Growing My Own Kombucha Scoby - Page 3

[NatrlCatholicMama]

Amazing! I had my first bottle of kombucha (GT) a few weeks ago and it was so interesting; I must make some! So lemme get this right ... sugar is okay in this? Do you drink this like a rare sweet, or does something happen to the sugar (I assume we're talking sucanat/rapadura?) that makes it something you can/should do every day?

[HerbanGirl]

I'm so glad to find this thread - I accidentally killed my scoby last week. I put it in tea that was still too hot. But I left out a half-drunk bottle a few days ago and it formed a scoby, so I think if I use more of the batch (that I haven't drunk from yet) I can re-grow my scoby! I'll let y'all know how it goes...thanks for the thread, WildIris!

[WildIris]

Thank goodness you mamas are keeping this thread alive. I must admit that I have badly neglected my scoby... I got involved in other things and kinda forgot about it. But, I think this has turned out to be a good thing after all, because I took a good look at scoby just now and it (she?) is looking FABULOUS!

She's about 3/4 inches thick now, with lots of great stringy stuff hanging down beneath, and the areas across the top that before were "bubbly" are now solid and smooth. Hard to describe but hopefully you can picture what I mean. Also, scoby has distinct "layers" now...it's very interesting.

I am going to start brewing a fresh batch of tea right now, and this one will definitely be for bottling/drinking, not just for scoby-growing!

Iris

[WildIris]

Originally Posted by WildIris

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

Quoting myself above just to add an update about that little bit of kombucha I did bottle, with the dried cherries in the bottom. I let the bottle sit out on the counter for a few days, then put it in the fridge for a few more days before drinking it.

The verdict: It was DELICIOUS! Not as carbonated as the storebought kombucha, but the flavor was just as good.

I can definitely recommend the dried cherries as a flavoring.

Iris

[Feb2003]

the dried cherries sound delish!! I've yet to do much flavoring...we either drink staight b/c we're lazy and impatient or we've added grated ginger or mixed with pureed fruit or fruit juice.

I've never tried a second fermentation at room temp (but it's like doing milk kefir and it makes SO MUCH SENSE!) so thanks for that idea!! So a few days at room temp with a tight cap?? and then into the refrigerator without removing cap?

Whitney

PS the layers are probably due to how many times you "disturbed" it. I've heard that each time you break the surface the kombucha will start a new SCOBY. it doesn't matter b/c you can just use the stuck together layers for the next brew.

[WildIris]

Originally Posted by Feb2003

I've never tried a second fermentation at room temp (but it's like doing milk kefir and it makes SO MUCH SENSE!) so thanks for that idea!! So a few days at room temp with a tight cap?? and then into the refrigerator without removing cap?

Yes, that's exactly what I did. I just used the same bottle some store-bought GT's Kombucha came in, with a screw on lid. Next time, because I'll (hopefully) have a larger amount of drinkable kombucha to work with, I'm going to put it in bottles that have a pressure cap... I know that's not the right name, but can't think what they're called. But like the old Grolsch beer bottles people use for home-brewed beer...

PS the layers are probably due to how many times you "disturbed" it. I've heard that each time you break the surface the kombucha will start a new SCOBY. it doesn't matter b/c you can just use the stuck together layers for the next brew.

Aha! Makes sense, as I did "disturb" the kombucha several times. Thanks for the info.

Iris

[Feb2003]

where would I find those pressure cap (or whatever the correct name is?) bottles? would it cost a fortune? we like it pretty flat, but I bet we'd love it with some carbonation

thanks, Iris!
Whitney

[WildIris]

Whitney,

I did a quick search and found some here: http://www.specialtybottle.com/index...n=Custom&ID=11

They're called swing-top bottles.

Also you could do a search online for Grolsch bottles, many home-brew supply sites sell them.

HTH,
Iris

[Feb2003]

Thanks, Iris!

Does that swing top/cork help to keep the bottle from exploding while saving as much carbonation in the bottle as possible?

I only had dried mango, raisins, and prunes so I opted for chopped dried mango in the bottom of a quart jar since I harvested 2 batches today. It fizzed like crazy and I capped it right away...then got worried about an explosion in my cabinet so I might bag it in a plastic bag to at least save me some of the mess.

I'm excited and a little nervous

Whitney

[Thystle]

Stardate 12/13/07, Ensigns log:


Well I decided this would be fn for the kids to "watch".


I bought a bottle of plain (had hardly any floaties in it...none of the plain ones did) and a bottle of citrus that had CHUNKS in the bottom.


I poured all of the plain and half the bottle of citrus (and all the chunks) into a glass mixing bowl and stuck it in my cupboard.



I am considering it a homeschooling experiment.

[WildIris]

So, Thystle, how goes the experiment? Have you peeked at it yet?


My update, which I meant to do six days ago (on 12-13-07):

On 12-13, I brewed a new full batch (3 quarts) of tea and removed the Scoby from its container for the first time.

It was so cool to take the Scoby out and look at it! I was surprised, when I turned it over, to see a perfect little "pancake" of a Scoby on the bottom. This was the original "mother" that I had grown in the quart-size glass measuring cup. I had expected that it would be "merged" into the new Scoby more completely, but no, it was its own distinct little creature. I could have pulled it off but left them all attached... brewed the new tea... let it cool... put it in the glass gallon jar.

There was about a quart of tea from the first brew left in the gallon jar, plus I dumped in the remnants (maybe a 1/2 cup) of a bottle of GT's rasberry-flavored kombucha I happened to have on hand, for good measure. Between the leftover liquid from before and the 3 quarts of new tea, the jar was full up to the top. In fact, I couldn't add all of the new tea I had brewed, or there would have been no room for the Scoby. As it was, the Scoby was up at the very tippy top of the jar.

Now, new update for today, 12-19-07:

I have the gallon jar covered with a white tea towel, and when I looked at it today, I noticed the area of the towel covering the jar opening was PINK! Why? Because my Scoby and tea have a pinkish hue (I started with raspberry flavored kombucha), and the Scoby is actually growing UP out of the jar! It's as if the center of the Scoby is being pushed up from below--I assume from the fermenting/carbonation action? Either that or it's trying to escape and take over my house.... But yes, the Scoby is pushing up against the towel and has stained it pink.

I hope it doesn't hurt for the Scoby to be directly touching the towel... as in, getting contaminated in any way... anyone have an opinion?

I am planning to taste-test this batch in a couple days, and hopefully bottle it soon. I will keep you posted.

How's everyone else doing?

[WildIris]

Originally Posted by Feb2003

Does that swing top/cork help to keep the bottle from exploding while saving as much carbonation in the bottle as possible?

Whitney,

Yes, AFAIK, that's the idea. There's a rubber gasket(?) that allows some pressure to escape so it doesn't explode.

How did your mango-flavored brew turn out? Have you tasted it yet?

Iris

[Feb2003]

yes, we've almost finished the qt. ds likes it, but it's too sweet for me (I'm not used to sugar, even fruit sugar, I guess)...it's a tiny bit syrupy and the mango chunks are great (they taste like mango hooch )

it didn't get fizzy at all and it was in the cabinet for two days and the fridge about 2 days, too, in just a glass qt jar with a screw on metal lid with the little rubberized area.

I have three gallons brewing right now and I may have found someone IRL who wants a SCOBY!!

flavoring it was fun, but the mango expanded to about 1/3 of the jar so maybe I just got excited and put too much?

I don't know how to tell if it's "contaminated" for sure...I think it'll either smell so bad you won't drink it (b/c it's probably dangerous) or it'll taste "off" and you'll know that your balance of bacteria and yeast is out of whack

As far as the towel getting soaked, I use very clean prefolds (we used them as burp cloths ages ago) and I've had one get soaked. it didn't cause any problems

[emma_goldman]

Originally Posted by 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?

That's fine! That's what I did and me and my scoby had a long and fruitful life together!

[emma_goldman]

Originally Posted by NaturalCatholicMam

I assume we're talking sucanat/rapadura?

I think it has to be white processed sugar. Has someone addressed this?

[Feb2003]

Originally Posted by emma_goldman

I think it has to be white processed sugar. Has someone addressed this?

I've tried rapadura and it didn't die (but did taste a little different and the scoby got darker), but I switched to white after a batch or two just in case I was killing it

I use organic, fair trade, non-bleached, minimally processed white...the longer you let the brew go, the less likely it is to have any of that sugar left. get organic if you can b/c, just like regular tea, the kombucha will pull any pesticide residues out of the sugar

[dawny]

Update: I bottled two bottles (I used GT Kombucha bottles) of tea tonight. I now have room in my pitcher for my scoby to grow bigger.

I added a little ginger root about 5 days ago. I hope it gives it some flavor. I did not shred it, I just peeled it and sliced it off the root.

The tea is already fizzing and bubbling so I am not sure if I let it brew too long.

I will post more later when I taste it...in about a week!

[WildIris]

Hi Dawny,

Did you add the ginger to the kombucha in the bottles, or into the brewing container? It sounds good...I am eager to hear how it tastes!

Iris

[dawny]

Originally Posted by WildIris

Hi Dawny,

Did you add the ginger to the kombucha in the bottles, or into the brewing container? It sounds good...I am eager to hear how it tastes!

Iris

I just added it tot he brewing container. I didn't think about adding it to the bottles...I will do that next time. I think I will grate it next time so more of the flavor gets infused.

Just curious, but how many batches do you have "brewing" at one time? I think I might start staggering batches so I can always have some ready to drink.

[Feb2003]

I've used a microplane (*really* fine grated) and added ginger (didn't even peel, just straight from the freezer) to the bottles...it was delicious and didn't take long to infuse a lot of flavor...probably due to how much surface area I had on the ginger. I'm so protective of my SCOBY (ie contamination and killing it...I've had to go without and it wasn't pretty and it *was* an expensive habit to support while I waited for another SCOBY ). Anyway, I wouldn't add any flavor to the brewing jar if the SCOBY was still in there, but that's just me.

I have three batches going. I originally wanted to stagger them, but I'm lazy and I like making the tea and waiting for it to cool all at the same time. But I always have enough to drink now! I just need a little more room in the fridge OR I "harvest" them at different times (I love it strong, but the kids like it sweeter).

HTH

BTW, I'd suggest labeling them, esp. if you stagger! :