New To Kombucha Making.....

[miss_thenorth]

so I just saw theother post. I agree with Bbrooks, chuck it. There are so many people on here who have kombucha, I am sure someone would send you a new scoby. but you might have to wait until it cools down a bit.

 

[rathbone]

I will get a new one in the fall then. Temps start dropping here in November. Thanks ladies.

 

[patchesnposies]

I am just new to this so I have no experience to base anything on, but will agree, based on my reading, that if your scoby is growing real, honest to goodness, fuzzy mold then chuck it and start anew with a fresh one. I am in New Mexico and would gladly ship you a scoby once I have a batch or two under my belt.

I was concerned when I ordered my kefir grains and kombucha scoby that the weather was too hot for shipping. Mine came from (I believe) Ohio and I never was told when it shipped so it actually sat in the mailbox for one whole hot afternoon. It was fine.

Each of my baby scoby's looked funky on one spot, sort of discolored. On top the hue was faintly blue-ish and I was sure it was moldy. Turns out it was (brown) dead yeast strands that were hanging off of the bottom and once I rinsed them off the scoby's were perfect. (I used reverse osmosis water not tap.)

Are you certain that is mold that is growing on the top of your scoby?

Deb

 

[rathbone]

Yes I can see distinct round spots of fuzzy white mold sitting on the surface of the water. The old scoby is down at the bottom. The new scoby is paper thin and right at the surface of the water, but just below the mold. The moldy bits easily skim off the top of the water - are in no way connected to the new scoby.
I actually skimmed the mold off last week (the first week of brewing) and went ahead and drank it. I don't feel ill (rotten cold this week but I doubt there is a connection.)

 

[miss_thenorth]

Also, when I first recieved my scoby, I was instructed to put a tbsp of ACV on thop of the scoby for the first batch to ward off unwanted stuff. After that, just make sure you have some of your original kombucha in with your new batchof tea.

 

[patchesnposies]

Yes I can see distinct round spots of fuzzy white mold sitting on the surface of the water. The old scoby is down at the bottom. The new scoby is paper thin and right at the surface of the water, but just below the mold. The moldy bits easily skim off the top of the water - are in no way connected to the new scoby.
I actually skimmed the mold off last week (the first week of brewing) and went ahead and drank it. I don't feel ill (rotten cold this week but I doubt there is a connection.)

Actually, there might be a connection between how you're feeling and drinking kombucha. When the good bacteria's starts killing off excess yeast overgrowth in the gut it can cause a detox reaction (Herxheimer Effect) and it will make you feel crummy for a few days or sometimes longer depending on how toxic your gut is. It means that good things are happening! You can ease the symptoms of detox by starting out slowly and increasing the amount of kombucha, kefir, or fermented veggies you are taking in over time.

Or, you could just simply have a cold....but I did want to make you aware of the detox that good fermentation can bring on.

Google Herxheimer Effect and Kombucha detox for more info. Please let me know if you are interested in another Scoby, aren't you in Arizona?

Deb

 

[rathbone]

I actually just have a crummy cold. Stuffy nose and cough etc.
But yes I am very close to AZ. I will definitely be interested in a new scoby once the weather cools. But my mailbox is WAAAAY over 100 degrees right now.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Old scobys are great for the compost pile. Even moldy ones.

 

[valmom]

My scobys are getting so thick that yesterday when I made a new batch, I split both of them in half and put it out for the chickens. They were suspicious at first, but this morning most of it is gone! My biggest trick in making kombucha is getting it batched before it is vinegar. Time is at a premium here, always! But, I do have a quart of nice kombucha vinegar from 2 weeks ago.

Off topic a bit question- is the scoby for kombucha the same as ACV mother? It sort of looks like it starts out the same except that ACV doesn't form the mat.

 

[dragonlaurel]

My scobys are getting so thick that yesterday when I made a new batch, I split both of them in half and put it out for the chickens. They were suspicious at first, but this morning most of it is gone! My biggest trick in making kombucha is getting it batched before it is vinegar. Time is at a premium here, always! But, I do have a quart of nice kombucha vinegar from 2 weeks ago.

Off topic a bit question- is the scoby for kombucha the same as ACV mother? It sort of looks like it starts out the same except that ACV doesn't form the mat.

-- Different culture but pretty close.