i'm asking in case i get back into the bucha for a work drink.

 

[rushpapers]

- Lower pH is more acidic.
- 4.2 pH and under is the rule of thumb to ensure that your booch doesn't get infected.
- I generally start my kombucha fermentation at 3.5 pH.
- I achieve that by using 20% acidic starter (2.7 - 2.9 pH)

 

[The forager]

I had it covered with a muslin cloth.

So I should throw it all out and buy a new scoby?

I will measure the PH. How do I make an acidic starter?

 

[The forager]

The PH is 4

 

[rushpapers]

An acid starter is simply a very mature kombucha which has reached a low pH.

i.e. you need booch to make booch.

Beg, borrow, buy, or steal some raw acidic kombucha to start over.

4 pH is not very acid and explains why it became infected.

 

[The forager]

Thank you. So if I purchase a bottle of Kombucha, leave to allow scoby to grow on it. And then add just strong tea with some sugar to it, is that what I need to do? I will measure the PH as I go.

 

[rushpapers]

Yes, however there are many other things along the way to do correctly... how much tea, how much sugar, temperature before pitching the culture, sanitation of the vessel, etc.

Pellicles are unnecessary in the process aside from being a visual indicator that the process is working.

The most important part of inoculation is adding at least 20% and making it very acidic.

 

[JAReeves]

It cannot be emphasized enough to sterilize anything that touches the booch, as well. When I pull out my SCOBY to pour off the kombucha and start a new batch, I sterilize any surface that touches the stuff that goes into the container. Peel off the brown bottom from the white top of the SCOBY and pitch the brown side back in to the new kombucha. The thick white surface shell goes into the mulch bin. This might be anathema, but I don't clean out the kombucha fermenter. The dead stuff at the bottom just feeds the new batch, and so on through perpetuity.