Growing My Own Kombucha Scoby - Page 2

[WildIris]

Originally Posted by mykdsmomy

Every time I read your updates, I keep hearing in my head, "Captain's log....."

This is so cool.....I cant wait to hear what happens....:

(where's the Kombucha drinking lurker smilie...lol)

Kombucha Log: Stardate 11-26-07

I tasted the kombucha brew again tonight. It's still slightly sweet but with a more tart aftertaste than before.

The scoby looks a bit sturdier but is still thin and fragile. It looks "bubbly" (has white bubbles in certain areas)! From photos I've seen and descriptions I've read online, I think this is normal. I've read that the main thing to watch out for is green mold and I don't see anything like that. Just a bubbly, happy, young scoby.

I'm eager to bottle some of this kombucha tea but I think the scoby is too fragile to be moved. I should probably leave it undisturbed and not count on bottling this batch at all...I should just think of it as a scoby-growing batch, instead.

But oh, the frustration of waiting.

Okay, so I compromised. I used a turkey baster to siphon up some of the tea--about 8 ounces worth. This I put in a clean, empty bottle with about 7 dried tart cherries in the bottom. I put the lid on and am going to leave it sitting out on the counter for a few days to (hopefully) develop some carbonation, then put it in the fridge to chill.

Here's hoping that in a few days I'll have some home-brewed slightly fizzy cherry-flavored kombucha tea to drink!

In the meantime, I think I will just leave the scoby alone to grow thicker and stronger, and not count on bottling any more of this first batch of tea.

Iris

[Ruthla]

So are you buying kombucha at the HFS in the meantime for your drinking pleasure?

And is your little baby scoby still pink?

[WildIris]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

So are you buying kombucha at the HFS in the meantime for your drinking pleasure?

And is your little baby scoby still pink?

No, sadly, I haven't had any kombucha in awhile. I miss it. I will buy some next time I get to the HFS.

I've been drinking raw milk kefir every day instead.

Yes, Scoby is still a pale pink.

Iris

[mykdsmomy]

Originally Posted by WildIris

Kombucha Log: Stardate 11-26-07

:


This is so exciting....I cant wait to hear the end result ......

[dawny]

WildIris,

I hope you don't mind, but I am going to be a copy cat and follow your process. I swear I am addicted to this stuff and it is too $$ and inconvenient to buy at the store.

Thanks for posting your scoby growing journey.

[Tigeresse]

I think I'm going to try too....and I even have raspberry GTS in my fridge. I once made kombucha from a scoby someone gave me and I did really love the taste of the homemade. Next time I tried though it got moldy so I haven't done it since. This is very inspiring!

[WildIris]

Yay! I'm excited that you all are going to try this with me. Now you have to promise to post about YOUR experiences, too, so we can compare notes.

Today I (carefully, so as not to disturb the scoby too much) uncovered my kombucha brewing container and held it up to a window so I could get a better look at what's going on in there. The scoby, while it still looks bubbly (there must have been a lot of carbonation in the tea?), has a nice, uniform appearance and is definitely looking thicker and sturdier. When I held the container up to the window, I could see lots of long yeasty-looking strings hanging down from the underside of the scoby.

Here's a video series I found online that explains, step by step, exactly how to make kombucha; very helpful!
http://www.expertvillage.com/videos/...tea-strain.htm

And another helpful link with instructions and photos:
http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/ferme...ha_howto.shtml

Iris

[gina2328]

If I did not receive a scoby from someone local for $ 3.00 I would definitely try to grow my own. Why not? The prices online seem to be quite outrageous. Or I suppose second best would be to obtain one from the sticky at the top.

I am noticing I am feeling so much better since I started drinking komucha a few days ago.

[dawny]

Wildiris, I will add my updates to your thread if that is okay. If you want me to start a new one, just let me know .

I started growing my scoby on Tuesday (November 27). I used GT Dave's Synergy Kombucha (either raspberry or passion flavor) also. I poured 8 oz into a glass measuring cup. It had a lot of stuff floating, but nothing floating on the top.

I put it in my cupboard with a tea towel over it. I just checked it (2 days of growth) and it has a "mass" on it that is about 1.25" x .5".

I think it has started growing.

[WildIris]

Originally Posted by dawny

Wildiris, I will add my updates to your thread if that is okay. If you want me to start a new one, just let me know .

I started growing my scoby on Tuesday (November 27). I used GT Dave's Synergy Kombucha (either raspberry or passion flavor) also. I poured 8 oz into a glass measuring cup. It had a lot of stuff floating, but nothing floating on the top.

I put it in my cupboard with a tea towel over it. I just checked it (2 days of growth) and it has a "mass" on it that is about 1.25" x .5".

I think it has started growing.

Too cool, Dawny -- Welcome to the Grow-Your-Own-Scoby Club!

I am happy to have you add updates to this thread. Anyone else who's doing this is welcome, also. Might as well keep all the info and experiences in one thread... let's see how big it gets.

Iris

[spughy]

Cool! I am totally going to try this myself, if I can find some kombucha in my HFS. Ten years ago, kombuchas were SO popular around here you ended up with one even if you didn't want it. I drank kombucha a lot back then! But since then their popularity has waned and I haven't seen any "free kombucha!" signs around the university or the HFS in ages.

[dawny]

Second update - December 6, 2007, Day 9.

My scoby looks a little scary (think alien jellyfish). It actually has an "eye" (round thing that other stuff seems to be sprouting), is about 1/2 inch thick, has some stuff hanging down and fills the top of a 8 oz measuring cup. Only about 1 oz of the fluid is missing. I am not sure, but I think it is time to make my tea.

Now to get out to the store tonight to buy a glass jar.

[lastrid]

I'm starting mine tonight.

[dawny]

I finally started my tea today. I boiled 3 Q of water, added 1 cup of sugar, 6 black tea bags, let it cool and then added by scoby and the fluid that was with it - about 6 oz.

It is brewing in a glass pitcher with a tea towel on top of it. It is almost filled to the top. Will this be a problem?

The mouth of the pitcher is not that big, maybe 4 inches. Does anyone know if it needs to be bigger?

[WildIris]

Originally Posted by dawny

I finally started my tea today. I boiled 3 Q of water, added 1 cup of sugar, 6 black tea bags, let it cool and then added by scoby and the fluid that was with it - about 6 oz.

It is brewing in a glass pitcher with a tea towel on top of it. It is almost filled to the top. Will this be a problem?

The mouth of the pitcher is not that big, maybe 4 inches. Does anyone know if it needs to be bigger?

Dawny,

Congrats on your new scoby! I don't think it's a problem having the pitcher almost full. The level of the liquid will go down just a bit, I think, as the tea brews. Not sure about the mouth of the pitcher...it just might make it hard to get the scoby out, I'm not sure. But it will probably work for now until you get something bigger.

I'm totally new to this myself, so not the best source of advice!

Iris

[dawny]

Thanks Iris.

My original scoby is just floating in the tea (sideways). It looks very strange. I have another scoby forming on the top...I guess that is good.

How long did you let your stuff brew. I have read everything from 7 days to 30 days.

[stilllearning85]

My husband left out about 1/6 a bottle of Kombucha that he had brought to work and never finished... now it has the scum stuff growing on the top! Like it is growing a baby! Should I continue to see if it will grow... or is this just scum and not a scoby?

[Feb2003]

if your husband drank out of the bottle I would NOT use that SCOBY...kombucha can be easliy contaminated

kombucha SCOBYS that float sideways are fine, they may or may not rise to the top once the carbonation forms...either way, a new SCOBY always forms on the top

HTH
Whitney
(who loves to brew )

[emmalyne]

Im brewing my own mother too! Does anyone know how to tell if she has been contaminated? What can happen if we drink it and it has? Could my mother be anything else (it looks like, smells like and tastes like kombucha)? I guess I can't believe it could be so easy.

[dawny]

Originally Posted by Feb2003

kombucha SCOBYS that float sideways are fine, they may or may not rise to the top once the carbonation forms...either way, a new SCOBY always forms on the top

Whitney,

Thank you for the info!!! I checked this afternoon and my original scoby is gone - I think it dissolved because there is a lot of free floating stuff. What do you think of this?

The new scoby is growing well.

Dawn - who is sooooo excited about brewing my kombucha tea!