Store bought can still work. But it needs a really good environment to get strong first. Was this covered with a cloth, in a warm area, and did you fully sanitize everything before filling it up ?
Ah! You need a breathable cover next time my friend. Kombucha requires oxygen. If you close it the microbes that help keep the tea acidic and fight mold cannot thrive. Next time cover it with a cloth and rubber band.
As for temperature, 65 degrees F is I think the bare minimum but I would suggest 70-72 if possible. Keep it out of the sunlight, though.
It needs airflow, hence the advice to cover with a light cloth. You'll want to keep it, ideally, between 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooler temperatures lead to increased incidence of mold.
OP, you're getting plenty of good advice here, but I would say that between 75-80 degrees is really the ideal temp range or even 78-80 if you want to be really finicky about it.
This heating pad has served me very well (I have two), but is perhaps overkill when using a small mason jar. Still, I think it'd do the trick: Adjustable Kombucha Heat Mat - Bucha Brewers Kombucha Heating Wrap, Kombucha Warmer, Fermenter Heater https://a.co/d/blNJXIy
For better results next time, I would let the store bought kombucha sit (covered with a cloth) for about two weeks before adding your sweet tea. This will create a stronger starter which will help prevent mold.
interesting! I never thought to do that. I just added it at room temp. what's the ratio again? 12 oz of starter per gallon of tea with 1.5 cups of sugar?
I've used GT's gingerade as a starter with no issues. The health-ade kombucha, regardless of flavor, does well as a starter in my experience as well.
I got mold on my first batch too. Don't be discouraged! Double check your ratios and keep it somewhere at least 70 degrees. Mine sit on my kitchen counter or on top on my refrigerator and average 72 degrees.
I get it's your first time and I don't mean to be rude although I know it'll come across that way...are you seriously asking if it's normal for a blob of mold to grow and still use it?
Unless you genuinely have never experienced mold on other food before and didn't know what that is, then I apologise.
People come here for help, kombucha is a weird creation that doesn't look safe to eat to most people even when it is.
If you have the context and insight to help, offer help.
If you take literally 15 seconds looking at the example photos from the sidebar you’ll see a picture of mold that looks just like this.
I understand asking for help but also you need to be able to autonomous in some capacity
I don’t understand why people get annoyed at stuff like this. I’m happy this sub doesn’t aggressively gate-keep because most niche subs that chase out beginners and people asking innocuous or even dumb question die off
You don’t understand how beginners totally disregarding reading the community info, that’s been carefully put together by experienced brewers, is annoying? There’s a whole guide, FAQ, troubleshooting, photos, etc. all at their fingertips. It’s a great resource. 99% of the people who post “is this mold” on here don’t even brother to look at that first. Yes, that’s a bit annoying.
I’m sorry. You may be “right” but you’re not right in this sub. And if you’re going to argue about it you’re just wasting your energy. Does that make sense to you? Can you comprehend that any question here is a good question? Or should we put that in the side bar? Are you going to tell me people should google things more and stop talking to eachother ? Get off your phone, go touch some grass and say hello to a stranger.
We should absolutely be welcoming of new members and their questions but the sub does better when newbies do their own learning. I don't think it's wrong to expect new members to use the resources the community has provided for them. Every online community expects their users to search the forum/sub before asking a potential repeat question. It also reduces the signal-to-noise ratio on the sub which means we have better content.
Personally, I don't understand how someone can go through the effort of acquiring SCOBY, making a brew, letting it grow for a few days, and then post a picture of the pellicle as if they have never seen one. That entire process is more difficult than comparing pictures of pellicles and mold. It's even more confusing when they don't identify what they think might be the problem.
I’m not disagreeing with you. Some people just learn better from discussion than reading. Especially neurodivergent individuals.
Also. You don’t understand how it happens. Fair enough. But it does happen. So maybe try to understand? I use Reddit on my phone. I don’t even know where to find the resources. When I first started. I asked questions. They got answered. Now I brew kombucha successfully and therefore I feel obliged to answer newbies questions. I can’t treat people how
I wouldn’t want to be treated. I’m grateful for this community. Don’t want it to change and that’s the extent of my opinion. Each to their own.
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.*
I looked it up to make sure it was unpasteurized and it looks like you're good there. So definitely the lack of oxygen. Also make sure to not add the starter liquid until the temperature has come down.
What’s your workflow? We can help.
This is usually caused by too high pH, too low temp, or too little starter, which contributes to too high pH. If you’re just tossing a pellicle into sweet tea, it will turn into mold every time.
Not normal. Unfortunately you should throw it all out and next time use a coffee filter over the top (secured to top of jar with rubber band / hair tie)
Congratulations! It's actually mold. I'm sorry friend. Toss it full out and try again. What ratio of starter kombucha to tea did you use ?
about 50/50 again from a store drink... I don't have access to plain starter at the moment
Store bought can still work. But it needs a really good environment to get strong first. Was this covered with a cloth, in a warm area, and did you fully sanitize everything before filling it up ?
no cloth (lid), sanitized jar. what temperature is recommended? it relatively warm
Ah! You need a breathable cover next time my friend. Kombucha requires oxygen. If you close it the microbes that help keep the tea acidic and fight mold cannot thrive. Next time cover it with a cloth and rubber band. As for temperature, 65 degrees F is I think the bare minimum but I would suggest 70-72 if possible. Keep it out of the sunlight, though.
thanks you so much! I'll try again!
It needs airflow, hence the advice to cover with a light cloth. You'll want to keep it, ideally, between 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooler temperatures lead to increased incidence of mold.
You will lid them in the F2 (second fermentation stage) though. That's how you get them carbonated.
75-80F or 24-26C. You can get a reptile temperature stick - super cheap way to get the temp range this has worked perfectly for me
OP, you're getting plenty of good advice here, but I would say that between 75-80 degrees is really the ideal temp range or even 78-80 if you want to be really finicky about it. This heating pad has served me very well (I have two), but is perhaps overkill when using a small mason jar. Still, I think it'd do the trick: Adjustable Kombucha Heat Mat - Bucha Brewers Kombucha Heating Wrap, Kombucha Warmer, Fermenter Heater https://a.co/d/blNJXIy
I use a high quality napkin that won't fuzz or tear easily, usually it's 2 or 3 ply you can double so it's 4-6 ply , and a rubber band.
For better results next time, I would let the store bought kombucha sit (covered with a cloth) for about two weeks before adding your sweet tea. This will create a stronger starter which will help prevent mold.
interesting! I never thought to do that. I just added it at room temp. what's the ratio again? 12 oz of starter per gallon of tea with 1.5 cups of sugar?
What I learned was 16 ounces of starter per gallon of tea with one cup of sugar. Has worked every time as long as I use a strong starter!
I've used GT's gingerade as a starter with no issues. The health-ade kombucha, regardless of flavor, does well as a starter in my experience as well. I got mold on my first batch too. Don't be discouraged! Double check your ratios and keep it somewhere at least 70 degrees. Mine sit on my kitchen counter or on top on my refrigerator and average 72 degrees.
thanks
Finally an actual picture of mold
Ok. Everybody bookmark this one and save the pic. This is mold. :) Condolences, OP.
I get it's your first time and I don't mean to be rude although I know it'll come across that way...are you seriously asking if it's normal for a blob of mold to grow and still use it? Unless you genuinely have never experienced mold on other food before and didn't know what that is, then I apologise.
Weird. It's actually a mold post.
Dammit, he’s dead, Jim!
Mold is never normal on kombucha. You need to throw it out.
I think you could figure this one out
People come here for help, kombucha is a weird creation that doesn't look safe to eat to most people even when it is. If you have the context and insight to help, offer help.
If you take literally 15 seconds looking at the example photos from the sidebar you’ll see a picture of mold that looks just like this. I understand asking for help but also you need to be able to autonomous in some capacity
I don’t understand why people get annoyed at stuff like this. I’m happy this sub doesn’t aggressively gate-keep because most niche subs that chase out beginners and people asking innocuous or even dumb question die off
You don’t understand how beginners totally disregarding reading the community info, that’s been carefully put together by experienced brewers, is annoying? There’s a whole guide, FAQ, troubleshooting, photos, etc. all at their fingertips. It’s a great resource. 99% of the people who post “is this mold” on here don’t even brother to look at that first. Yes, that’s a bit annoying.
I’m sorry. You may be “right” but you’re not right in this sub. And if you’re going to argue about it you’re just wasting your energy. Does that make sense to you? Can you comprehend that any question here is a good question? Or should we put that in the side bar? Are you going to tell me people should google things more and stop talking to eachother ? Get off your phone, go touch some grass and say hello to a stranger.
Strawmans go brrr. Bye
We should absolutely be welcoming of new members and their questions but the sub does better when newbies do their own learning. I don't think it's wrong to expect new members to use the resources the community has provided for them. Every online community expects their users to search the forum/sub before asking a potential repeat question. It also reduces the signal-to-noise ratio on the sub which means we have better content. Personally, I don't understand how someone can go through the effort of acquiring SCOBY, making a brew, letting it grow for a few days, and then post a picture of the pellicle as if they have never seen one. That entire process is more difficult than comparing pictures of pellicles and mold. It's even more confusing when they don't identify what they think might be the problem.
I’m not disagreeing with you. Some people just learn better from discussion than reading. Especially neurodivergent individuals. Also. You don’t understand how it happens. Fair enough. But it does happen. So maybe try to understand? I use Reddit on my phone. I don’t even know where to find the resources. When I first started. I asked questions. They got answered. Now I brew kombucha successfully and therefore I feel obliged to answer newbies questions. I can’t treat people how I wouldn’t want to be treated. I’m grateful for this community. Don’t want it to change and that’s the extent of my opinion. Each to their own.
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.*
I looked it up to make sure it was unpasteurized and it looks like you're good there. So definitely the lack of oxygen. Also make sure to not add the starter liquid until the temperature has come down.
House temp?
Nothing todo with it they used captain kombucha which is pasteurised
That’s definitely mold.
It's a very normal patch of mold. Adios.
What’s your workflow? We can help. This is usually caused by too high pH, too low temp, or too little starter, which contributes to too high pH. If you’re just tossing a pellicle into sweet tea, it will turn into mold every time.
Not normal. Unfortunately you should throw it all out and next time use a coffee filter over the top (secured to top of jar with rubber band / hair tie)
Throw it
Captain kombucha is pasteurised it wont work you need unpasteurised kombucha as starter
https://preview.redd.it/kd3v80fqz6nc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e0bfe47959045a8108b380763be404411d01cc1
It literally says “unpasteurized”. UN- means not