Troubleshooting - sad or thrieving Scoby

[Bouchie]

Hi everyone,

As a beginner to kombucha brewing (and fermentation for that matter outside Kimchi), I extend a helping hand to know whether or not I will poison myself if I consume this kombucha.

This is the second time I ferment with this scoby. During the first fermentation there formed a new thin and very healthy looking scoby on top, and the resulting brew was very tasty, albeit it could have been more bubbly. Somewhere during the second fermentation this here on top took form. I've been reading a little bit and the cluster underneath the surface is "yeast clusters"?

The top tho to me look like a bunch of different mold. What is your thought on it?


PS: The tea looked a bit muddy like it does on the picture from the get go. I use green tea gyokuro.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I can't tell if the stuff on top is fuzzy or not like mold but the brown growths hanging off the puck are normal yeast globs.

I would say the stuff on top looks similar to the yeast tails but like I said if it is fuzzy than it is mold and should be tossed. My thought based on what I can see it welcome to the strange world of SCOBY growth.

 

[Atalanta]

To me it looks like mold. If it’s fuzzy looking (which it appears to me) then it is and you will need to toss this batch.

 

[Bouchie]

The pictures didn't do a great job but it was indeed fuzzy looking. I've now thrown out the liquid, washed the scoby's and started a new batch that will hopefully do better. I think my mistake could have been that I kept the vessel in the same cupboard as where I keep garlic and ginger. So maybe there was contamination from there. If that is something anyone reading wanna watch out for.
Thanks for the help! Glad to be part of this forum!