Kombucha: Troubleshooting

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #300 on: July 09, 2008, 01:55:45 PM » by kittyninja

So my kombucha molded. my mushrooms are all on the bottom but the top of the liquid has a layer of mold. Do i need to throw out my scobys also? what if a little mold got on the scoby?

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #301 on: July 09, 2008, 03:24:00 PM » by healthybratt

Quote from: kittyninja on July 09, 2008, 01:55:45 PM

So my kombucha molded. my mushrooms are all on the bottom but the top of the liquid has a layer of mold. Do i need to throw out my scobys also? what if a little mold got on the scoby?

I would throw them out and start over.

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #302 on: July 10, 2008, 01:33:58 PM » by kittyninja

Gotta throw out my mushrooms too? Sad

they are huge!! Cry

i think it is just to hot and humid in my house right now.

Quote from: healthybratt on July 09, 2008, 03:24:00 PM

Quote from: kittyninja on July 09, 2008, 01:55:45 PM

So my kombucha molded. my mushrooms are all on the bottom but the top of the liquid has a layer of mold. Do i need to throw out my scobys also? what if a little mold got on the scoby?

I would throw them out and start over.

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #303 on: July 28, 2008, 10:36:02 AM » by goatgirl

I checked my kombucha today (day 7) and it tastes sweet with a hint of tea and vinegar taste. No fizz. The mushroom on top is thin and covers the whole surface area. The scoby is under it and kind of hooked for lack of a better term underneath. Is all of this normal? I was concerned because I used fructose instead of sugar because that is all that I had and I used well water, unfiltered. When I read the Laurel Farms directions I apparently did many things wrong, those being two biggies that I mentioned above. Did I ruin everything or do I just need to wait a couple more days? Thanks in advance. Kim

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #304 on: July 28, 2008, 02:35:10 PM » by lotsaboys

While white sugar is the best to use on a normal basis, I don't think there is anything wrong with your bucha. It sounds perfect for being 7 days old

Just give it more time and the sweetness will go leaving a fizz and tang in its place. That should be another 5-7 days and then your mushroom will be nicer and thicker too. HTH!

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #305 on: July 28, 2008, 02:38:45 PM » by goatgirl

Thank you so much lotsaboys! That helps put my mind at ease!

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #306 on: July 28, 2008, 02:40:00 PM » by jenstar

I don't think you have wrecked anything, goatgirl. I use unfiltered well water because ours is really good (low in sodium, doesn't smell or anything yukky). If you can taste any tea, it just needs more time. I think fructose would work - I just would not use it all the time. If it tastes less sweet than when it started and there is a baby growing on top, it is working and just needs more time. Wink

Enjoy! I am now addicted and with my oldest daughter and me drinking drinking it regularly, we still need to brew about 3 gallons/week. Kiss

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #307 on: July 28, 2008, 10:52:47 PM » by goatgirl

3 gallons a week Shocked

Because it's a diuretic do you find that you have any symptoms of dehydration? I am nursing and that was my biggest fear that I would have to drink extra water after drinking kombucha. I already drink a gallon per day. I might sprout gills if I drink any more Shocked

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #308 on: August 09, 2008, 10:26:44 AM » by goatgirl

Can anyone please tell me why my kombucha molded after 11 days and how can I prevent this in the future? Thanks, Kim

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #309 on: August 09, 2008, 01:13:43 PM » by lotsaboys

I don't know that you can always point to what causes the mold. After making bucha for almost 3 years we only had one batch mold- that was our first one. Since then we don't even do the super clean/sterilizing thing, just normal kitchen cleanliness and have never had mold.

I'd say just try again and chances are good that your next batch won't mold. Don't use anything from the moldy batch, though. Pitch it ALL.

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #310 on: August 10, 2008, 02:00:01 PM » by goatgirl

lotsaboys, thanks so much for the info. Hopefully (prayerfully) I will be able to post in a couple of weeks a success story Grin

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #311 on: August 15, 2008, 04:53:17 PM » by Mrs. B

« Last Edit: August 15, 2008, 04:54:58 PM by Mrs. B »
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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #312 on: August 15, 2008, 06:07:11 PM » by healthybratt

Quote from: Mrs. B on August 15, 2008, 04:53:17 PM

No...it should be fine.

I brew mine for 14 days, but I also use 1.5 cups of sugar. I get bigger stronger babies this way and ours is not terribly sweet, but it doesn't taste like vinegar either.

White is not an idication of mold. They are just air pockets. No biggie.

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #313 on: August 19, 2008, 03:25:49 PM » by biecmom

Hey, All! Last November I made my first batch of Kombucha. It did great; no mold. I put it in IBC Root beer bottles to get fizzy, except I had no corks or lids for them. When I tried it, it wasn't fizzy, and I HATED it!!! It was a really weird vinegar taste. Not knowing what to do with it all, I left it in my cupboard. (Except for the mother and baby which I stuck in a jar at the back of my frig.)

Fast forward 8 months and I read more about 'bucha and the help it gives with bad yeast in our bodies. So I wanted to try again. Two weeks ago I boiled my tap water (I know, bad) and used part of the mother that was at the back of the frig. Unluckily, I tossed the rest in the trash as they weren't looking to pretty!! Sad

Then I decided one batch wouldn't be enough, and had to brake open a bottle (as they have small necks) to get the half dollar sized SCUBY that was a 3 inch cylinder, out. I read from the Kitchen Cop not to put it in a cupboard, so I left it out on my counter. All that work and both batches molded. Sad

However, two of my sons saw the bottles and asked if they could have a drink. They have been drinking them every day. A few days ago I realized I had better try again. I broke open another bottle, washed off the glass shards, and popped the SCUBY in tea. This time it's back in the cupboard.

Isn't is amazing what we will do for health and our children?!! Cheesy

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #314 on: August 19, 2008, 03:31:41 PM » by Beth

are you kidding? Is it working? That's too funny.

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #315 on: August 26, 2008, 02:36:40 PM » by biecmom

It WORKED! It WORKED! It WORKED! It WORKED!!!! It WORKED!!!! Grin

I'm a bit excited right now; the 10 month old SCUBY I used made wonderful Kombucha. (see above post) NOW I know what you were all talking about - it's fizzy, just a tad sweet, and oh, so good!!

I am in the process of boiling water for two, count them, two new batches. Mine "ripened" in 8 days. I am so excited. But I can't use up all my energy on excitement. I picked apples, peaches, Blackberries, and grapes today and need to go can them. Hmmm, I wonder if any of those juices would be good flavoring for my 'bucha?

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #316 on: August 26, 2008, 03:11:31 PM » by Whiterock

I'm currently trying to grow a new SCOBY from a bottle of raw 'bucha I bought at the local herb shop. It had a tiny floater in it when I bought it, but it's been a couple weeks (or more, I wasn't keeping track) and though the tea doesn't seem to have a"gone bad" and there's no mold, there's also no SCOBY yet. I'm beginning to think I should give up and try again, with a smaller batch of tea. Maybe the amount of tea (about two quarts) was too much for the little booger to convert.

WR

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #317 on: August 26, 2008, 03:21:15 PM » by floydian

Quote from: Whiterock on August 26, 2008, 03:11:31 PM

I have tons of SCOBYS WR if you need one or two.

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #318 on: August 26, 2008, 03:38:13 PM » by lotsaboys

WR, I would think that if it was going to work you would see at least a thin film of a SCOBY growing after 2 weeks. But let us know if a smaller batch of tea works.

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #319 on: August 26, 2008, 08:25:10 PM » by fotvn

Quote from: Mrs. B on August 15, 2008, 04:53:17 PM

Please forgive me for not reading thru all 11 pages of just this thread alone, but I've got some K-tea questions.
I am brewing my first batch currently, and it seemed to be going as it should except that I messed with it 2 days ago to see how sweet it was and the baby at the top has now fallen down mid-way and a new one is forming. Have I screwed this up or what?

No you haven't. Because you disturbed the new baby, it has moved to the middle of the jar. A new baby forming is an indication of a healthy brew.
One thing I would like to mention, 1 cup sugar is a bit much for a half gallon. That is why your brew is still so sweet. No matter, just let it brew a few extra days and the culture will convert the sugar to lactic acid for you.

Question 2... It tasted sweet still today, but not as much so as 2 days ago. I am brewing 1/2 gallon and the original scoby was on the small side, I was told, and that it might take a few extra days to brew. It is day 8 today.
I guess I'm wondering exactly how sweet should it be? I used 4 tea bags and around (maybe less) 1 cup of sugar initially with the 1/2 gallon.

In the future, to test the batch, use a straw. Slide the straw along the side of the new baby, place your finger on the top of the straw to not allow the kombucha tea to drain, and remove it from the jar. You will then have roughly a half straw filled with brew. You can then taste the batch and determine if it is sour enough for you. This method is sanitary and will not cause you to displace the baby. The longer the baby clings to the jar and keeps a nice seal, the more fizz when the brew is done.

Also... I'm always scared of mold as it is so hot and humid this time of year. The baby has some white areas on it... they don't really look moldy, but I'm not really sure what this stuff should look like anyway..... Is this alright?

Mold will be BLACK or GREEN like bread mold. Generally white is not mold and brown is generally spent yeasts. A great clue is FUZZ. If it's fuzzy, it's mold. Toss the entire batch and start fresh with new cultures. Better safe.
Hope this helps.Thanks.....

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #320 on: August 28, 2008, 11:30:49 PM » by Mrs. B

I was going to throw out this batch of kombucha and never worry with it again, but I decided to taste it and it instead and it was really good!
So is this the norm?? It's been brewing for a week, I think, I don't remember when I started this batch Embarrassed

and I decide to strain it and put it in a bottle for Mr. B and my dd who likes the stuff.... I taste it and it is very effervescent and bubbly (sorry if they mean the same thing..) it's not too sweet or tart at all.. just really good. Should it be this way before it sits? I thought it had to age a bit to get carbonated, but it's really carbonated at this point...
I'm so confused about kombucha... sorry!
And BTW... I really miss the chat thread...

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #321 on: August 29, 2008, 06:03:13 AM » by Nickole

Sometimes you will get fizz before bottliing. Nice treat, huh? One less step! Especially if you use green tea. This will increase the fizz. So glad you like it! We pour in a glass over an ice cube to test the fizz and when we get about an inch of fizz (it looks like beer) it is JUST right. Good job harvesting at the perfect time, especially for your first try! Shocked

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #322 on: August 29, 2008, 08:24:49 AM » by SC

I'm in the process of getting a new scoby from Laurel Farms.
I spent a large portion of yesterday on the phone with Betsy Pryor and it was like attending a seminar and we swapped loads of info . . .

By next week, I should have both her book and the supporting documentation in hand for the what and why of scoby care, and I'll post a little more about my conversation with her . . .

BUT I wanted to give you this heads-up (deep breath):
If you are taking short cuts and/or adding flavoring before you actually drink your K-Tea, then you may have contaminated your scoby, changed what you are drinking from kombucha into something else . . . etc.

She also discussed the flavored varieties that are sold and the how/why of their processes . . . neat story.

For now, I have to go and get the kitchen dishes put away Tongue

(please wait to throw things Shocked

)

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #323 on: August 29, 2008, 08:30:37 AM » by lotsaboys

Looking forward to more!

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #324 on: January 10, 2009, 11:08:49 PM » by abbilynn

Seems like I've been doing kombucha forever, but it's just not as good as it seems to be in the summer. Our house isn't really cold (about 70) and I let it brew 7-10 days usually. When I harvest it, it has a very "flat" taste, no fizz, and either seems too sweet or too vinegary. I throw away old scobies after awhile and I keep getting really nice new ones that look healthy, so that can't be the problem. I haven't switched tea or anything either. A few weeks ago I had some brewing and forgot about it, so it brewed over 2 weeks. When I harvested it, it wasn't fizzy at all still, but smelled and tasted like vinegar. I noticed that if I do get a fizzy batch, as soon as it's refrigerated it tastes flat again and the fizz goes away. I don't have this problem in the summer when it's HOT. Any suggestions?

thanks
abbilynn

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #325 on: January 11, 2009, 11:02:12 AM » by mamaoffour

Abbi, I have the same problem with my kombucha in the winter. I had to throw both of mine out because it wasn't setting properly, it also looked like it was getting moldy. Summer time is always the best time for kombucha around our house too. I never have problem with mine in the Summer. I know that kombucha loves temperatures around 70-85, and 80 being the ideal temp. Our house was always around 78-80 in the Summer, and we had wonderful Kombucha. So maybe it is the temperature causing the problem. Just my two cents.

Misty

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #326 on: January 11, 2009, 01:46:41 PM » by stebs7

When our house is warmer, the kombucha is ready faster. Now with cool days, it takes al little longer - but always has fizz. How much sugar do you make your Kombucha with? I always use 3 T. per litre (close to quart). That is something I make sure of - because I think that helps with the fizz

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #327 on: January 11, 2009, 05:38:01 PM » by lotsaboys

Quote from: stebs7 on January 11, 2009, 01:46:41 PM

I was going to mention sugar too. Try adding just a tad more than you normally do. I did that this fall when I noticed the change and it seemed to give the bucha an extra "umph" and also beefed up the scobies. Ours is nice and fizzy, but we've always noticed that if harvested too early it is flat and likewise if you wait too long.

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #328 on: January 11, 2009, 08:14:18 PM » by abbilynn

I usually add 1 cup sugar per gallon tea. I will try adding more though. I'm just always paranoid that if it tastes even the slight bit sweet that means it's got nasty white sugar in it still. And with my kids' guts, they just can't have that. Maybe I'll try 1 1/2 cups next time and let it brew the same length of time (7-10 days). Thanks for the tip!

abbilynn

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Re: Kombucha: Troubleshooting
« Reply #329 on: January 11, 2009, 10:26:11 PM » by tynnille

I would like to try making Kombucha again. My whole family really like it...but I stopped making it becasue after we I introduced it into the family the boys and I all got these weird sores in our noses....but we were trying to make the 'continuous kombucha' method. We may have contaminated it and it contaminated us, or it wasn't the bucha at all. But since we don't go to the doctor, we never found out what it really was. We really enjoyed it, and would love to have ti again. I threw out my ladies though just in case of contamination, I have a friend who has some babies, maybe I will try again...you ladies have inspired me.

The best thing to culture it is in Gallon jars? like big pickle jar I can bet at WalMart? I use these jars to store my goats milk in, I could buy more if this works for you gals.

I do have a beverage jar I bought from Costco a while back, but it has a spout at the bottom...this is a no-no right? I really think it would be nice for making a big batch of bucha and convenient with the spout and all. O well. I will do the gallon jars if you all say that is the best way to go!

Tennille

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