Growing My Own Kombucha Scoby - Page 6

[PrayzGod]

LionTigerBear, thank you for the awesome welcome. I got all of my brewing equipment, incluing the flour sack from Wal-Mart. The flower sack is in the dishtowel section in their kitchen section. The flour sack is a lot cheaper than dish towels too.

I use flower sack to cover things I brew or ferment, and I also use it in place of cheese cloth when I'm making things such as cream cheese and whey from homemade yogurt. Instead of using and throwing away cheese cloth, I can use flour sack, then wash and dry it, and use it again.

Crunchy mama, I'm glad you liked my pictures. :-) Kombucha brewing is fun, and can become an addictive hobby.

[LionTigerBear]

Okay, so I definitely have a nice big baby SCOBY in there (can't remember what day I am on!) I think tomorrow I will try placing her in some tea and sugar and see what happens!

Crossing my fingers and hoping this works . . .

[PrayzGod]

I hope everyone keeps updating - this truly is great to follow along with.

My family drinks a lot of Kombucha, so I did a triple brew, which finished today. It was 9 quarts total, and it tastes so good.

[NatrlCatholicMama]

I'm trying ... 10 days ago I set out my half-bottle of GTs in a glass cup, covered by a towel, with the same amount of raw ACV in a cup next to it, to see if I could get a mother of vinegar while I'm at it. I didn't get anything but a strand for nearly a week, but on day 7 or 8 suddenly I had a definite scoby. But 3 days later, it hasn't grown and it hasn't filled up the full diameter of the cup, nor has it gotten thicker than a very thin veil. No measurable thickness, really.

I wonder why it's not thick? Could it be light? It's in a clear glass with a towel on top (but not on the sides) in a room where the light is on most of the day.

[LionTigerBear]

I don't know. I grew mine in a dark warm cupboard that was a few feet above a heater grate. It took about fifteen days, I think, maybe less. I'd have to go back and check to see exactly how long it was.

So my kombucha is, hopefully, brewing now. I am using rooibos "tea", so we'll see how that goes. I'm kinda nervous but excited. I have dish towel over the top because I don't have a thinner towel, I hope that works okay. when I was growing the SCOBY I used a paper towel to cover.

Well if it doesn't work I'll just start over and try again . . .

[NatrlCatholicMama]

Okay, I held mine up to the light and took a really good look and realized that the (extremely translucent) scoby actually goes from wall to wall of the glass! It is sooooo thin, though. And nada but sediment (lots of sediment!) in the ACV.

[JenInMpls]

LTB, I'll be curious to see if your scoby does like rooibos, because I read that scobies (scobys?) like sugar and caffeine. Keep us updated!

[lastrid]

My scoby has mold on it. Is this bad, or can I scrape it off? I'm really disappointed.

[JenInMpls]

lastrid are you sure it's mold? I've read a lot of places of people who think their scoby is moldy when in fact it's yeasts. But if it's green and fuzzy, like grows on fruit, then it's mold. And I've read you should pitch it.

Too bad hopefully you can find someone around town who has a baby to give you!

[dawny]

I am so glad to see this thread is moving!

Originally Posted by LionTigerBear

I have dish towel over the top because I don't have a thinner towel, I hope that works okay. when I was growing the SCOBY I used a paper towel to cover.

I always use a dish towel with a rubber band. It never occurred to me to use anything else.

[majazama]

Hi everyone.. I read the whole thread.. phew!

I have a couple of scobys, but am new to this. Wondering if anyone can answer a couple questions...

-the dishtowel I use on my jar gets stuck to the edges of the jar, because of the sugar in the kombucha I guess. You guys don't have that problem? Maybe I am taking the kombucha out too often. I pour some out when ever I want some, and then fill it up some more when it's too low. I guess I just answered my own question.

-I made my first batch with a green tea mix.. it has other herbs in it. Is that ok?

-one of my scobys has a grainy texture to it. I admit I was neglecting it for about a week because I was sick, and it was sitting in very little kombucha for a few days.

-Kombucha needs caffine? and how much sugar relative to how much tea? I was just guessing and throwing in about a cup to a pot full of tea. Does it really have to be measured correctly?

-and the bubble aspect... I like bubbles. How do I get more bubbles? But bubbles mean that it won't be as healthy? (what I read here)

[NatrlCatholicMama]

I didn't get the impression bubbles = less healthy, but I could well have missed something!

I should have complained about my scoby earlier, lol! It's grown a ton in the last few days and is not about 1/4" thick and very clearly rim to rim of the glass.

Is "English tea" regular black tea?

[quietserena]

Originally Posted by NaturalCatholicMam

Is "English tea" regular black tea?

Yes, usually.

I too am watching this thread now as I have a bottle of not too smelling GT's that I'm hoping to turn into a scoby.

[JenInMpls]

majazama, you're hard-core for reading the whole thread

My #1 favorite place to get info about what kombucha needs to grow - if you're willing to read long, rambling entries - is at bacteriapimp.blogspot.com. He is long-winded and very anecdotal and tangential but he quite obviously loves naturally fermented drink! (I've posted a link to his web page before, so sorry for the repetition.)

I think that the amount of sugar depends on how strong you like your brew. My first batch of kombucha had lots of sugar and lots of tea and it brewed one day longer than I would have liked to, but I was waiting for a funnel to arrive in the mail. It was really, REALLY hard to drink (had to take small swallows... like hard liquor!). The 2nd batch I put in less sugar and 1/4 as many tea bags to brew, and it tastes much better. It was also much bubblier.

I make slightly less than a gallon at a time, and to that I add 2 black tea bags, and let them steep about 10 minutes. Then I add 1 cup of sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved... let the whole thing cool in the 1-gallon jar, and when it hits about 85-90 degrees, I slide the scoby and the cup of kombucha from the prior batch in, cover it with a cloth and rubber band and tuck it away for a week. 6.5 days is the perfect brewing time for me. It still tastes way stronger than GT's but at least now you can drink it instead of sip it!

And i found the perfect place to keep my kombucha while it's brewing - the warming oven of our stove! It's not really warm in there, since the only live pilot light is in the middle of the cooktop, but it's dark and the temperature is moderate. And I've only forgotten to take the kombucha out a couple of times when i've baked something, and it was no worse for wear, thankfully.

[LionTigerBear]

Well, I don't want to jinx it, lol, but my kombucha seems to brewing right along in the rooibos.

[Enudely]

Hey everyone, I'm about to order a "komucha growers starter kit" Do you think I should just try to grow one from the store bought stuff? Does anyone have a starter kit recommendation?
tia

[Jojo F.]

OK, I'm inspired, nervous, a little intimidated but, I'm gonna try it. Just bought the raw kombucha, GT Dave's original.

Off to put it in a glass cup, cover and see what happens!!

[kittywitty]

I just bought some of the Synergy Kombucha. I want to grow my own, but nursling does not do well with caffeine. Can I make it without tea or something?

[itrynottobeaposer]

I'm so excited!!

I have a bottle of synergy that I have been drinking while reading this thread and now I will go buy a new one to make my own scoby!: I was going to buy the whole mother at the health food store for $16. This way I can do it for about $3 and then make my own.

Growing my own scoby from a bottled drink also appeals to the part of me that wants to make Kombucha in the first place.:

thanks for all of the great posts.:

[JenInMpls]

from what I have read, the scoby digests the majority of both the caffeine and sugar in the fermentation process.

Still, I made my first three batches w/ decaf black tea, and they turned out fine, if a little flat.

Originally Posted by kittywitty

I just bought some of the Synergy Kombucha. I want to grow my own, but nursling does not do well with caffeine. Can I make it without tea or something?