Kombucha experts, a little help?

[NJ*Doula]

For the second time, with different scobies, some unexpected has grown in my kombucha. I made the first batch and it worked fine. The scoby was huge and appeared to be healthy. I made it according to the directions given to me by the seller. But late in the process a few round balls of something brownish started growing in a little cluster. They were almost greyish-brown and about 1.5mm across. I figured it was mold and tossed the whole thing, scoby and all. I bought two new scobies, which were very thin and folded, but also appeared healthy. I let the batch culture a while and it seemed to be working, but never formed a new scoby on the top. Eventually (after almost two weeks) I strained them out and started a new batch, placing the current batch in a ball jar in the cabinet (sans scoby) to ferment a second time. Well, I just pulled that out tonight, and in addition to a very tiny thin baby scoby, it had also formed a little cluster of those balls again. I've been Googling to find pictures of mold on a scoby, and nothing I find looks remotely like those. I really wish I had taken a picture before washing them down the drain so I could have posted it here.

What do you think - can I drink this batch, or should I toss it again? Should I toss my scobies and buy new ones a third time? I'm getting really discouraged.

[MyLittleWarrior]

Are the brown clusters forming on top of the scoby or underneath it? I get brown slime like stuff underneath my scoby, but the top is always pale cream colored and uniform (in color, I've gotten some odd textured scobys, but the color always looks the same).

[klackj]

Hi. I haven't heard of those either. If you are worried it is better to error on the side of caution. I don't by the scobies. I buy the drinks at the store and grow my own scoby. In the past when I have been given them they seem to be higher in yeast. So I grew my own.

Good luck.

[NJ*Doula]

It grew on the top. And it's not the slimy yeast trails, I know they're normal. I'm really sad, because I haven't been able to make a single batch of drinkable kombucha. Thankfully it didn't grow on my scobies, so maybe they're still viable and the next batch will be ok. Should I be putting it in the fridge for the second fermentation? I was hoping I wouldn't have to store everything in the fridge, because it's tiny and I don't really have the space.

[sarah_bella1050]

Can you post a picture? Is you scoby at the top or floating in the middle? I have a scoby that grew on top and not underneath. It had some stuff (white and a little brown and stringy) at the tip that then it covered the entire top of the jar and became a new very healthy scoby.

[NJ*Doula]

Well, it's over. The new scoby layer on the top of my two fermenting jars is growing white rings that can't be anything but mold. I think I give up on kombucha.