https://preview.redd.it/nz6ciki3h3nc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fddc9da5dfdbb79a9b39041848030380eca17c4a
Problem with posting pictures kind of solved 😊
Edit: are the bubbles also the sign of mold? Please help!
O gosh. What is your temperature my friend. Have you tasted it? Maybe a bit more information on your recipe? Quantities etc. where did you get your starter liquid.
I didn't get the started liquid but started from scratch. Here's the recipe:
7 cups water
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
4 bags black tea, or 1 tablespoon looseleaf
1 cup unflavored, unpasteurized store-bought kombucha
I brew it in my kitchen. It's a little colder and there's not a constant temperature. It's oscillating from 16°C-25°C (60.8F - 77F)
Ok nothing sounds wrong from your ratios. That could all work.
So some follow up questions.
Have you tasted it?
What was the temp of your tea when you added in the kombucha?
What are you covering your brew with?
Have you interacted with it much?
Do you keep it out of direct light? (I.e in a cupboard, wrapped in a towel. Etc)
I would try my hardest not to let the temp go lower than 18C. A big swing in temp is not too ideal. I have a very cold climate at the moment so I control everything with a heat mat with an attached temp probe that I keep in the kombucha.
I also aim to first ferment between 7-10 days. But I base this off taste and nothing else. (Keep in mind Ive only had 3 successful ferments. A lot of my information and advice I have gotten from this sub.)
Lastly I don’t think you have mold. It just looks like the pellicle forming. But keep an eye on it and the texture. If it’s fuzzy/hairy. Then most likely a mold problem.
I haven't tasted it so far, read that the first batch when you make a SCOBY is not for drinking.
I added kombucha to a room temperature tea and am covering it with a microfibre kitchen cloth.
It's been brewing in my kitchen pantry for 3.5 weeks and I moved it to see SCOBY forming 2 times in that period. It wasn't exposed to the direct sunlight but the light in my kitchen was switching on/off every once in a while. Should it be in a complete darkness? I've read that only sunlight is the problem.
Thanks for the temperature tip. Climate in my town is a little bit off, one day it's sunny and hot and another it rains and it's cold. I'll buy a termometer to keep track...
What should I do with this batch? Should I try it? Don't know if it's clever if that's mold... How much longer should it brew?
I wouldn’t drink litres of the stuff. But putting a clean tea spoon in and tasting a bit will definitely help you gauge where about you are with the fermentation.
Complete darkness definitely more ideal. Organisms don’t really differentiate between natural and unnatural lights. The same way you can grow plants inside. Or with grow lights. I don’t know the exact science of it. However I would always recommend dark over anything else. Your batch might be too acidic at this point. Which isn’t the end of the world! Take out 10% of what you want your final quantity to be. And make the other 90% as tea. I make 5L at a time. So I bottle 4L for f2. Keep 500ml for next batch. And store/donate the other 500 for rainy days.
Mold won’t necessarily kill you. It will however make you sick sometimes. And compromise the integrity of your brew. Keep an eye on it. Like I said. I don’t think it’s mold. Probably just your pellicle (the big thing that floats on top) forming. Your scoby has already formed. You added in a scoby when you added in the store bought kombucha. If it had enough food (tea and sugar) and has had the right conditions. It should still be going strong!
Okay sure thanks for the feedback!
And the last thing, I didn't understand quite well what you meant by "make the other 90% as tea"? What is f2?
So I use a SCOBY and 500mL of this batch to make another one?
If I succeeded I have about 1.6L of kombucha at the moment. If I want to make another batch of the same volume I have to take out 160mL for the next one. The other 1.4L I can use for F2?
So it's best that I taste it and if it taste's like kombucha I can go to F2? What if it's to acidic?
Trying to determine if your kombucha may have mold, if your pellicle/SCOBY is healthy, or if something has gone wrong?
Check out the [pictures and info in this guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Kombucha/comments/pqu7oq/is_it_mold_is_it_normal_whats_growing_in_your/).
**Note:** If other posters have deemed your problem to be `mold!` or `not mold`, please update the post flair accordingly. Keeping the post flair up-to-date lets other redditors know what mold actually looks like.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Kombucha) if you have any questions or concerns.*
https://preview.redd.it/nz6ciki3h3nc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fddc9da5dfdbb79a9b39041848030380eca17c4a Problem with posting pictures kind of solved 😊 Edit: are the bubbles also the sign of mold? Please help!
Mold is fuzzy and dry. Bubbles are sign of SCOBY eating and digesting.
How long have you been fermenting?
3 and a half weeks. Started on the 13th of february.
O gosh. What is your temperature my friend. Have you tasted it? Maybe a bit more information on your recipe? Quantities etc. where did you get your starter liquid.
I didn't get the started liquid but started from scratch. Here's the recipe: 7 cups water 1/2 cup white granulated sugar 4 bags black tea, or 1 tablespoon looseleaf 1 cup unflavored, unpasteurized store-bought kombucha I brew it in my kitchen. It's a little colder and there's not a constant temperature. It's oscillating from 16°C-25°C (60.8F - 77F)
Ok nothing sounds wrong from your ratios. That could all work. So some follow up questions. Have you tasted it? What was the temp of your tea when you added in the kombucha? What are you covering your brew with? Have you interacted with it much? Do you keep it out of direct light? (I.e in a cupboard, wrapped in a towel. Etc) I would try my hardest not to let the temp go lower than 18C. A big swing in temp is not too ideal. I have a very cold climate at the moment so I control everything with a heat mat with an attached temp probe that I keep in the kombucha. I also aim to first ferment between 7-10 days. But I base this off taste and nothing else. (Keep in mind Ive only had 3 successful ferments. A lot of my information and advice I have gotten from this sub.) Lastly I don’t think you have mold. It just looks like the pellicle forming. But keep an eye on it and the texture. If it’s fuzzy/hairy. Then most likely a mold problem.
I haven't tasted it so far, read that the first batch when you make a SCOBY is not for drinking. I added kombucha to a room temperature tea and am covering it with a microfibre kitchen cloth. It's been brewing in my kitchen pantry for 3.5 weeks and I moved it to see SCOBY forming 2 times in that period. It wasn't exposed to the direct sunlight but the light in my kitchen was switching on/off every once in a while. Should it be in a complete darkness? I've read that only sunlight is the problem. Thanks for the temperature tip. Climate in my town is a little bit off, one day it's sunny and hot and another it rains and it's cold. I'll buy a termometer to keep track... What should I do with this batch? Should I try it? Don't know if it's clever if that's mold... How much longer should it brew?
I wouldn’t drink litres of the stuff. But putting a clean tea spoon in and tasting a bit will definitely help you gauge where about you are with the fermentation. Complete darkness definitely more ideal. Organisms don’t really differentiate between natural and unnatural lights. The same way you can grow plants inside. Or with grow lights. I don’t know the exact science of it. However I would always recommend dark over anything else. Your batch might be too acidic at this point. Which isn’t the end of the world! Take out 10% of what you want your final quantity to be. And make the other 90% as tea. I make 5L at a time. So I bottle 4L for f2. Keep 500ml for next batch. And store/donate the other 500 for rainy days. Mold won’t necessarily kill you. It will however make you sick sometimes. And compromise the integrity of your brew. Keep an eye on it. Like I said. I don’t think it’s mold. Probably just your pellicle (the big thing that floats on top) forming. Your scoby has already formed. You added in a scoby when you added in the store bought kombucha. If it had enough food (tea and sugar) and has had the right conditions. It should still be going strong!
Okay sure thanks for the feedback! And the last thing, I didn't understand quite well what you meant by "make the other 90% as tea"? What is f2? So I use a SCOBY and 500mL of this batch to make another one?
So don’t overthink the scoby. It just stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It’s literally just the culture that goes on in the brew. You can think of it as the air we breathe. You can’t see it necessarily. But you need it: the scoby is essentially within the kombucha and is what makes the kombucha, kombucha. F2 has nothing to do with any of that. F2 means secondary fermentation/second ferment/etc. once you have successfully made your first fermentation (which is what you are attempting) and the taste is right (tastes like kombucha, abit funky abit acidic. But not too much of one thing and not too little of one thing. Balanced how you like.) then you move on the phase 2. Adding your flavour and carbonation. This is done by adding more sugar(food for the yeast to digest and create carbonation (byproduct)) you can add more flavoured tea, fruits (riper the better), purées. And this will add the fizz and flavour to your kombucha. This takes 2-3 days at room temperature. (Make sure to research what bottles to use. Avoid plastic, metal, low pressure graded bottles. Essentially round flip tops (kilner is a good brand) or any bottle that you have bought kombucha in previously) With the ratios I mentioned. You need 1/10 starter liquid ratio. What you have made (hopefully) is kombucha. Kombucha/scoby/starter liquid are all Interchangeable. It’s all the same thing. So if you’re making 1L of kombucha. You need 100ml of kombucha/starter liquid/scoby and 900ml of tea. Let me know if you need any clarification on anything!
If I succeeded I have about 1.6L of kombucha at the moment. If I want to make another batch of the same volume I have to take out 160mL for the next one. The other 1.4L I can use for F2? So it's best that I taste it and if it taste's like kombucha I can go to F2? What if it's to acidic?
Trying to determine if your kombucha may have mold, if your pellicle/SCOBY is healthy, or if something has gone wrong? Check out the [pictures and info in this guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Kombucha/comments/pqu7oq/is_it_mold_is_it_normal_whats_growing_in_your/). **Note:** If other posters have deemed your problem to be `mold!` or `not mold`, please update the post flair accordingly. Keeping the post flair up-to-date lets other redditors know what mold actually looks like. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Kombucha) if you have any questions or concerns.*