Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Mine is also fizzy until I bottle it.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

when i take out Ole' SCOBs ( thats his name) and pour the first glass its fizzy. then, not really after that.

i ruined my first scoby :( ..my tea wasnt turning out 'right' it still tasted good. just not the same. so my friend brought me another one.

i made some new tea, I didnt have enough sugar :doh
so i added some brown sugar :think :idea :tu

i thought it cooled down enough, so i put it in the jar,and added my new scoby. i was all excited!! :dance
it felt really warm :nails...so i took the temp. 98.7 :nails

i looked it upon the internezzie, and it said 98 is the limit. :nails

:shrug we'll see this thursday. :-/

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

This is how my first ferment is. It will overflow out of the bottles when I'm filling it if I don't go really slow.

I'm thinking 1/2 t of sugar for the 2nd ferment isn't enough. This round was pretty sour, not very sweet.

I got some Pom juice and I'm going to add that to the next batch tomorrow. :yum

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I have new gunk sitting at the bottom of my jar. Normal? Good sign? Or is this scoby starter a bust?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

That is just yeast.... perfectly normal

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

My last batch I added mango chunks to the 2nd ferment. :yum :yum :yum Oh my. So tasty! I've had to ration it so it would last until my next batch is ready.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Took a peek this evening. :D Strands up near the top again and a few little white spots on the surface. Such a sweet little itty bitty baby it is. :giggle

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Scoby is still tipped, looks like its almost straight up and down.. give or take 20 degrees.

Tiny scoby forming on top.. Wonder if I'm going to end up losing my nice thick one again.

Photo in spoiler

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

mine do that sometimes.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

:ROLL I opened up a KT from a batch or two ago that's been in the fridge. I keep them in canning jars. When I popped the seal, the lid went flying up in the air, and nailed the ceiling! My gma saw it happen, and was all concerned that I'm going to lose an eye because of Kombucha. LOL

It wasn't fizzy. :pout When the lid went flying, I got all stoked, thinking there'd be tons of fizz. None fizz. :(

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

:lol Your KT is totally wild. A species of its own!

Sorry you have no fizz though :(

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

the same thing happened to me. :there

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

That is weird.... Did you check Domm's site for problem solving?

http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kombucha.htm

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

In winter, mine takes EIGHT weeks. In summer, about 3 weeks. So keep waiting. As long as there is a new scoby growing, you're good.

---------- Post added at 09:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 PM ----------

My understanding is that the fizz comes from the yeast portion of the ferment so if the balance is off then you won't get fizz. Sometimes I get fizz and sometimes I don't. I'm usually fighting the clock when I'm bottling and brewing so I never do it the same way twice nor am I very careful.

If you want fizz--

Use wire-cap bottles.
Leave about 1/2 inch at the top. Too much or too little and you won't get fizz.
Feed the yeast with fruit.
Warm temp but not too warm.
Be patient

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I wonder if grapes would inoculate with the right type of yeast.. :
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Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I think maybe my ferment has been going so fast and differing in flavor because I've been adding more than 1/2- 1 cup kombucha to my new batch. I was just pouring out a bunch into a bowl with my scoby and then adding it to the new batch. I had a batch that was only a 3 day ferment last week.

I think I'll try to only add the right amount and see if that helps me get a more consistent outcome.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I never measure

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I think I could say something about KT every day. :lol

This batch just tastes like fizzy water, even though it smelled nice and strong when I bottled it and I remember it tasting okay that day too. It's like Twilight Zone: The Kombucha Edition around here.

I was talking to dh about why kombucha might seem fizzy when one goes to bottle it, but not after. He said it's probably actually not carbonation (or not the right kind of fizz you want), but actually bubbles/foam from something else, like just the ingredients, etc. I couldn't get all of what he was saying, but it's something like how other things foam/bubble, but aren't fizzy/carbonated like soapy water or ocean water foaming with the waves. Not sure if that makes any sense.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Today I tried my KT made with cranberry joice in the 2nd ferment. Not nearly as tasty as the mango ferment. Not at all.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

OH NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Is this meaning what I think it means?
A couple weeks ago, I made a brew and added it to the SCOBY when the tea was still too hot. I realized what I did and removed it within about 2 minutes until the tea cooled...
Ummmmmm............. :shifty:(
and then I traveled with the SCOBY, sealed up in the glass jar in the car for 2 days.... :shifty :(
Does this sound like the end?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

:nails....both incidents together dont sound good :no

i'd say, with the weather so warm, growing a new one wont take long at all :there

the batch i got after my heat scare was ..ok. i also kinda fudged on the sugar. and i dont think i put quite enough in. so the finished KT tasted good..but no sweetness at all (which i like) and it wasmissing that vinegary twang..kinda. it was fizzy. and it made your teeth feel grind-y :think

so, i think this newest batch will be the deciding one on wheather or not the heat messed it up. if so- i'll grow a new one :shrug


is a baby supposed to grow on top of all your little double ferments?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I don't know. I've never grown my own SCOBY. A friend was wonderful enough to mail me a SCOBY and I successfully made a batch or two before this happened. :/
*in Snooki voice* WAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

oh..its super easy. look it up on youtube :)

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

If you add fruit or juice to your second ferment, that provides the sugars for the bacteria in the beverage to consume and yes, create little baby scobies on top of your bottles. Is yours doing that, or no?

Cranberry kombucha is wretched. :yes2

I bottled 4 half gallon jars of grape kt. Two had fizz, two didn't. :shrug all were delish, though.

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Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

The cranberry KT went down the drain. Fortunately it's warm enough here that my next brew will be ready soon.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

:dance I tasted some of my brew that I just started on Monday and it's already getting fizzy! I think it's going to be alright, after all!! Yay! I fed it more sugar than I usually do. I usually use 1 Cup sugar with 3 quarts tea, but I fed it (the SCOBY) some sugar on Sunday (day before I added tea) and then I did a little over a cup of sugar with the tea.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I did pomegranate this time and I think it was too tart... well, some of the bottles are really tart and others aren't as tart, of course. :rolleyes Also some were fizzy, some not.

I really love the ginger blueberry flavor GT makes but I don't like putting the fruit in there to fish out later and even if I could find blueberry juice it would cost a fortune.

I'm beginning to really like just the plain KT.

Does anyone just add sugar to the second ferment? I'm wondering if the sugar needs to be dissolved in order for it to be well utilized? I use a raw sugar.


Jen, how long does your ferment take lately? I'm finding 4-5 days for the first and about 48 hours for the 2nd.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I don't but I know people who do.

Ok. So my kombucha smells fantastic and tastes fairly kombucha like. So I decided to go ahead and jar it up with juice for a second ferment.
As long as its not moldy it is safe to consume right?

I also started a new batch to brew. I doubled the sugar. Hopeful this helps with the final product.

About the mold - technically, if it's not acidic enough it could potentially have mold or other stuff growing that you can't see.

Be careful using too little or too much sugar. Too much sugar could make the yeast grow more and throw off the balance between the yeast and bacteria. I've read 1 cup sugar per gallon of tea, but I'm not an expert!

Well double crap. :doh

I guess I'll check it tomorrow and see.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

TJs has reasonably priced blueberry juice. My favorites so far have been cherry (flavored with frozen cherries), ginger (with cut ginger), mango (frozen mango), and plain.
My first ferment is taking 4-5 days, too. I do 36-48 hours for the 2nd. I prefer 48, but sometimes I'm almost out so 1 bottle goes in the fridge early so I have some for the next day.
I need to read about scoby hotels since we're getting ready to go out of town.

FIZZ! I HAVE FIZZ! I shook one of my jars for funsies...AND IT IS FIZZY!!
Does this mean I did it?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I just mean my sugar isn't fine grain that dissolves more easily.

This is good to know. :)

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

yes. i just scoop it off

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I usually run mine through a mesh strainer. I can't handle the gloops. :shiver

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I could scream.:blush I had a lid on my container and somehow baby bugs got in on the top of my new scoby. :jawdrop I separated it from the big (super expensive) scoby I purchased -- and washed it and inspected it and it looks like I had the only two bugs there were on the top of the new mother. ARGH!!!!!!!! :mad :shiver

How? I had a lid on it, but not screwed shut. :paranoid I checked it off and on all day yesterday and there were no bugs. It happened this morning. :doh

I'll be keeping it in lock down now.

I still don't know where those maggoty bugs came from either. We haven't had flies or fruit flies in ages! :hunh

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

What I do for fizzy KT.

Brew- pour into pint jars, leave loosely capped with lids for 24-48 hours.

Tightly cap lids at 36-48 hours. Leave at room temp for 12-24 more hours..

Refrigerate 24 hours +.

if I use fruit juice/ no added sugar. If I use muddled fruit/ 2Tbs sugar per pint.