Normal Young Scoby – Notice the brown slimy bit at the top – also normal.
This post is a follow-up to last week's post – How to Make Kombucha – A Visual Guide. Reader question answered…
Roxanna wants to know:
What do I do with all the scoby babies?
While you can find lots of answers out there from stir-fried scoby to dog treats and leather substitutes, I think the best options are:
- Give away your extra scobies
- Save your extra scobies for later (in a lidded jar with some reserved kombucha in the fridge)
- Compost your older scobies – plants love kombucha fertilizer! For best results, give them a quick chop in a blender or food processor before adding them to your compost pile.
- Start a ‘bucha business! – You'd be surprised how many folks would be happy to pay rather than make their own.
Jackie likes to used distilled water…
Is it better to use distilled water when making kombucha?
Some kombucha brewers swear by distilled water to make a “stronger and purer” finished product or to prevent mold from developing. Personally, I have never had mold occur except for when I've used flavored tea or recently had some potatoes go moldy in the ‘bucha pantry. I prefer water that is more like it occurs in nature than a science lab, so I use filtered water (ours is reverse osmosis with the minerals added back in). Whether you choose distilled or filtered be sure to use water that is free of chlorine and fluoride which aren't good for the health of your scoby or you!
Cassandra asks –
After you brew your first batch and plan to make another, what mushroom is best to used? The mother you first started with in the last batch or the new mushroom that grew? Does it matter?
Use either the new scoby or a nice uniform mature scoby for your next batch. It is fine to leave a few in your brew, but when it starts to get crowded, remove the older scobies that are looking ragged and tired and compost them.
…and can you start a continuous brew in a ceramic container with a spout or does it need to be glass?
You can use ceramic or glass for your brews, but make sure the ceramic is sealed. I have heard varying opinions on whether the spout should be plastic or metal. Try to choose a spout that is least likely to corrode and break down with the fermenting ‘bucha.
Sanja asks…
I love drinking kombucha but I heard recently that it can be damaging to the liver because it attracts all kinds of micro-organisms, good and bad. Is this true?
Great question! Well, for starters, the whole planet is covered in micro-organisms. We have become a bit of a germ-o-phobe culture, but the truth is, we NEED good bacteria and yeast for optimal health. When properly prepared, kombucha will naturally contain the proper balance of healthy bacteria and yeast. A bad batch will be evident by the appearance of mold – black, green, or blue.
As for kombucha and liver health, one of the active ingredients – glucaric acid – is thought to actually make the liver more efficient. Those who have never consumed kombucha before and certainly individuals with weakened immune systems should always take caution when trying something new.
Ultimately, you know best, so see how kombucha feels in your body. Some people experience a “die-off” of un-healthy flora as new healthy bacteria and yeast colonizes their digestive tracts. While this is a completely normal process, if you suspect that this is occurring, seek support from a qualified health practitioner.
Leah wants to know…
Would it be ok to give kombucha to an 11-month old? My baby recently had to take a dose of heavy-duty antibiotics for a bacterial infection and I'm trying to counteract the digestive results by giving her lots of fermented foods.
Here's a great answer from Maredith another reader:
I gave my babes sips of Kombucha starting pretty young, probably less than 11 months. I always water it down a bit for the kids, and stick to just a few sips for babies. And just to be safe, I don't give it to them close to a bed or nap time, usually its a morning shot with breakfast.
I agree with Maredith – Kombucha is great for kids, and most love it when you start them young. Just start with diluted, tiny amounts. Also, because kombucha may contain small amounts of caffeine, avoid giving it to children in the afternoon or near naps, and observe your child to see how they react to drinking it.
Kombucha and other cultured foods are wonderful any time, but post antibiotics, I would recommend taking a high-potency, high-quality probiotic supplement for at least one month to give the body an extra boost of healthy bacteria.
Got a kombucha question that wasn't answered above? Leave it in the comments below…
Need a kombucha scoby or continuous brewing kit? Click here to get one now.
After months of reading your articles I think I’m ready to start making my own Kombucha 🙂
This is fabulous, thank you so much! Your blog is amazing!!!
Awesome. Great post!
I just finished ANOTHER bottle of Apple Kombucha. Emily.. you are the queen of Kombucha.
Is kambocha good for hipertention?
What is the safest tea to use? I’ve been reading a lot about high flouride content in green and black teas lately.
If you purchase organically grown teas that are loose leaf you wont have anything to worry about with fluoride! I read an article on another blog that has scientific research behind it and the fluoride is a by-product of fertilizers!
That is false. All tea contains fluoride. The darker the tea the more fluoride. It has nothing to do with whether it is organic or not. The plants produce it and it is not harmful.
There are fluoride based pesticides sprayed on grapes, Do you know if they are spayed on tea?
Thanks for the pictures! I’ve been making kombucha for a while, but these pics really explained a LOT that I was unsure about. Hooray! 😀
You’re welcome! Glad they are helpful. 🙂
I am planning to make my own since I am tired of spending wads of money a week for us to drink kombucha. My question is I am pregnant, what type of tea should I use? Is it safe to drink while pregnant? I’ve heard mixed reviews.
The general advice I have heard is that if you drank kombucha before your pregnancy, it is likely that it will be perfectly fine to drink during as well. Just listen to your body and see how it feels. If you are concerned about the caffeine, you can remove much of the caffeine by shocking your tea bags before brewing. This is done by pouring a small amount of boiling water onto your tea bags, allowing it to steep for a 10 seconds or so, and then dumping out that initial tea before using the shocked bags for your actual brew. This will remove a good portion of the caffeine.
A huge Thank You for this wonderful article! :0)
I’ve been making this for a month now and all this time searching for the answer to a question you have here, so thanks!! My original mother and her “baby” are both huge, and I was wondering if it was necessary to remove one of them.
In regards to the 11 mo. old, imho, I would give her nothing but mama’s milk, but if the baby is formula fed then I agree that small, diluted sips might be helpful.
Sara – You’re welcome! You don’t need to remove the older scoby to have a successful brew, but eventually the new scobies will start to overtake your brewing vessel. I usually take out the extras ever 3-4 brews, leaving the younger, fresher scobies in the pot.
I just learned to make kombucha from a lady who has been making it for years. She is even letting me borrow one of her continuous brew systems to see if I like it. I live in an apartment where the kitchen is so small that you can barely get two people in it. That’s the only place where I can put the system in. It’s away from the stove, but right next to the sink. my mother was washing dishes and put a drop of bleach in the sink water. Do you think that would ruin the kombucha?
What is recommended amount to drink.. I love my kombucha and i tend to drink about 16- 24 oz. a day. Can it be harmful to drink too much?
Hi Leslie – If you feel good drinking 16-24 ounces per day, there shouldn’t be any reason why not to drink that much kombucha. I find that with kombucha, I’m either craving it (and LOTS of it) or don’t really want it at all. Perhaps your body is enjoying the therapeutic benefits of right now. Cheers!
Hi, I’ve made my first batch of kombucha successfully, and love it. I put my SCOBY in the fridge, and now read varying things about whether or not that is a good thing. How should I store the SCOBY? Can I use the refrigerated SCOBY, or will I need to do something different to use it? THANKS.
hi! thanks for the info! i made a first scoby and it took a long time to form – it was probably too cold in the house in the winter (we don’t use much heat in our house in Los Angeles:) and now it’s probably been in the glass container for about 6 MONTHS! It looks fine, although the SCOBY is rather thin – maybe 3/8 of an inch in a large glass container (about 10″ wide) – it has almost a gallon of tea in it that certainly smells like kombucha!
I have never refrigerated it…I’m wondering how to tell if it’s safe to use? Can I drink the tea and use the SCOBY? I don’t see any mold and it smells “right”….
Thanks in advance for any info/advice!
Hi Sarah – I usually refrigerate my scoby when it’s not in use, but as long as it smells ok and doesn’t have mold it should be fine. The ‘tea’ you have is probably more like vinegar at this point. You can use it as a starter for fermented soda like this one http://holisticsquid.com/easy-peasy-pomegranate-soda/.
There is a good deal of information out there that says NOT to refrigerate your SCOBY. It destroys it nutritious properties and can “kill” it!
Hey Judy,
Any sort of cold storage will slow down the microbes give your SCOBY its magic.
This is why sauerkraut and kefir are often stored in the fridge – you want to slow down fermentation – and it’s why it’s so hard to get a ferment going in a cold room.
All the best!
Emily xoxo
@Emily — thanks soooooo much!!! That easy-peasy soda sounds awesome! I really appreciate your reply. As a newbie, I wasn’t sure…but the scoby does seem and look ok so I will proceed with my first kombucha batch and as a bonus I get to make your soda with the vinegary stuff thanks to your thoughtful reply. All the best to you, Sarah
I’m making a batch now and my scoby’s are not on the top. Is it ok if they are lingering toward the bottom of the glass jars? I started them on 9/3.
I have been making Kambucha for a month or so now and I have yet to have a baby scoby form on the top of my container. The tea tastes fine and is pretty well carbonated.
Any Ideas?
How did you make it?
If it’s carbonated it seems as if you’ve lacto fermented it… Let’s hear the recipe so we can know a little more!
I see that a few others have commented on this but I have read on Cultures for Health that a SCOBY should never be put in the fridge. Do you still recommend this practice?
On a different note, THANK YOU for all that you post! I have been really encouraged in my real-food journey by what you share about yours, and your down-to-earth blog entries have been very relatable :).
nat
Kombucha Kamp website also says to never ever store your SCOBY in the fridge. I have put mine in the fridge in the past and have not killed it. Yet, still wondering if that’s the best thing. What is the reasoning behind storing it in the fridge vs. not storing it in the fridge?
I just heard that refrigerating the scoby will just stop the growth process but it should continue upon taking out again. I use bottles of manufactured kombucha tea too start a scoby with success. The ones I used stsrted out as being refrigerated and I believe that the reason for that is to stop the fermentation process when the drink is ready to consume (second fermentation with flavoring of your choice) otherwise, too much carbonation can make the bottle go BOOM! I like using ginger and blueberries. Much less sugar but just enough to make carbonation.
Very nice info here! Thanks for taking the time to give good advice!
Hi Natalie – I also store extra scobies in the fridge and they perform just find when I pass them along to others. Plus a scoby is such a prolific creature that I’m not too worries if a few die on my watch.
Just curious, how often do you get a baby? I don’t seem to get them as often as it seems I should. Now I never take my scoby out of the jar, when I bottle for a second ferment, I replenish the tea at the same time and go. I usually leave 16-20oz of tea in the jug and add 3 qts of tea made with 1 cup sugar and 4 tea bags (2 green and 2 black). I ferment for 1 week (I got a room in the basement and keep it between 75-78), then bottle and start over. But my SCOBY just gets very thick, does not separate, or grow another very often. I have just split the layers a few times and given them away. Just your thoughts please and thank you:)
Hi Jason – Sorry for the delayed response. It sounds like you have a very healthy, mature scoby. If you want to have your scoby take up less space and you can’t split it easily, you can make a baby by sitting a jar of ‘butcha out on the counter for a week or two until a baby forms.
Here’s my discovery… the more tea bags used and the more bubbles formed, the more separable layers you get.! Crazy right?! My perfect mix is this.
1 Gallon of distilled water
8 teabags (black tea is my favorite!)
1.5 cups of sugar
It turns out mildly fizzy (nothing really notable)
and tastes like a pale ginger ale!
I then cap them off and leave a few out for me and pop the rest in the fridge.
Each morning I add whatever fruit I want to add into it and leave it in for the day.
After my exercise, I’m more than happy to pop the bottle of refreshing Kombucha!
I love love love Kombucha, but I just read this article from Living Maxwell saying that Kombucha isn’t that great for you. Can you read what he said in the link and tell me your thoughts? Thank you!! http://livingmaxwell.com/have-we-been-misled-5-organic-foods-that-should-make-you-think-twice
I know my thoughts, 1. most of the sugar is consumed by the SCOBY, so I would not pay attention to that. 2. while there are no studies that can prove it is healthy, there are also no studies proving the GMO’s are bad for you, but I think most agree they are not good. Another way to look at is as that we can study crash statistics, and draw conclusions that wearing seatbelts saves lives. However to do a scientific study, we would need to put X number of people in a vehicle with seatlbelts that do not work, and X number in a vehicle that do, and say “go crash” and see how it works. Not ever going to happen.
Hi Lauren – I agree with Jason. Also, if you love love love Kombucha and it feels good in your body, I would trust that. Kombucha is one of those ‘foods’ that you’re likely to develop an aversion to if your body doesn’t want/need it.
About what the guy from the link said.. being an antibiotic drink and causing resistant strains. .. Ha, BS! Kombuchia is a Probiotic drink from what i understand good bacteria pillages the bad bacteria villages and colonize is the newly freed territory (your gut) so yeah it eradicates bad bacteria but how can a bacteria be an antibiotic bacteria?
How do I start Kombucha from scratch, without a Scoby?
Hi Adolfo – You can start kombucha by getting a bottle of store bought ‘bucha and allowing it to sit out for several days until a scoby forms. At that point, you place the scoby in sweet tea and voila! You’re on your way.
Would you recommend putting it into a larger glass jar first or leave it in original bottle? Is it best to leave the lid on or off?
Hi Kristine, thanks for your question. Jar size doesn’t really matter. Cover it with a clean cloth and a rubber band and it should be fine.
How much is too much? My almost 2yr old is practically addicted. I water it down significantly for him since he pretty much only prefers his “bucha”
I would trust how it feels in your body. For a child, trust your instinct. Usually a craving for something like kombucha is driving a need, not an unhealthy addiction.
What if you are TTC or newly pregnant? Would starting kombucha for the first time be a bad idea? Could the “die off” potentially be harmful to a developing baby? Also, on another note, how much kombucha would one want to drink to replace the need for a daily probiotic? Thanks!
I probably wouldn’t start kombucha for the first time when newly pregnant, but it’s great when TTC. As for how much to replace a daily probiotic, it’s hard to say and depends on your gut health and overall health. For a healthy person, a combo of cultured food and drink should be sufficient to provide probiotics in the day-to-day.
Can you recommend a container to use for sending kombucha (or water kefir) to school with my son. He’s 5 and I’m a little leery of sending a glass bottle in his backpack, but I know metal isn’t good either. I’d love to know what other people use.
I like those lifefactory bottles. They are a little pricey but hopefully will last a long time. The silicone sleeve should keep it safe. Everyone is always afraid of glass breaking, but I have never had a glass bottle actually break. maybe it depends on if your kids school allows glass. but their baby bottles are actually a different kind of glass that breaks in a safe way, borosilicate I think it is called. You could just buy one of those and they sell white caps for the tops that you can buy also and use instead of the rubber nipple. the baby bottles also come in 4 oz size which might be perfect for a lunch box.
I just started 2 gallons of kombucha and had a sudden trip come up. I will be traveling at the time I’ll need to be bottling. Rather than leave my booch to sour while I’m away, I’d like to bring it with me. To prevent it from sloshing around can I put lids on the gallon jars for the 7 hour road trip, then uncover them when I arrive to let them finish brewing?
If you want to take it with you to drink on the trip, that should work. Otherwise, stick it in the fridge as this will slow down the fermentation rate while you are away and you can take it out and continue with it again when you get back.
Hi there!
i am new to the world of kombucha brewing and was given 3 scobys in a small mason jar. i put them in the refrigerator for the last 2 days and now that i am reading about what to do next i keep reading it should not be in the fridge. have i ruined my scobys?
also, can i put all 3 baby scobys in one large jar?
thanks so much! your blog is super helpful!
Take them out for a few days and load them all in the jar! The new scoby that forms on top will cover them all… they will still be able to separate from the new scoby though!
We have been making kombucha successfully the last few months. We usually start fresh by discarding the old scoby and leaving enough of the old batch in there to form a new one. Typically the fermentation process has taken 6-7 days. It’s getting warmer now and the temps in the house are around 78 degrees. The last batch turned out awful, almost toxic tasting after it fermented for 5-6 or so days. It was super vinegary and gave us both a stomach ache. Today is day 4 of the new batch and I tasted it and it doesn’t taste very fermented yet, and still pretty sugary. Any advice on this, more sugar, less time fermenting? We are not adding anything to the black tea accept organic white sugar. Thank you,
I forgot to check my Mother and I just looked and she is hard. She still has tea and I see no mold but she is hard?
Hi Chris, thanks for your question. You say it is hard and dry? You may need to start over. I don’t know if dehydrated scoby can be brought back to life, but if you try it and it works, let us know. Good luck!
Does the SCOBY have any nutritional value?
It is a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast, so it is like a solid floating probiotic (on steriods). My bottles of bucha almost always form a small SCOBY in them, and I typically swallow them like an oyster:)
Hi RJ, I don’t think there’s any research on the nutritional value of the scoby itself but if you’re interesting in eating them take a look at this post on Scoby Jerky.
So thought I would share this story since there has been new activity here. I brew 3 1 gallon jugs a week for my family, so I have been giving SCOBY’s away to friends and everyone is having great success using them with my recipe for kombucha. Except one of my coworkers who has killed 2 of them. So with my wife and oldest daughter out of town for a while, I text my coworker and told her I had a jug, SCOBY and starter, bring her stuff and we will brew at work and see if we can figure out the problem. Here is how our convo went.
Me: I have stuff to brew at work, lets figure this out.
Her: Do I need a jug?
Me: No, just your tea and a cup of sugar
Her: Sugar???
Me: It takes a cup of sugar for each 3 quart batch of bucha, did we just figure out how you are killing them?
Her: Uggh, poor SCOBY’s they starved to death:)
I think people try to cut the sugar to make be a low sugar drink. But the SCOBY digests the sugar, you don’t, do not skimp the sugar.
ROFL
Thank you so much for sharing the photos of the scobies with the description of how a normal scoby should look. I am in the process of re-hydrating a scoby recently purchased on line. Never having seen one I most likely would toss a perfectly good scoby due to its unusual appearance. Appreciate the visual.
I’ve had a half gallon jar of tea with a few scobys in the fridge since late 2011. Providing they are mold free, would they still be good to use?
Hi Bobbey, thanks for the question. It might be possible, it may take quite awhile. I just revived a scoby that had been in the fridge for about 6 months and it took about a month.
Hi there, two questions:
1) My kombucha doesn’t get much fizz, not like the store bought kind. Is there a trick to it? I always do a second ferment for at least 3 days with fruit/ginger and tightly sealed lid, then refrigerate the bottles.
2) Is there an ideal length of time it should take to brew? Mine is taking 3-4 weeks, and I think this is a relatively long time – maybe I’m using too much sugar?
Thanks!
Hi Darcie, thanks for your questions. I have no idea why the store bought stuff fizzes like that but my home brews are never that fizzy either. You may need a warmer spot if your brew is slow. You can also try using a seedling mat to keep it warm. That may speed it up a little. I hope that helps!
I drop a couple (5-10) raisins or craisins into my kombucha before the 2nd ferment to give it fizz. I don’t know why.. but it works!
Raisins have a natural yeast on them. Maybe that is why you experience more fizz when you use them.
I’ve had super-fizzy Booch at home. But then the juice bottles we were using seemed to lose their seal, even when we tried parchment paper to help. Now we’re amassing Grolcsh bottles in search of that fizz, and rich head. We miss it….
Sarah, could you tell me how your doing your kombucha? I just finished my first batch and it has almost no fizz. I used 10 tea bags. 5 green, 3 black and two herbal ones. One cup of sugar and a 3.5 quarts of water and about 2 cups of original with scoby. Fermented about 8 days. My house is cool right now. Then added 1/4 c fresh cherries and a tsp of vanilla per each jar. I filled jars leaving about 1.25″ headspace and closed tightly. set for 3 days and checked. Still tatse like a mild tea, almost no fermentation
I bought some kombucha from the store and am workin on growing a baby scoby from it. It has already started to form in the 2 1/2 weeks I’ve kept a cup or so of it in a dark warm place. How do I know when the scoby is mature enough to start brewing my own batch with it? Does it need to be a certain size? Or have specific characteristics like the brown veins or a specific thickness?
Hi Allison, thanks for your question. It sounds like your scoby should be ready… Put it in the sweet tea with the ‘mother’ kombucha that it grew in and you should be good to go.
Why is my kombucha not fizzy?
Hi Rod, thanks for your question. Home brewed kombucha doesn’t fizz all that much for the most part. As long as it tastes good, it should be fine. Hope that helps.
Ours doesn’t fizz much on the first fermentation. But on the second we get tons of fizz! Like TONS! If we don’t chill it first we could have a geyser in the kitchen!
You only need to bottle it for a few days for the fizz! Mine have always exploded if capped and left out for more than 4 days!
I would love to know how you got the fizz. My first batch has been 2F for about 3 days now, Still taste like mild tea, and almost no fizz. I had added 1/4 fresh cherries and tsp vanilla. I did leave a good inch or little more headspace tho. But yesterday I took one bottle to fill the others up to about 1/2″ from top and recapped tightly
so, ive been making my own kombucha now for years. with the same scoby. about a month ago, when I was about to switch out my brew, I noticed it had WORMS. ugh.
I had gone in mid brew cycle and taken out a scoby for a friend, and I thought maybe that was the reason.. so, in a few weeks, once my friend who I had given a scoby to, had one to give me, I restarted with a new batch.
its been over a month and yesterday when I went to switch it out I noticed worms AGAIN! am completely perplexed, I have never had issues, I keep it covered with a cheese cloth, rubber band around glass, and I am careful to not fill it too ful with tea so as to not touch the cloth.
what could be happening?
Hi Jenny, thanks for your question. As far as the worms go, that’s a new one for me too. Maybe a fly got in and laid eggs?
I keep the top covered with a piece of material and a rubber band. I also try to be careful to not fill tea too full so that flies can lay eggs on the fabric top.
Really am stumped.
For the person with the sinking scoby its the tempurature. Its too cold…it needs to be a certain temp for the scoby to float….and if the scoby doesnt float it doesnt breath. Also, the fizz that kombucha tea has can be acheived by bottling it for an additional week with a in a jar with a sealed lid
Hey Jenny!
You had a gnat get in there and lay eggs it seems. I stopped using cheese cloth and have stuck with coffee filters.
You only need to bottle it for a few days for the fizz! Mine have always exploded if capped and left out for more than 4 days!
can you feed kombuchu to your plants?
NO!! Too Acidic!
I am new but excited to make home brew Kombucha, I like it strong when I buy it so I let it sit a very long time. Probably too long like 3 months (I was experimenting) when I looked recently I saw a tun of mold floating on top of the jar which was a new culture that had formed. I pulled it out and wiped the mold from the top of the jar but my original mother that I started the tea with was on the bottom and seams to be mold free. I know not to drink the tea ( I assume ) but right now my mother culture is in that same tea and jar. Do I Toss everything including my original culture? or can I save it and start a new tea or make a hotel for it? Please Help, Thank You- Jason
Hi Jason, thanks for your question. You’re going to have to toss everything and start over.
I just received my first scoby to make my first batch of Kombucha. I went to poor in the tea and saw a tiny bug in the scoby. I tried getting it out and could not. I didn’t think to cut out the bug. I added the tea anyway (maybe silly of me?!). The bug was little nat. Even if it doesn’t grow mold, do you think it will be ok? Thank you!
So I made my first batch of Kombucha yesterday. I put in my SCOBY at 81 degrees because the room was fairly warm/I needed to sleep. Do you think that this was too high of a temperature for it to be put in and do you think it will die?
Also, I realized the only container I had last night was plastic and bought a glass jar today. I transported my kombucha into it. I saw some more of the yeast brown threads than the day before. (I’m guessing that was a good sign and that it’s not dead?) Do you think the change of container will bring a bad brew?
I’m willing to buy another SCOBY but I don’t know if any of this will harm it. Thank you!
Hi Olivia, your brew should be fine from the sounds of it…Good luck!
My SCOBY ended up floating up and making a few new layers of a baby scoby and attaching itself near it. I’m so happy! I used a 100% juice blend of primarily peaches and the carbonation seems to be coming along nicely. 🙂 Thank you!
That’s great! It’s so good to hear success stories. Well done and keep it up!
Hi again Emily,
My house has fleas and we are bug bombing it on Saturday. (We have some neighbors who don’t give their cats any flea meds…)
I don’t want to cover up my kombucha but I don’t want to kill my SCOBY.
Should I take a risk and cover it with plastic wrap/put it in the fridge for a few hours/something else? We are doing a four hour bug bomb and may be gone from the house even longer.
I’m just afraid I’m going to contaminate it, make myself or the SCOBY sick, and eventually not have kombucha to drink. 🙁
Any suggestions?!
Hi Olivia. Definitely put it in the fridge. It will just slow the fermentation process of the scoby. I’d probably leave it in there for a couple of weeks just to be safe.
The last batch I made was 5/27 and it is 7/16. The starter has been in this batch the whole time. The top is dry, but all its babies look good. Is it okay to use and begin another batch. This time I won’t let it go more than the usual 7-9 days.
Hi Kathy – Thanks for your question! It shouldn’t be a problem. Use one or a few of the babies and some of the liquid to begin your new batch.
I am new to making bucha…….last week when I took the first brew out and put it into jars for second fermentation I added some mixed berry juice….thought it was molding…..today I went to deal with it thinking sadly that I had to start over…..it looks like I have 4 babies in the quart jars…..each jar has a small disc that is solid…….any ideas???
So I recently started my own batch, I may be over thinking the whole process. But I really don’t wanna screw this up! I added the sugar once the tea was cooled, so there is some extra sugar that hasent dissolved in yet my jar. Wondering if this is okay??
Hi Jessica, thanks for your question and so glad you have decided to start making kombucha! Next time I’d add the sugar when the tea is still warm or hot so the sugar can dissolve. For now, just give it a good stir and it should be fine. Good luck!
Thanks for offering to answer questions. I’ve been brewing kombucha using the continuous brewing method and a heat pad for a stable temperature for the colder climate(Ireland!) There just seems to be so so much growth of kombucha or is it kombucha I dont know.
I started off with two Scobys, one floats about by itself, the other one seems to have attached itself to a bigger piece(ole top layer perhaps) Its the bigger pieces Im not sure about. The kombucha keeps sealing itself off with a top layer but this layer becomes so ridiculously thick it is cutting out the room for my tea! Is this top layer a scoby or what is it?
Hi John, it’s only a pleasure! And in answer to your question, yes, the top layer is a scoby. The babies will usually layer themselves, so you can pull it apart, and use a thinner layer and either discard the rest of it or share it with a friend. I hope this helps!
I left my original scoby and a newly formed scoby in a full SEALED large jar of combucha for three months. it is not molded but I did not refrigerate it. is it bad????
Hi Wendy, thanks for the question. It should be fine. Enjoy!
Hi Emily! Your posts on Kombucha are so helpful! I’ve been brewing for about 4 months now and it has been going great! I have given a lot of SCOBYs away to friends and family and got them hooked on the bucha too. The last couple batches I’ve made have been thick and syrupy. They still taste pretty sweet after my normal 10 day brew cycle. My SCOBYs still look normal. Any clue as to what this could be?
Hey Emily,
You’re a huge help to many kombucha starters. I’m a fellow brewer myself…been doing it for about a year or so. My question is about the scoby. My process is very similar to all the ones posted above: 2 gallons (green) tea, 2 – 2 1/2 cups sugar, fermenting at 77º for seven days, always covered tightly with a cloth. Sometimes the batches will vary in fermentation, which I do not mind, but I will ALWAYS start a new one every Sunday.
The problem…my scoby has never actually grown. When I received it from a friend (a life long ‘bucha brewer) it was perfectly healthy, and has produced amazing kombucha ever since. However, I am concerned something is wrong with it, or maybe I am doing something incorrectly since I never receive a kombucha “baby.”
Is this an issue? Thanks for your help.
Hiiii…
So I made a green tea kombucha batch and thought I would add powdered matcha green tea. the problem is not all of the powder was blended and a few little powder chunks settled to the bottom and,also on the scoby. So it kinda looks like spotted mold although it really is powered matcha chunks. do you think if left on the culture that it can turn into a mold? should I try to scrape it off or have to throw the culture away?
I don’t know what to do! I went on vacation and forgot about my fermenting scoby:( it has been there for about two months. It doesn’t seem to have any mold. But I’m not positive as to what to do or what to look for. Any advice on what I should do?
Hi Nicole, don’t worry! This has happened to all of us at one time or another! Just use the scoby and some of the super strong tea to start a fresh batch. It should be perfectly fine.
I have out my healthy scoby from a 2 l jar into a 5 gallon plastic fermenting container. Will the new scoby grow into the size of the new container?
Hi it’s me again.
I have successfully brewed my first batch of Kombucha and flavoured it with fresh pinnaple pieces – delicious! I’m so taken by it that I want to brew a lot more, hence the purchase of a 25l (5 gallons) plastic brewing container. These containers come with a plastic lid. Is it a good idea to use this lid (perhaps with the addition of an airlock?) or is it best to stick to textile and elastic band?
And again the other question, will the new baby scoby grow to the size of the much larger diameter of the 25l tank? My gut feeling is that it will, only I suppose, much slower, or over a longer time… Am I right?
Also to start with, I’ve only put 4 litres of sugar and tea in the tank…
Thanks Emily for answering so many questions already!
I would be careful brewing in plastic containers! Anything fermented tends to leech the chemicals out of the plastic.
Food grade plastics do not leech chemicals into the foods inside them. That’s why they are called “food grade”! Amazingly, most plastic buckets from Home Depot or other big box stores are in fact food grade. There is a small triangular symbol on food grade buckets with a number “2” in the center, and the letters “HDPE” below. This means the chemicals will not leech out into your foods. While I prefer glass myself, I would hate anyone to not try great Kombucha just because they can’t find a suitable container.
Holy mother!!!
I am going to try candied or stir-fried scobies.
Hope you’ll check out my very new blog….
organicholistichealth.wordpress.com
Do you know what the preferred water pH is?
Thanks! Emily
Could I send you a photo of my Scobee and you could tell me if this is mold or not???
Hi Molly, thanks for your question. Sure, send it to me on support(at)holisticsquid.com.
Hello!
The strangest thing happened to me tonight.
I was lazily strolling through my home after a long day. On my way to the refrigerator to grab an ice cold bottle of Ginger Kombucha I passed by my current brew and it was speaking to me!!
Well… OK! Not a discernible language… just a high pitched bubbling sound. No bubbles breaking the surface yet either. You would have thought it was singing me a love song lol! I just smiled and grabbed my phone to record the noise. I then made my brother come have a listen to make sure I wasn’t totally nuts. It was a great ending to my day for sure!
I’ve never heard anything like it… Is that something you’ve heard of before?
Thanks!
Stefani
So … I’ve since started a new brew and it’s still singing happily. I have never heard anyone report the same issue, but my kombucha is delicious and the taste is consistent . I wonder, is anyone else having the same experiences? I’m taking it as a sign of an extremely healthy scoby!
One gallon of DISTILLED water
2.5 Cups white sugar
8 black tea bags
2 cups reserved kombucha
I bring the tea bags to boil in about 1/2 gallon of the distilled water for 5 minutes.
Let steep for 20 while the sugar dissolves. Add to the remaining distilled water and pour over the scoby and starter.
One gallon of kombucha isn’t enough for a week for my family! I’m about to try my hand at the continuous brew method.
I have lowered the sugar from 2.5 cups to 1.5 cups and It’s more to my taste.
Hey! I was wondering if there is a need to refresh your Kombucha? I have a friend whom I received my scoby from and she is doing so, so I am wondering if I need to do the same. She’s been using the same mother and the babies for over a year and heard that she needed to do so. I can’t find anything to substantiate that, but I too have’t seen it questioned or addressed. So, do I need to buy a bottle and start over?
Thanks!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, thanks for the question. I wouldn’t think this would be something you absolutely need to do that I know of…
It’s not necessary. There is nothing wrong with your scoby, I know people who have kept the mother for years and give the babies away. Your scoby is used to your kombucha the way you make it! Too many layers is just a waste, though! Think of it as sharing the same basket of food with a new person picking from it too! You’re not going to be as satisfied!
Refreshing your scoby is as simple as peeling the older layers back. Remember the new ones form at the top! I usually don’t let my scoby get any thicker than 3 inches. Give it to someone to start a new batch. Or you can also use them as a facial mask or keep them in a jar for a facial astringent. They do wonders as a foot soak for athletes feet! Dehydrate and give to your dogs as a rawhide replacement!
Hope this helped!
Hello! I need some advice. I had my scoby hotel on top of my fridge covered with a cloth (to make more scobys). We had our house sprayed for fleas and I totally forgot about the hotel. Do you think the scobys are contaminated now?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
I’m sorry! It’s discouraging when you forget about something you’ve put so much time into.
Unfortunately, I would err on the side of caution and pitch it. If you have reserve kombucha You can place it in a few small glass jars to form a new scoby faster. Dump all of them into a new jar and you should be back to your normal production within a few weeks!
I just needed someone to say it, I knew I needed to throw it ALL out, but just couldn’t do it.
Unfortunately, my scoby hotel housed all of my reserve unflavored kombucha as well. Thanks for talking some sense into me. 🙂
Hi Jerri Ann, thanks for the question. I’d throw it out and start again. I’d also keep the hotel in the fridge covered with a lid to slow the fermentation process.
Thanks, Emily. I will do that. I guess I’ll call on my kombucha friend for yet another scoby. 🙂
I had a batch, gone bad? is it possible? smelled as drain water if you know what
I mean, and didn’t taste good. But why?
There are so many factors that could indicate why it went bad. Was there mold? What did it look like? What type of water/sugar/tea did you use? How long did it sit? What container did you use? Did you cover it?
Hello,
I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to move my kombucha before 7 days. Will it ruin my kombucha if I moved it? It’s y first batch and once each day for about 3 o 4 days within the first seven, I took it off the shelf to look at it. I didn’t shake it or taste it. I set it on the counter, looked at the top and then turned it a couple of times to see what was happening. I hope I didn’t destroy or kill it. Please answer.
Artsyzeal
I always move mine! How can you not help but look! I think they’re just worried of it sinking and taking longer to form a scoby.
My scoby has been at the bottom for 5 days now. There is a cloud forming from the scoby to the top with a film at the surface. Is this ok?
It sounds like it’s forming a new Scoby at the surface.
Ok its definitely a new scoby at the surface. A very thin one. When I picked up the jar the new one fell down and folded in half! I’m guessing this is ok. This is my first time making kombucha. Its some strange stuff for sure. Hope it comes out good.
I’m curious… did you start the scoby in a different jar before this one giving the Scoby time to form?
If anything you can just let it brew the week and bottle the existing kombucha. Remove the scoby and after you’ve mixed the tea and starter place the scoby on top in an effort to get it to float. Don’t bump it around too much until it’s had a chance to form to the bigger jar.
Also, my tea is so brown and cloudy at the bottom I can barely see my scoby. In most of the pics I’ve seen the tea looks pretty clear.
I started this from a scoby I purchased. It looked nice and healthy. White and about 4in wide and half in thick with starter tea.
No worries! The lighter Kombucha is one of 2 things. Either green tea, or thoroughly digested Kombucha. The longer it sits, the clearer it gets! The fog at the bottom of the jar is usually yeast settling to the bottom. You’ll see brown strands clinging to the bottom of your scoby soon too!
I’ve brewed kombucha a few times, with varying success, and I just got back last night from a week-long trip, to find that the kombucha in my glass jar is inflated. Like a balloon. So now the majority of the scoby is sticking up out of the tea (just black tea + sugar). Obviously the fermentation causes bubbles, but I’ve never seen this happen. Did I put the scoby in upside down? Will it grow mold and need to be thrown out? Thanks very much!
If it’s not moldy now I wouldn’t fret. Push it down and start fresh.
My scoby produces great kombucha, but will not grow. Is something wrong with it? What’s the best way to get/grow a new one?
Take a batch of your fermented tea and leave it sit in a glass jar for a few weeks with a cloth cover so that it can breathe. The new scoby baby will soon grow.
my friend gave me a scoby a little over two weeks ago. I completely forgot about it and it has been sitting on the counter. It does not appear to have mold. Still safe to use?
Hi Kristen, thanks for the question. It should be fine as long as there’s no mold. Good luck!
Thank you for this question and reply! I received a scoby from a friend 3 days ago and haven’t had a chance to do anything with it. I was so worried about whether it was still good or not.
Would it be better to keep it in the fridge if I can’t use it right away? It’s sitting on my counter also.
Some fruit flies made it through my tea towel, what is a better cover and is my SCOBY ruined?
Did you notice any maggots? If yes, pitch it. If no, I’d wash it thoroughly with apple cider vinegar.
I only use coffee filters now. It has totally eliminated that issue.
I have a question! What is that whitish sediment that collects at the bottom of the kombucha jar when it’s brewing?
I would like to second that question. I wonder if it is something akin to the ‘cream of tartar’ that occurs in wine making.
I started my first brew 4 days ago I discovered there was. Small human hair on top before so I just removed it with wooden spoon. Would this have contained my brew?
Hi Rhianon, as long as you got it early enough and you don’t see any signs of mold, it should be fine.
HI i recently got a gift a nice big healthy scoby. when i got home (i live very remote and the nearest store is an hour away by boat) i had nothing to properly keep it in, and put it in a sterilized tub that is about 1.6 litres big. that was 3 days ago. I have found a nice 2 litre jar now and am wondering if i should move it now or wait till the week is up to move it? the tub its in is food grade plastic and i am not super worried about the plastic leaching, i am more worried about the scoby being unhappy. any advice is greatly appreciated and needed asap. btw the scoby is doing fine in there and looks to be doing its job so i am reluctant to move it but i also want it to be in the best environment for long term brewing! thank you in advance!
Hi Queenie, thanks for the question. If you are ready to start brewing you should be able to move it now, if you want to. Otherwise a few more days should be fine, just don’t leave it too long.
I left for the summer. My scoby does not seem to be healthy. The yeast that normally grew in the bottom isn’t as abundant. How do I restore the balance?
Hi Casey, it sounds like your scoby isn’t active anymore. It’s difficult to say what’s wrong without knowing the exact circumstances, water, tea, sugar etc. used.
I have been brewing a couple batches of bucha a week for about a year now, and the last couple of months, it has stopped being fizzy, any thoughts what might cause that? I do a first ferment for about a week until all the sweetness is gone, and then add 2.5 oz of fruit juice in 16oz bottle, seal and do the second ferment for 5-7 days. It used to be very fizzy, but not so much anymore. It is still really good, and I drink it every day, just thought I would ask.
Hi Jason, thanks for your question. Have you done anything differently lately? Different containers, environment, temperature?
I have had my kombucha in a dark cupboard for about 3 months now ( I got busy and forgot about it) and now I don’t know if it’s safe to use. I want to throw out the current batch but reuse my scoby if it’s not dangerous to do so. The scoby is a cream color and has grown from about 1/2 inch think to being about 4 inches thick, so it’s REALLY big now! I don’t see any spots of mold on it at all. Also I used green tea to make this batch, should that have any effect on the health of the scoby?
Hi Shannon, thanks for your question. Your scoby sounds healthy. Green tea should be fine and shouldn’t damage your scoby in any way. Try not to use other herbal teas though.
Hi there,
I’ve been making Kombucha for a couple months now and just tried something different. I tried green tea pomegranate & mixed berry and regular green tea together. After the batch fermented, it looked pretty normal and tasted really good. I have heard not to use herbal teas. Do you think this is fine?
Hi Melodi, thanks for your question. The main reason not to use herbal tea is that it will not nourish your scoby so you could weaken the kombucha culture. You could probably combine the herbal tea with the real tea for a batch or two in between normal batches. Doing this once shouldn’t hurt your scoby too badly as long as you return it to a real tea mixture as soon as possible.
Help! I just made my first batch of kombucha, last night, I added fresh mango and ginger to it but am now realizing that this shouldn’t happen until the second phase of double fermentation. Is it bad that there are mangos and ginger in my batch? This is the batches first day of fermentation. Should I take out the mangoes?
Thanks!
Hi Trischa, thanks for the question. I’d take the mangoes out and start your batch again. Sorry!
I was doing my 3rd batch a few days ago and found a greenish glob about the size of a small marble in between the old and new scoby. I thought it was mold and threw out the scoby and the tea. I was so worried, but sad to lose a quart of kombucha. I also didn’t want to get sick either. I proceeded to finish and bottle the batch and found tiny traces of the green stuff on 2 other scobys I was going to use for the next batch. I decided to rinse them off in the sink and made the next batch anyway. I have read everything I can find, but nothing that describes or looks like what I threw out. From what I have read, mold has to be fuzzy and this was not. I’m wondering if it was only a green form of the brown stringy stuff that is the yeast. Does anyone out there know what this is or if it is safe? I’m really nervous if was mold and don’t want to drink it if it’s not safe.
Hi Nancy, thanks for your question. It’s difficult to say without actually seeing it. If it is green, it could definitely be mold. It isn’t always fuzzy. Brown spots or brown stringy stuff is fine. If you’ve rinsed off your scoby and there are no traces of the green bits anymore, you should be okay to start over but if it comes up it may be safer to get new scobies. Hope that helps.
We’ve been brewing Kombucha for a few months now and the “recipe” I got with my starter Scooby says to use sugar in it, which I’ve been using since the yeast eats most of the sugar anyways. However, I would much rather use honey than sugar. Will using honey, especially raw honey, hurt my Scooby or kombucha batch in anyway?
Thanks!
Hi Rebecca, thanks for your question. I wouldn’t suggest substituting the sugar with honey. Honey has it’s own bacterial profile and other organic material which could also attract mold or make your batch unstable. Hope that helps!
How about kombucha in pregnancy? I’ve been drinking GT’s Kombucha everyday for years…and now I’m pregnant. Can I continue (hope you say yes!)?
Hi Merle, thanks for your question. Since you are a regular ‘bucha drinker, I would say you can continue, in moderation. Congratulations!
Hi! I have been brewing my first batch of kombucha for 9 days. It has a beautiful new scoby growing on the top, but I do not see any brown yeast strings anywhere in my jar. Is my kombucha still going to have all of the health benefits?
Hi Christine, thanks for the question. Yes, it will have all the health benefits.
Hi there, I hope Im not being redundant but couldn’t find an answer to my question in the thread above.. or anywhere on the interwebs, actually. I just brewed my first batch of bucha! I’m really excited, so excited in fact that while I was transferring the brew to start my 2nd batch I d r o p p e d m y s c o b y. On the floor. I swear I could have kicked myself in the shin if it were anatomically possible. Anyway, I immediately rinsed the scoby and started the 2nd brew anyway, and just keeping a watchful eye. The “baby” has begun to fold up into a cluster and isn’t spread out like before. No signs of mold or bad bacteria yet but this seemed unusual. Any cause for concern? Thank you for being here for all of the newbies like me!
Hi Kirsten, thank you for the question. That sounds fine to me. Your scoby should be fine!
I bought a scoby online 3weeks ago It did have some liquid with it but not much..Maybe half a cup 2 weeks have passed,no new scoby.whats wrong?
Hi Janet – Thanks for your comment. Is your tea culturing and starting to taste like kombucha? If so, it’s working. Sometimes scobies take awhile when starting a new batch. I’d give it another month, and see what happens.
Aloha,
I live in Hawaii where ants run ramped. I have found that tea tree oil works to raid off the little guys. I usually put some on my finger and smear the outside rims of the Kombucha jar…well, I was on my second brew when I noticed an ant had crept onto my Baby Scooby. Instinctually I removed the baby from the top and continued to brew…is this okay? I haven’t found much information on ants in your kombucha and what the protocol is…
Mahalo for anyone’s input!
i had some dead fruit flies in my scoby i want to know what should i do …. did you find out about what to do with your scoby with a ant??
Hi Sarah – Thanks for your question. I don’t know what others would say, but I’d do exactly what you did.
i got some dead fruit flies that got into my scoby it was like 5 of the flies … should I throw it away. and start all over??????
Hello! I’ve been brewing kombucha constantly since April and loving it. For a long time I was passing babies on to friends nonstop but my last two batches, while delicious, have produced no babies. The only thing I can notice that is different is that it has been really cold lately. Why do you think no new babies are forming? Thank you so much for any thoughts you can share.
Hi Ashley – Thanks for your question. When it’s cold, the fermentation process is a lot slower. Hope that helps!
So I’ve been brewing Kombucha for a couple years now…and for the FIRST TIME EVER..I noticed MOLD on my scoby….NOOO THE HORROR!! 🙁 SO i immediately removed the top/moldy scoby and threw it away. But what about the other scoby underneath (the original) along with the rest of the batch of brew…does it ALL Need to be discarded as well??
Any idea why this happened? Mayb too long brew time or not enough sugar?
Thank you!!
SLD
I have had the same question (above). What is the answer? If one of the scoby’s is bad (mother or baby), should you throw away the whole batch of kombucha. I understand that make kombucha by hand is VERY DANGEROUS! Please advise. Thank you!
Gail, making kombucha is not dangerous at all. If you do have a contaminated scoby, then you should throw out the whole batch. It’s just like bad food – if it is moldy, throw it out.
Hello!
My Kombucha smells and tastes ready, however a baby scoby has not formed (70 degrees 8 days) there is only a thin layer on top of the mother scoby used.
Should I still drink it?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Tracey – Thanks for your question. It should be fine. It doesn’t always make a baby every batch.
My kombucha looks cloudy,is it still safe to drink? I think my scobie is still good,but maybe to old?
It still taste good,but I,m not sure if it is safe to drink??Thanks ..
How long is it safe to leave a SCOBY out of the brew if it is carefully covered? Only for cosmetic purposes. I think it is really good for skin issues. Any hints? I do have many scobys, so I’m not worried about my brew.
I’ve been working with kombucha for more than a year and am just crazy about it! I also do kefir, cultured vegetables, & preserved lemons.
Hi, I just made some Kombucha and one didn’t taste any good had a kind of sour, old tea bags taste. I know I need to throw it away. But here is my question. With a straw I tested the K-tea like you teach, not thinking, I put the same straw in 4 other jars. Since the first one was not good; are all the others bad? since I used the same straw? thank
Is it possible for Kombucha to make candida problems worse? Or are the symptoms only ‘die-off’ effects? And I’ve also been wondering, if Bragg’s ACV eats holes in my scoby, then is it counter-productive to use both ACV and Kombucha on a regular basis? It seems that the ACV would kill the bacteria that the Kombucha has repopulated. So which is better for candida, I cannot seem to conquer it.
I’d say the apple cider vinegar would be best since it makes a bad environment for the candida (fungus) to live. I’ve used grapefruit seed extract also to battle yeast infection. Adding probiotics after the infection has been defeated could keep it from taking over again. I learned about this while figuring out how to be a first time mom; I am no authority.
Is there a place to get answers? Here is my question..
.Hi, I just made some Kombucha and one didn’t taste any good had a kind of sour, old tea bags taste. I know I need to throw it away. But here is my question. With a straw I tested the K-tea like you teach, not thinking, I put the same straw in 4 other jars. Since the first one was not good; are all the others bad? since I used the same straw? thank I also have been making K-tea for a year and never had any like this the scoby looked fine but the tea didn’t taste good. I threw it out. but what about the other k-teas and putting the straw into them. anyone know this question?
Read more: http://holisticsquid.com/has-my-scoby-gone-bad-and-other-kombucha-questions-answered/#ixzz2qTvSJh4P
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Is the clear film that develops within the bottled Kombucha a new SCOBY forming?
Hi Jeremy – Thanks for your comment. Yes, that’s a baby scoby forming.
I believe that kombucha has a small alcohol content. How do you know how much you are getting?
Hi Christy – Thanks for your comment. I’ve heard it has a small amount of alcohol, but I’m not sure how much. I’ve never gotten tipsy from it. 😉
I have been making Kombucha since July 2013. All of the batches have turned out clear, but the last batch was somewhat cloudy. My current batch is so cloudy, you can’t see through the tea. Is there something wrong with it?
Hi PamL – I can’t say for sure, but my guess is that if it smells fine, it’s fine. 🙂
Thanks Emily. It’s clearing up now. I hadn’t been washing the brewing container out and I think it was accumulating excess yeast. Smells fine and tastes right too. And it’s growing healthy SCOBYs!
I have been brewing kombucha for awhile now, but during these winter months I have noticed that my SCOBY isn’t growing a baby or just a very thin layer. Therefore, I have to keep using the same ol’ mother over and over again (I don’t have any back-ups). She’s probably getting pretty tired. Is this typical in winter months? Also, how long can the same SCOBY carry on? Also, when storing SCOBYs does it have to be totally submerged in the starter tea/sugar tea? If I only use a cup, as they state, it doesn’t quite cover the entire thing. Not sure if that is bad or not. Thanks for your help!
I have brewing kombucha for about 5 months. I’d say within the first month of drinking it every day I started to notice benefits in my general health and energy levels, plus my skin seemed to look a bit better. Last month I started a second experimental brew using a fresh scoby, part mate and part green tea. It turned out well (bottled with pieces of ginger) , so I did it again, reusing the scoby and the baby it was growing.. On this batch I had some pomegranate juice so I put that in the bottles and let it go for a second ferment for about 4 days because I wanted a bit more carbonation. I tasted it this morning and it smelled and tasted very yeasty. Like really really cheap wine maybe. No real vinegar, tea, or even pomegranate flavor. Mildly unpleasant in smell and flavor actually. Nice and bubbly though. Is it safe to drink still? Does it signify an imbalance of yeast to bacteria, like maybe my scoby wasn’t as healthy as I thought. On this second batch, I fermented it 10 days until it tasted quite nice (not too sweet, a bit on the sour side) so I’m surprised that it tastes so bad on the 2nd ferment. Is it just the juice I used? Could it be a bad scoby (“Bad! Bad Scoby! – go outside!!”) also I brew the regular green tea kombucha next to the mate kombucha (ie the jars sit next to each other in a warm corner of the kitchen wrapped in a towel to keep the light out). Is there a chance of cross contamination if the scoby in the mate has become unbalanced? Further, if a scoby becomes unbalanced, is there a way to rehabilitate it? It’s not gone incorrigible with mold.
Where did the pomegranate juice come from, and was it sterilized by bringing to at least 160 degrees before adding to the mix? Juices may have wild yeasts that end up infecting your brew. The off tastes are the result. Plus, I’m not too sure how fermented pomegranate juice would taste, anyway. I would think your SCOBY would be ok after a quick wash and rinse in natural vinegar.
I recently purchased a SCOBY from a friend and she had little ants that had gotten in the container with a little tea and the SCOBY. Do I need to worry about the ants having been in that batch? Don’t know how long they were in there. I have never made any kombucha so I am concerned. I know absolutely nothing about the process.
How long can I keep the jar with a little tea & SCOBY in my fridge? Do I need to feed it … I have had it for a week. Thanks
Hi,
My batch is looking good and a new SCOBY is forming after a few days. My older Scoby was immature and floated to the surface. Now on top of this there seems to be a beige yeast formation forming where a bit of the immature SCOBY is sticking out of the liquid. Is this Ok? or should I try to submerge it?
This may be a silly question but is there any alcohol(as a by product) in Kombucha? I am nursing and am a bit cautious of that but I really want to try it!
A good alternative to giving your babies kombucha, especially if you’re worried about the caffeine, would be water kefir. I add just a touch of fruit juice, and my one and two-year-olds love to drink it. And I’m happy knowing it’s good for their bellies.
Help! Can you take a scoby out of the fridge and immediately make kombucha? I bought a bottle of GT and it had a scoby in it. I have been storing it in a bit of the kombucha in the fridge. Do I have to let it get to room tempature first? This will be my first attempt at making it.
The bubbles come from fermenting the sugars. Without the sugar there is nothing to ferment. I believe the SCOBY continues to ferment the resulting small amount of alcohol produced through lactic acid fermentation into acetic acid – vinegar. That is why the Kombucha has such an array of flavors – lactic acid, slight residual alcohol, and vinegar. Yummy! I want some now!!
My daughter made a batch of kombucha in a plastic container. Could this be harmful to drink. It has no pva and was for punch. She is also keeping it in milk jugs after brewing.
Hello, Can someone please answer my question…I brewed my own kombucha…looks like it was doing okay but then the baby scoby started growing mold on it…not attached to my original scoby…can I still keep my original scoby or is it contaminated? along with the kombucha?
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Hi my first young scoby has dark lumpy spots throughout, and I had the bucha brewing for at least 3 weeks in a warm setting transferred to a slightly cooler setting. I see no mold and the bucha doesn’t smell bad. I have an underactive thyroid and I notice it starts to overwork (thyroid is stressed) when I’m drinking some even at first sip, I don’t drink more than 8 oz at a time. Result : it’s making me tired. Although store bought kombucha doesn’t have this effect., therefore if it was die off it would have happened with store bought too. I also am thinking it could have brewed too long bcz it has a vinegary taste now. Should I not drink any and use it for vinegar instead? I’m about to make a new scoby from it but also brewing with the young scoby with dark spots inside it not like any of the pictures u have up. Is this a tricky situation? Any thoughts? Anyone? Thanks!
Hello!
I’m having a really hard time deciding if my Scoby is good or not is there anyway I can email you a picture?????
I would really appreciate it!
Hi Emily,
My question does not necessarily have to do with brewing or stating kombucha but what I have noticed recently after drinking my home brew. Previously before brewing kombucha at home, I would drink it once a week/ couple times a month, since I have been drinking a little daily for about a month now. In the last week I have noticed after drinking it I begin to get very thirsty and a little nauseated. This last for about 30-60minutes. My question is, is this my body adjusting to a more regular intake of kombucha or is my home brew too acidic, therefore causing my bodies acidity to become off balance? Looking for input as all that I find online is limited and seems very bias. Should I back of on how often I drink? I have cut back on the amount.
Thank your for your thoughts and time.
Catherine
If you get thirsty or crave more by all means drink more! My first time drinking kombycha, I drank an entire 12oz bottle in about 5 minutes and by that evening I was feeling pretty funny. Next day I felt so horribly sick it was ridiculous. When I looked it up I found out that the reason you can get sick from it if you’re not used to it is because your body’s bacteria are messed up and your body is full of toxins that haven’t detoxified, so when you drink the kombucha for the first time or in larger quantities, it kills all the bad bacteria and starts flushing out all the toxins, but the kombucha itself does not remove them from your body, it just “loosens” them, so to speak and you drink lots of water. The water is what flushes the waste out of your body after the kombucha kills it/releases it. To start with all the bad stuff is stored in your body and you don’t feel it and it just accumulates over time, but then you drink kombucha and it starts coming out of your cells and is released from it’s “confinement” in your body (detoxification), but at that point you have lots of toxins floating around in your gut making you feel terrible, until you drink water as well as the kombucha and the water removes it from you. So keep drinking kombucha. The more the better. But make sure you follow it with water! Once you’ve been “flushed out” you can drink the kombucha on it’s own, but you should still obviously drink water throughout the day just for good health anyway 😉 hope this helps and I didn’t ramble too much!
~M
Hi, I grew my first Scoby and it looked awesome. Then, the cloth that was covering it fell in the bowl! the Scoby now looks clumpy. I’ve got it sitting in the tea. Can I still use it for my first batch of kambucha?
Hi Deb – Thanks for your comment. I would still use it, but keep an eye out for any mold during the process. If that happens, toss it. Hope that helps!
Wow, so much great information here! I’ve been making kombucha for about a year now. The scobys (I have 3 jars) are getting thicker, of course; about an inch or so thick, I guess. The last few batches they have suddenly been bubbling up. Like a huge air bubble forms under the scoby and it rises out of the tea so almost none of it is touching the liquid. It’s like a balloon. The top starts to dry out. When I see it happening, I push it back down, but it just rises right back up again within a day. This never happened before and I’m not sure what’s wrong. Are they too thick? I’ve heard that some people let them get 3 inches thick or so. The weather is getting warmer, but it was summer when I started my first batch, so it can’t just be the temperature. Do I need to split them? I can’t find anyone who wants the extras and I don’t want them to go to waste, but I’m not sure what I should do now. Thanks a lot!
I have this problem as well, wondering what it means…
Hi,
I’ve formed my third scoby, with the 2 old one’s attached sideways underneath. This is the first time one looks odd, with a huge pocket formed in the middle. Is this okay, or do I have to throw all of them out?
Please let me know where I can email you the picture so you can see for yourself!
Thank you,
Kristine
I started my very first SCOBY last Saturday, after years of drinking it from Wholefood. I started with a bottle of raw organic Kumbucha and organic green tea, organic raw sugar. I washed everything really well and put it covered on top of the fridge. I indeed have a good size SCOBY now- and the liquid it is in smells a little like vinegar . What I’m most concerned with is it has some light gray spots on it. Is this mold? Should I start over? Can I send you a photo to be sure?
My baby scoby has 2 very small dots of white mold on it. Like the size of a penicil eraser. My scoby mother is at the bottom of the jar. Can I scoop out the baby scoby with the mold and then keep the mother to brew again? Maybe like wash it off or something to make sure there is no mold? Or should I just throw the whole thing? I really don’t want to… It’s such a healthy mother!!!
We’ve been brewing Kombucha for about a year and a half and I recently made a batch and (from the many teas I have in my ‘tea cupboard’) may have used herbal tea bags. I just checked my kombucha and it had mold completely covering the top. We tried to carefully take the moldy layer off but some got into the tea. We washed our scoby with water and vinegar, but my question is how do I start my tea again? My previous batch is all gone, and I’m not sure if using some from the moldy batch will ruin the new tea so we have no good kombucha tea to restart with.
Hi Nina – Thanks for your question. Since there was a substantial amount of mold, I would restart the process with a new scoby and fresh tea, just to be safe. Hope that helps!
How can I post a photo of my scoby processing in Kombucha? Different from my first batch, it has tiny black but not round things. They are different from the dark mold spots that I see from photos above. They could be tea residue floating after a few days.
I use loose black tea leaves not tea bags.
During my pregnancy I unfortunately wanted nothing to do with Kombucha 🙁 Now, about 10 months later I want to start up again. My scoby has been in its hotel in my dark cupboard this whole time with out maintenance.( I didn’t know, and was too sick to think about it)…. They actually look amazing, but I’m no expert… can I use these scobys now? I actually had 2 jars, and one of them looks really bad.
Hi Tatianna – Thanks for your comment. It’s best to keep the scoby’s in the fidge when they aren’t in use. Since it’s been so long, I probably wouldn’t risk it. Hope that helps!
Hi,
I accidentally added raw ACV to my SCOBY hotel. Should I get rid of all my Scobies and start over? I have made some batches since, they seem fine and taste normal but I’m not sure if I’m drinking Kombucha or ACV.
Hi Jackie – Thanks for your question. Since they are both probiotic cultures, it probably doesn’t matter. Hope that helps!
Hello I have just started brewing kombucha and I am currently on my 3rd batch.
I just noticed today that one of my scobys has a weird ‘beard’ as you called it but its colouring is a bit alarming. Its very dark greening/brown but doesn’t look like conventional mould i.e. not fuzzy, blotchy… it looks like a beard, just a lot darker than previously. Its been about 8 days since I started this brew.
do you have any suggestions??
Thank you!!
Anika
Hi Anika – It’s hard to say without seeing a picture. Are you able to upload one for us to see?
My last couple of batches of Kpmbucha didn’t produce babies. It tasted ok. I’m just wondering why.
Also, I have been using 16 c. boiled water, 12 black tea bags, and 1.5 cups of white sugar. Can more sugar be used?
Hi Teri – Thanks for your comment. Do you think the room you’re brewing in might be too cold?
Can anyone help me?!
My scoby is not thickening/growing. I ferment it for only about 4 days and it tastes like vinegar! Impossible to drink. It’s very thin. It has developed holes in several areas. It is also very very dark brown.
I used to make my own Kombucha but because of moving from one country to another, I had to discard it and start all over again.
I just grew my own SCOBY from an organic, raw, purchased bottle of Kombucha and I just started my first batch of Kombucha but I’m not sure if the SCOBY is okay. I’ve never started my very own SCOBY so I want to make sure it’s not contaminated.
Is there somewhere I can send a picture or a video for you to let me know what you think?
Thanks.
~ K
Hi Kim – You can email me the picture along with your question to [questions at holisticsquid dot com].
hello! I started brewing kombucha last month and don’t have a lot of options for places to brew it. I have successfully brewed in my son’s room on top of his dresser and thought i’d try my kitchen. So far both times the brew in my kitchen gets mold on the top, and this last time it got moldy only 4 days into the brew time. My first question is do you have any idea why it’s growing mold? The second question is my last brew the mother floated at the top and the new layer was attached so i threw it all away but this one the mother sank so it didn’t have the mold. is the mother bad or not and should i get rid of it since it was at the bottom and didn’t have contact with the mold?
Hi! I just made my first batch of kombucha today and I accidentally forgot to put the sugar in at first so I added it afterwards with some extra brewed tea. How long should it be before I start seeing bubbles? I want to know if I killed the Scoby.
Hi! I wasn’t able to use my kombucha for perhaps 6 or more weeks. When I finally got around to trying to revitalize it there were lots of fruit flies along the lid of the crock, down the sides, and on top of the Scoby. I drained and cleaned the crock, took off the fruit-fly laden top of the Scoby, and am ready to start again. I put about 3-1/2 cups of the original kombucha in the crock followed by the Scoby (still about 2″ thick. What concerns me is that I noticed a couple of very tiny worms crawling on the crock before I began dismantling. Could these be fruit fly larvae? Will this ruin my Scoby? Should I get rid of the entire Scoby and kombucha and start from scratch? Thanks so much for any advice.
Hi Linda – It’s hard to say without seeing it. I would probably start from scratch and not risk it. Hope that helps!
Hi,
someone gave me a baby 6 days ago and I have left it in the Ziploc bag since then. I am wondering if it is still ok to use. It has no discoloration or mold, still looks normal, has a little bit of reserved tea in the bag with it and I have not exposed it to too much light or temperature fluctuations. Can I still use it?
Hi, when making your next batch of Kombucha is it right to use the original Scoby obtained with the kit or the newly formed scoby that was created during the first batch? Thanks!
Hola, my kombucha has changed the flavor and less bubbles are being produced. What has happened, and what can i do?
Pls help me i really love my Kombucha =)
thanks
paola
mexico
Hi Paola – It’s hard to say without seeing a picture, but your kombucha may just need to brew longer to achieve the same flavor as previous batches. Hope that helps!
Hey.. I’ve been scrolling a long time tring to see if anyone asked my question and i haven’t seen it. So here is my situation… I’ve been tring to grow my own scoby for months it finally got a bit stronger than a jellyfish (in a 1 qt jar I added the raw bucha to 2 cups of sugar water) so i decided to try to brew a batch i used a qt of sweet black tea. .. i didnt realize it at first but the tea bag busted and now there is tea grains up in my premature scoby (from looking at your awesome scoby growing pics)!! Will this effect it’s growth or mold susceptibility? It’s cold here so i know it’s gonna be a slow grower till it warms up but will this effects how fast it turns the tea cause I’ve been brewing this for almost a month now (i think) and it is still sweet. It smells good but it doesn’t taste like it’s ready.
My Kombucha is really fizzy after the initial ferment of one week. It appears that the baby SCOBY created a seal at the top of the jar. It this normal? I’ve searched the interwebs but everyone talks about not enough fizz.
Hi Julia – This could be the result of a warmer environment, which speeds up the process. As long as you don’t see any mold, this is normal. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for this!
I just started my second batch and the daughters grew a bit of brown threads and bubbles. I wasnt sure if it was mold or not but thanks to your beautifully revealing pictures I can assure it’s all
Normal growth.
Thanks once again!
We have been brewing our own kombucha for a little over a year now, but I do have 2 questions that have been weighing on my mind in regards to this topic. (1) Does it matter what type of sugar you use in the recipe? Refined vs. unrefined? Organic or not? And, why does it or why does it not matter? (2) Where does the caffeine come from– the tea? Our 2 YO son LOVES kombucha, but when we were giving him a small glass at a time, we could see quite the difference due to caffeine;) We have taken in back since then:)
Hi Leah – Thanks for your questions. As for the sugar, I find it doesn’t matter since the scoby is eating the sugar, and very little is left in the end product. The caffeine content will depend on which type of tea is used. I hope that helps answer your questions!
Hi,
I have brewed Kombucha for some time now without any issues, and love the whole process and the results!
However, today I have noticed something in my finished brew that I have not seen before and wondered if you could help.
The brew was ready just over a week ago and I removed the scoby , filtered the brew into a large sterilised glass container and added my usual ginger juice. I have now noticed some thin powdery patches floating on the top of the brew, and I have not seen this before. It smells fine, and I have dared myself to try a little, and it tastes as good as ever, but I don’t know if I should throw the batch away, or carry on and use it.
Any ideas as to what this could be and what to do about it would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks
Sue
I am a newbie at making kombucha and I did something a bit daft by blindly following directions. Instead of brewing the tea, I just plopped two green tea bags in the jar thinking it would brew similar to sun tea. One of the bags broke after about 2 days and left a slight littering of tea leaves. I’m wondering if my scoby is still going to be good and how can I tell.
My friend gave me a scoby back in Aug. 2014 and I made my first batch of kombucha with black tea. Since then, for various reasons, I haven’t made another batch and now my scoby has multiplied and filled about half of my 1/2 gal. jar! I must say the scobies are still as beautiful as ever, and still making babies! Fascinating to watch and quite the conversation piece. These scobies have been multifplying in that same brew on top of my refrigerator for 5 months. No mold. No refrigeration. Is this still safe to use to make a new batch of kombucha? I hate to just throw it out….just wondering.
Hi Chris, it sounds totally fine but I would probably give away a good portion of the scoby. You should be left with no more than an inch of scoby in your jar…Hope that helps!
Greetings Holistic Squid!
My Kombucha question:
I didn’t put the tea the scobi was held in with the new batch-just the scobi. My friend who gave me the scobi said ‘the tea that held the mother needs to be in as well as the sweet tea and water’. Fast forward four days and I added the tea in…
Did I screw it up? Does the mother tea need to be included in the batch for success? Thank you for your time.
Hi there! I got a new Scoby from a friend (after letting my old one go for too long!), but she didn’t give me much starter liquid. My bucha has been brewing for 5 days, my scoby is at the bottom and I see a white film forming on the top off to one side, I’m guessing that is a baby, correct? Hopefully not mold?! I was concerned it might not grow because of the small amount of starter, but it seems to be ok, right??? Also, I didn’t realize I shouldn’t move it and definitely did…what’s the harm in that??? Thanks!
I’m curious about my scoby. It’s been fine for months now and in this last batch I noticed a dark spot/area on the side that touches the glass jar, but it seems to look like maybe one of the brown hanging bits is squished up on the side of the scoby and perhaps part of it grew into the top white part causing this blackish or dark area. I’d like to send along a picture. Just need to know if this is a bad scoby now or not?? all else looks/tastes fine. thought I have not sampled this new batch yet…so…any thoughts/comments?
thanks!
Hi Daze, thanks for your question. It sounds fine but if you’d like to make sure, you are welcome to send a photo to support@holisticsquid.com.
Hi there,
I love your blog.
I just recently started making my own kombucha and have the second batch in process right now. I started with the scoby starter I bought from RISE kombucha, after the first batch, it was pink and so is the new scoby, is that ok? The kombucha tasted great.
Hi Evy, thanks for your question. So glad you’ve started up and you should keep it up! For the most part, you should just trust your nose. If something smells bad, it probably is. I wouldn’t worry too much about the color as long as there isn’t any obvious mold. Hope that helps!
My kombucha is quite brown, but it still produces new layers which are cream-colored. I separate them. The drink it produces is also good, it smells nice and it tastes like a good wine. Is the SCOBY fine? I have read it should be cream-colored.
Hi Agnes, thanks for your question. It sounds like it is fine. As long as it smells good and tastes good, I wouldn’t worry.
Just started my first continuous kombucha batch and have concerns that it might not be all good. the yest looks slightly greener than brown – is this a sign of bad mold/bacteria and that I should toss it and start again?
Thanks!
Hi Anne, thanks for your question. I’ve never heard of it being green. It’s hard to say without seeing it. A good rule of thumb is that if it smells bad, rather toss it and start again. Hope that helps!
Hi! I got a scoby from a friend about 4 weeks ago and it’s been in the fridge ever since. It’s not moldy and is on the bottom of the glass jar. It’s in the 2 cups of “starter fluid” she gave me the scoby in. I want to start brewing my own soon, but don’t know how to start the process. Do I need to “feed” it by giving it some sugar tea, even if I don’t brew the entire batch of 8 bag to 1 cup sugar? I don’t have all the specifics for brewing yet, so I don’t want to start something I cannot finish. Should I take it out of the fridge for a few days? I guess I really don’t know what I’m doing!! Thanks for any help.
Hi Holly, there’s a step by step guide for making kombucha here. I hope this helps.
Hi there, I just got a Scoby from an online shop and started my first batch of tea. It’s been two days and my Scoby is at the bottom of the jar Is that okay or should I be worried?
Thanks,
Debbie
Hi Debbie, thanks for your question. The new culture will grow on the top of your brew, but the mother can be anywhere in the jar. Nothing to worry about it, I would say.
Hi,
I’ve been storing my scobys in a glass jar in the back of my pantry, floating in 6-8 oz kombucha. (that’s how I was told to store it :-P) It’s been way than a year since I’ve used them, would they still be good if there’s no mold growing on them?
Hi Jordn, if the scoby and the kombucha it was stored in look and smell ok, I would say it doesn’t hurt to try! However, on the side of caution – if it looks suspicious, you may just want to start with a new one/grow your own.
I have been brewing ‘buch for about 3 months now. Things are going well, I get carbonation, good flavor and such, however the part that always throws me for a loop is when I have to take the SCOBY out from the finished brew.
Am I supposed to peel a bottom layer off of the thick SCOBY I have developed or do I start with a baby again?
This time around I peeled the bottom layer (the layer touching the tea) and threw the baby with Mother in the gallon jug..
Is it more advisable to continue using the Mother Scoby or use the baby each time I brew?
I may be over thinking this entire process and i have done some online research; this is the one area that confuses me every time!
Thank you for any input you can share.
Help!
Hi Devon, thanks for the question. It doesn’t matter if you use the baby or the mother together with the baby scoby. In my experiences, a mature scoby makes for faster brewing. But it also depends on how much space is left in the jar. I like to keep my scoby to an inch or less as you don’t want the scoby to take over the jar entirely. It really is personal preference, though.
I am wondering if I should pull of the brown stringy things that are of the scabby before I use the scabby again? Does it matter? And how carbonated will the tea be, as bubbly as what I buy?
Thanks!!
Hi Holly, the brown strings you see are a part of the culture. Sometimes if it is left behind in the tea, I use a strainer. It won’t really be carbonated at all unless you do a second ferment. To do this, strain the kombucha and leave it to ferment for another day or two. Here are some great soda recipes.
My mother SCOBY has turned upside down. It is still attached to the baby that formed. Should I try to correct it? I started this batch 2 days ago.
Hey Bridget, thanks for the question. It doesn’t matter what orientation the scoby is – upside down, on its side, top or bottom of jar – as long as it is submerged, it is fine. Hope that helps!
hi!
for how long can i store the scoby in the fridge? thank you!
Hi Moksha, you should be able to store your scoby in the fridge safely for about a year – as long as it is kept separate and covered.
Hi, I received a scoby via FedEx today. It sat out in the heat for hours before we got home. Do you think it’s dead now? It was double-bagged but it was 90 degrees on the porch and the bag felt warm.
Hi Jaye, it’s hard to say without seeing it. I would try a batch and see if it goes well.
I’m on my second batch of brewing, but I’m concerned about drinking it because I am doing a cleanse for candida. Also, my kombucha tastes much sweeter than the store brands, yet my friend who gave me the starter says I am waiting too long to bottle it and that’s why it tastes like vinegar… it tastes like sweet vinegar, is that normal? Thanks!
Hi Sally, I would probably hang on till your cleanse is over before drinking the kombucha. Your friend is right. If you leave it to long, it will get a more vinegar-like taste. Try and bottle it sooner, if you can. Hope that helps!
Started my first batch last night with a SCOBY I ordered off Amazon. The recipe I used didn’t specifically state how much starter fluid or vinegar to add. Not really thinking about it, I made the 1 gallon batch and dumped the SCOBY and all the starter liquid in. I didn’t even measure it and when thinking back it was probably only about a quarter cup of starter liquid. Looking at recipes today, most call for 1 cup or substitution with vinegar. Can my SCOBY survive or should I scrap the batch and do it again with the same SCOBY? Or can I still add vinegar in it today? Kinda bummed I didn’t think about it and do more research initially. I was just eager to start and had the energy to do it. Plus the kids were napping so I had a limited amount of time!
Hi Eva, you can probably add the vinegar in today. Just keep a close eye on it for any signs of mold.
I made a batch of green tea with lots of macha powder. The matcha actually started to form a weblike net and rose to the top with all the airbubbles. It now sits in a rolled up blob along the edge of the top of jar with the scoby. The scoby itself looks fine, but the green “blanket” is not fuzzy at all. Is it safe? Should I just tos it all? Is it just the macha. IS my Kombucha “protecting itself” Can it think? (kidding.lol)
The general rule is that mold will be at the top. It will be dry and hairy. Trust your nose. This should turn out fine but keep an eye on your scoby for signs of mold etc. Hope this helps.
sept 28 2015
I have a somewhat urgent scobie problem.
‘about 16 hours ago I started a scobie that was supposed to be just 8cups of liquid.
I accidentally put 4 cups too much water into the mixture whic also included 1 cup natural storebought kombucha, one half cup sugar and 0ne tablespoon of black tea.
My question is if it would be a good idea , 16 hours later to try to corrcect the too much water problem by brewing up a half tablespoon of tea , add one quarter cup of sugar, and a cup of water and one half a cup more of the store bought kombucha , and then adding it to the mixture i started 16 hours ago.
Please send your thougths, Thank you Paul
Could the particles of live skobie’s actually cause a skoby to start growing internally?
So I left my Kombucha in the jar much longer than the directions said. The scoby was in the jar with water, black tea and some elderberry syrup for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 months. It was not super warm, so I am assuming the culturing process went slower because we did not keep it warm. The scoby looked fine, basically a pile of “pancakes” and then at the very bottom of the pile of scabies was these grey looking floaters (so the top that takes shape of the jar looked pale white as noted in this article, but the underside that was in the liquid, had the grey rooted floating bits) This portion was a bit more slimy and it almost resembled what I would imagine as roots, fungal roots, something of that nature…but it was not white, it was more of a grey. I bottled by kombucha, and I thought I would now research my observation to see if it is safe to drink. What do you think?
I’m making my third batch. On one of the original scobys that I got, it is growing a long green beard thing that looks like draping moss from a tropical tree or lake water algae. Is that ok and edible, or has my batch spoiled?
I can’t say for sure without seeing it, Lori but a beard is normal. As long as there’s no mold on top, it should be fine.
Hi, I put my scoby in a jar while the water was still warm. Will the heat destroy the culture?
It was in for about 40 minutes.
Hi Suzanne, if the water was too hot, there is a chance that the heat destroyed the culture. However, if it was only slightly warm, there is a chance it will be okay. It is best to avoid high temperatures, though.
I have a large kombucha hotel with lots of scraggly ends at the bottom. I am told different things about those scraggles..that they are important yeast to leave, or from others, to periodically clean the messy scobies in vinegar and replace without their “tails”. What do you suggest??
Andree, I don’t think it matters that much. See what works for you. Remember, making kombucha is really more of an art than a science.
Hi so I am quite new to brewing kombucha. I think I’ve definitely made a rookie mistake.. I got ahead of myself thinking my batch was done before testing considering it’s been 26 days. I took out my new baby Scoby and accidently put it in the sink forgetting that I should keep it. I then tested the pH of my kombucha and it was between 4 and 5. I also taste tested it and it was pretty sweet still. I live in Alaska and I’ve kept my brew on a heated mat at 78 degrees. It’s approaching about 28 days now.. No signs of mold and my mature mother scoby seems fine also. I know its not done considering all the info, I’m just curious as to why it’s taking so long? Second question is now that I accidently threw away my baby scoby that had formed, is this batch ruined or will it still continue to ferment properly.
No worries, Sandra! It really does depend on the environment and the temperature as to how long it takes. As long as you still have your mother scoby, it shouldn’t make a difference to your ferment.
I got a scoby from a fried sometime ago and since I did not have time to make the tea at the time I put it in a jar and had it sit in the pantry for a few weeks, once I wanted to use it my friend told me to check for mold to make sure it was still good. It had a few very tiny dark spots on it but it smelled totally fine and I could not tell it was mold so I made my first batch and I got a very nice new Scoby on top. And the kombucha tastes good but not very much like vinagre. And now after reading so much I start to wonder if it could have been mold after all . What do u think? Could it have been or what should I do.
For the most part if it smells and tastes good, it probably isn’t mold. However, if it is mold, you should rather chuck it out and start again just to be on the safe side.
Hello all, I have a question and hope someone can help me along with some insights. I have had two or three good batches, for my last batch I separated a baby scoby from its mother and tossed the mother, used the baby in a new batch. Now the scoby sank to the bottom, which it has done before, no problem, but it has not come back up and it’s been 5 days without any signs of fermentation on the surface of the brew.
I tasted it and it’s somewhat tangy. What could be going on?
The tea was slightly above room temperature when I dropped the scoby but it didn’t seem much warmer to me than previous batches.
Hi Maryam, I wonder if you didn’t perhaps separate the baby from the mother too soon. It is a good idea to use both the mother and baby scoby together for 2 or 3 batches so the baby has time to thicken up a bit. With each brewing, the baby will get a new layer and at that point you could separate the mother and baby. Also, I wouldn’t just throw the mother out, you could have two batches brewing with both the mother and baby separately, or you could give one of them away. I hope this helps for the future.
Hi. wondering why my batch smells and tastes yeasty? I let it brew about 11 days but Im not sure if its ok to use. also can I use the scoby and starter liquid to start another batch? I just cant seem to find an answer about it being so yeasty in the first brew. I have it all separate on the counter wondering what to do with it. Ihope you have an answer for me. thanks
Hi Laura, it’s really all about balance. As long as it doesn’t smell bad, you’re on the right track. You can use the scoby and starter liquid to start another batch. Maybe just pay careful attention. It should smell/taste sweet or sour and then you know you’ve hit the sweet spot as far as brewing time goes. And keep an eye out for mold.
My scoby was stored in a tupperware with some kombucha for the past year. I am brewing a batch of kombucha now. The scoby does not have spots that you have shown above. It does have white bubbles. Is this still safe to consume.
Your scoby should be fine as long as the bubbles are not fuzzy.
Wonderful! I did see one dot that looked a bit black, is that a bad sign? Everywhere that I have read said to keep the scoby in the refrigerator that is why I am a bit hesitant since mine was not refrigerated.
It’s hard to say without seeing it but black can be a sign of mold. It IS best to refrigerate your scoby if you aren’t using it. If you have any doubts at all, it might be best to get a new scoby.
How long does a SCOBEY last for or I guess how many batches is it good for? I know that I have read that the old SCOBEYS are good for plants? But then it says blend them up and put in compost. Has anyone tried to blend them and just add directly to the dirt or will I cause major chaos in my soil?
I have an old Kombucha scoby. It was in the fridge for a year or so, in some tea, with no attention given to it. I had to take it out a few months ago due to getting a new fridge. It has been sitting, undisturbed at room temperature for months (winter). I finally decided to do something with it. There were some kind of scumy flakes on the surface of the tea it was in, but it looks fine and smells just like Kombucha. The scoby is dark and ‘too solid’ feeling and has no smell. I drained the lower part of the tea off and rinsed off the scoby. Do you think it is useable and safe? Or do I need to start over?
Hi Robin, if you have any doubts, I would start over.
There’s a large jar full of scobys in the refrigerator of the house we moved into, with a glass lid sitting on top. How do I know if the scobys are good? How do I revived them, and then how do I start brewing? Should I pick the best out and replace the liquid with tea? Am dying to start Kombucha, but am totally green!
Hi Raphael, it’s hard to tell without being able to look at and smell the scobys so it might be best to start afresh unless you have someone you know who could advise you after looking at them.
Wonderful info. But I take issue with reverse osmosis! Reverse osmosis does not remove pharmaceuticals and some other harmful things that can be in water. A super high quality gravity water filter is way better (keeps the minerals but can get rid of things like drugs etc that can be in city water). I swear by distilled. I decided to go with filtered after nurturing my scoby on distilled water for months… my scoby was not happy. For me, I will just stick with one or the other: Gravity filtered water (using something like a pro-pur or berkey filter system) or distilled. My philosophy for all of this is: Why take a chance? Spending the time and money making something healthy and unknowingly ingesting chemicals and prescription drugs is insanity. Ha. Thanks again for all of the great info.
Hey Rob,
I just wanted to pop by and ask if you only drink distilled water or you mean just for your scoby?
A person shouldn’t go more than 3 months drinking only distilled water. It will start extracting minerals from your bones. Our water needs minerals. Just looking out. Cheers!
My scoby started forming about a week ago on the top of my brew, about a few days later i notched a round circle that is a little whiter then the rest of scoby with a yellow center .. could this be mold?…everything else looks and smells normal…..i can send a photo if that would help, i would hate to throw out if im wrong…can anyone help?….thx
Hey Fred, you’re welcome to send a photo to support@holisticsquid.com and I’ll try and get back to you as soon as I can.
I started a Scoby culture almost two weeks ago. It is my first try and it looks great. I am leaving town for 2 weeks. Will it be alright to let the Scoby brew until then?
Hi Della, as long as it is kept in a relatively cool area and you don’t mind it being a bit stronger than usual it should be fine.
Hi Emily,
I’m wondering if you could help me. I just started my first brew.
I grew my own SCOBY using a bottle of Original GT’s using English Breakfast tea in a quart jar and it went great. When it was almost half an inch thick, I made sweet Oolong tea, let it cool to room temp, transfered it to a 1.5 Gallon jar and introduced the SCOBY. It floated on top and looked great. The transfer took place in the morning. In the evening I moved the jar into my linen closet, out of the way and in the dark.
By morning the SCOBY dropped to the bottom. I researched and found it to be no cause for alarm, expecting to see some new growth to start at the top, bubbles….any change really. 24 hours later, there has been no change at all. No bubbles or anything. It’s very warm, so I know it’s not too hot or cold.
Is it too early to worry?
Hi Daniel, I’d definitely give it a little more time before you start worrying. Give it a few days and see if there is any change.
Hi! 3 days ago I started new batches of kombucha using 2 baby scobys that were very thin. Today i noticed a round white circle on the top of the brew, with tiny hairlike fillaments , the circle was not on the baby scoby (which is also at the top). Is this mold? I am not sure of the temperature but it is quite cool and we don’t have any heat in our house other than a fireplace. For my first brew (with a mother scoby) I was placing the bucha in front of the fire each night/ and putting a hot water bottle next to the brew – this seemed to work well and I got the baby thin films after 2.5 weeks. I am worried about this new brew- should I have waited longer before making the new batches?
Thanks!
Correction: On the baby scoby floating on the top of the brew are three coin size translucent patches that have very very small hairlike filaments coming from them. Is this mold?
Thanks!
i am brewing at a cold temperature .
thanks!
Hi Liz, it’s difficult to say without being able to see it myself. You’re welcome to send an email with a picture to support(at)holisticsquid.com.
I’m doing a low carb diet, would you say that most of the sugar added is probably gone by the time it’s fermented?
Also, we use alkaline water. What would work best Alkaline, filtered or Acidic for my Kombucha?
I just made my first batch and a little nervous. I sent a pic of it to someone who has been brewing it for a while. She said it looks normal and healthy. There was a spot on it that looked like a white bogger. She said it was fine. She said to watch out for pink. Bright pink is death. Do you know what the bright pink thing is she is speaking of? I can’t find a reference to it online.
Hi Jason, I’m not sure about the pink as I’ve never encountered that. But a moldy scoby is almost always colored green, black, or blue and covered with fuzz. The moldy area will be located on the top of the scoby in contact with the air. Mold won’t be under the mixture or inside a scoby layer. I hope that helps set your mind at ease. xoxo Emily
It’s been a week with my new scoby and it’s still not floating in it’s solution. It looks good (no mold, it seems healthy). Does it need a lift up? I just put it in a warmer spot (it was in a cool cupboard, but it wasn’t cold).
Thank you for your time.
Hello. Can anyone advise on what might have happened to my scoby? For about 5 months it was pale and chunky and rubbery and just got bigger and I had some babies that I gave to a friend but for some reason a few weeks ago it has gone really dark, the only baby it has made is a very thin also dark brown rubbery film. I don’t know if my soby and her baby are just too big for the jar and if I should throw half of it away (I don’t have room for any bigger jars and I don’t have any other friends who want babies) or if I should start again. I can provide pictures if anyone can help. Thanks.
This happened to me when I switched from a high quality black tea to a cheap low quality black tea a friend uses. I went back to the high quality stuff and moma and baby are doing great again. Trouble shoot… did you change anything in your scobys diet? Other environmental factors may also cause a problem is the room it is in getting too cold/hot? Is there enough air flow? Did you change anything else in your brewing process?
I made kombucha with yerba mate, which I haven’t used before, I usually used black tea. I did it last night before I went to be and this morning there is a bunch of black floating on top. It doesn’t look like mold and I’m guessing it’s not mold because there is so much of it. I would think it would take more than one night to grow so much mold. I’m guessing it’s some of the mate that got through the holes in the strainer and is floating on top. Have you ever seen this happen? Do you think I should toss it and start over? Thank you!
I changed the tea feed to loose leaf and now my Scoby has freckles. I noticed it also has liver spot-lol me marks that appear where the bubbles are rising from the liquid, so they go up the sides and on to the top. Do you think this is mould? They are a dirty beige colour, slightly darker than the scoby. The tea tastes slightly different too, slightly metallic. The scoby is a couple of months old
Do you think I should start again?
Thank you!
Hi JeanAnn, it’s difficult to say without a picture. Mold almost always forms on the top so if it is circular and on the top where there is possible air exposure, it is possible that it is mold. Loose leaf tea is fine to use but perhaps the change introduced spores to your scoby. Always be safe with possible mold, though, and if you think it could be mold rather start again. xoxo Emily
I have brewed Kombucha for about two years now and I have always kept up with it however recently I left it go since 8/11 and today is 10/9. How do i know if it is ok to use? Everything looks ok however there are quite a few long strands floating around the bottom. I think it is just “mother” but am not sure. I threw away my jar that was beside this one because i saw fruit flies had gotten in that one. I do not see anything in this other but is there a way to be sure that it is not contaminated also? Thank you
Hi Alanna,
I suggest you exam carefully for mold, however the strands are normal. If you are sure that no contamination has occurred, you should be able to keep going with it. If you have any doubts, rather throw it out and start again.
xoxo Emily
I think I may have killed my scoby. Can I send you pictures? Please advise.
Hi Renu, sure – you can send them to support (at) holisticsquid.com. xoxo Emily
This is such a great post, thank you for sharing it. I have another question and I was wondering if you could add it? I’ve been brewing two batches for six days, and although they have both bubbled and started to form a Scooby on top they haven’t changed colour; they’re just as dark as ever. Am I doing something wrong? Did I brew the black tea too black? Many thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi Alexandra, different types of tea can affect the color of the scoby. As long as your scoby is healthy, I wouldn’t worry about the color too much unless there is obvious mold growing. xoxo Emily
I would like to know if my mother scoby is contaminated? I actually just kept it stored in a plastic Tupperware container with lid on it for about 8 weeks with some tea from the batch I. Made with it for the first time. Can I send a picture of it? I just made another batch with it but I want to know if I should throw it out? It produced a healthy looking baby scoby
Hi Suzie,
You can send a picture to support(at)holisticsquid.com.
xoxo Emily
Is it necessary to use tea bags containing caffeine? I purchase tea that is decaffeinated using a water process, so that it is still natural and chemical free. Just wondering if the scoby requires the caffeine to survive or brew correctly.
Also, thank you for your wonderful blog, it’s been very helpful.
Hi Juliet, it is possible to make kombucha with herbal teas. xoxo Emily
I have a very old scoby in kombucha liquid, which has been in a well sealed glass jar out of the fridge in my larder for many many years. Can I use this to start another brew and will it be safe for consumption after such a long time?
I also have a piece of dry mushroom, also for a very long time – how do I use this to start a brew?
Hi Brenda, I would suggest smelling the scoby and examining carefully for any mold. If you have any doubt at all about it, it would be better to throw it out.
xoxo Emily
So great to see lots of pictures of healthy scobys. So weird how they can look all kinds of gross and still be fine!
I just started a batch of Kombucha using a small baby scoby (and a cup Kombucha) from one of my family members. It was about 4 inches in diameter and my jar is a gallon jar. After 2 days the scoby has disenigrated (broken apart with flimsy pieces floating all over). Is that OK or did I ruin my scoby? Also is that a big enough scoby for my container?
Hi Pam. Kombucha often breaks down but without seeing the scoby, it’s difficult to say if it is still fine. The container should be big enough but makes sure you have enough liquid to keep the scoby healthy. xoxo Emily
Hello,
My scoby sunk during the fermentation process, and a new one formed on top, but it has some mould spots. Do I need to throw out the whole batch of kombucha or can I just throw out the mouldy scoby and still use the batch? It also does not taste vinegary at all and it has been 14 days.. Help please!! XX
Hi Tineke, if you see mold on your scoby it is always best to throw it all out and start again. xoxo Emily
I have a 5 -6 inch scoby that looks like it might be starting to grow some moldy fuzz on top. Can I peel the fuzzy portion off and keep the rest of the scoby?