Guest guest Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 > I hope someone knows what causes the sulfur " rotten egg " smell, my last batch also had that horrid smell and was very very flat. Even when I bottled it and let is set out on the counter for days it never produced any fizz. I'm almost ready to decant my next batch using the same scoby and I am crossing my fingers that it won't happen again. HELP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 I feel your pain (ha ha). I throughly washed my hands and am waiting at the computer in hopes someone is available to respond (too many things to do, too little time :-)) and I can smell it on my hands. Even my boys are complaining of the smell. I think it's going to have be a candle lighting day today to get rid of the smell. > > > I hope someone knows what causes the sulfur " rotten egg " smell, my last > batch also had that horrid smell and was very very flat. Even when I > bottled it and let is set out on the counter for days it never produced > any fizz. I'm almost ready to decant my next batch using the same > scoby and I am crossing my fingers that it won't happen again. HELP! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 I thought that I should add that I went back in my files. The previous odor from the SCOBY / Brew from the Anahata Balance brew is NOTHING like this!! This is clearly a sulfur - rotten egg stench. Ed from The Happy Herbalist responded some time ago and mentioned it could be my water but I use Reverse Osmosis water or distilled water, which ever I have available and have never used city tap water since I have no filter that I am comfortable using for my brews. All utensils and my hands are washed with soap, throughly rinsed in water THEN rinsed with distilled vinegar before any of it touches the brew or SCOBY. At a loss... -- In kombucha tea , " texastykes " <callen@...> wrote: > > I feel your pain (ha ha). I throughly washed my hands and am waiting > at the computer in hopes someone is available to respond (too many > things to do, too little time :-)) and I can smell it on my hands. > Even my boys are complaining of the smell. I think it's going to have > be a candle lighting day today to get rid of the smell. > > > > > > > I hope someone knows what causes the sulfur " rotten egg " smell, my > last > > batch also had that horrid smell and was very very flat. Even when I > > bottled it and let is set out on the counter for days it never > produced > > any fizz. I'm almost ready to decant my next batch using the same > > scoby and I am crossing my fingers that it won't happen again. HELP! > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Good news is that it is unlikely to continue. But if it does it is difficult to correct. Certain things that may make a ferment smell bad. Blow off - the first rush of fermentation where excess yeast and other sediments foam over the top of the container and make your home smell like a bad apple pie. a " foul " odor. Hydrogen sulfide is often found in natural ground water, and when the water is exposed to the air, it comes out of solution, causing a " rotten egg " smell. It's not necessarily harmful at low concentrations, just unpleasant. Also various other sulfur compounds may contribute unpleasant (but not necessarily harmful) a smell like cleaning fluid? Could it be that when the bacteria are not healthy and the yeast have too much oxygen to play in, that the smell we experience is a close relative of alcohol C3-H6-02 Methyl Acetate Lack of oxygen will provide an environment for the anaerobic production of acetone. This toxic compound is grouped among molecules referred to as ketone bodies. Acetone has an acrid sweet smell, the kind that wafts from nail salons and out of nail polish remover bottles. May be harmful to the kidneys. The following was from a Kombucha Book now out of print ... " The appearance of ketones has been encountered in commercially bottled Kombucha. Once the beverage has been bottled and capped, care must be taken to keep the beverage refrigerated at all times even during transportation, in order to avoid the production of ketones. Also, an expiration date of 3 to 4 days is advisable. After the bottle is purchased, store the beverage uncapped. The anaerobic fermentation process produces dihydroxy acetone phosphate. The capping of the product shuts off the oxygen and acetone is trapped. If your beverage smells at all acrid or " chemical, " ... " from Guenther p. 98 " .... a species of airborne acetic bacteria -bacterium ascendens becomes dominant. In this case a premature clouding becomes noticeable, and a dusty, delicate vinegar skin [instead of the typical mushroom] crepes up the sides of the container above the jelly-like culture. There is also a aroma of aldehyde (nail polish smell) and a strong vinegar taste... " A brew will smell nasty like some kind of solvent or nail polish remover. This is more likely than not due to the formation of aldehyde by foreign bacteria. You might notice clouding of the liquid when this occurs. When sulphur in a non-elemental form has oxygen removed (scavenged) by yeast during the fermentation process the sulphur combines with hydrogen which is available in abundance in an acidic solution. This forms a product called hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Hydrogen sulphide is the mother of all stink! H2S is generated during the fermentation process due to a lack of utilizable nitrogen. Nitrogen is clearly associated with tea. Traditionally associated with Camellia Sinensis. However noted kombucha experts like Guenther and Harald Tietz state in their research as well as brewing experience that many herbal teas are acceptable because it is the nitrogen that is important for successful brewing. Much of these can be related to the quality of water used, the tea used, as well as the amount of tea and the steeping time, with the temperature of the water. Peace Ed Kasper LAc. & family California Licensed Acupuncturist & Medicinal Herbalist www.HappyHerbalist.com <http://www.HappyHerbalist.com> > > Hi everyone, > I could really use some advice here. I had two brews each in 1 > gallon jars within days of being ready to decant. We decided to go > out of town to visit family and my boys and I decided to stay longer > than we had planned. When I came back about 6 days later, my SCOBY > from Anahata was literally pushed up so far to the top that the > cotton covering was soaked with KT and the SCOBY was suspended at > the very top from so much CO2, I'm assuming because when I moved it, > a burst of air spewed out. There was no mold so I went to try to > decant my brew and it smells of horrid sulfur!! The smell is so bad > that it made me nauseated so I had to toss out the tea. I couldn't > stand to think of rinsing my hair with it or using it in anything at > all. I did rinse the Momma and Baby SCOBY with distilled vinegar > (they don't smell of sulfur) and for now, they are in separate jars > in KT vinegar from a previous batch. > > My question is if I were to start a new batch, would future batches > smell of sulfur? What happened and what can I do to get rid of it / > avoid it in the future? > > What is strange is that my other SCOBY (from ) is also pushed > up the same way just not as far. There is no food stored in that > dark, undisturbed cabinet area, no chemicals, etc. I've let my > brews go longer before and I have never had this happen before. > Usually, the SCOBY stays in the KT and just keeps getting fatter and > fatter...what did I do wrong?? > > Thanks!! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Yes, my " smell " is a rotten egg smell too. I also used distilled water and carefully washed, rinsed and then rinsed again in vinegar all my utensils. I used a mix of Celestial Seasonings Green Tea and their Breakfast Blend Black tea. The only thing I can think of is that it was rather cool in my kitchen the week I made this batch. It was the second batch from the scoby I got from the Happy Herbalist, the first batch was fine - but then I used the tea that came with the scoby. Could it be the tea? > > > > > > > I hope someone knows what causes the sulfur " rotten egg " smell, > my > > last > > > batch also had that horrid smell and was very very flat. Even > when I > > > bottled it and let is set out on the counter for days it never > > produced > > > any fizz. I'm almost ready to decant my next batch using the > same > > > scoby and I am crossing my fingers that it won't happen again. > HELP! > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Hi , I also know the pain of a mis Q with the KT. How long were you gone? I know it has been warm in Houston so I know Dallas was warmer. Did you turn the AC off? Maybe it just got too hot and the yeast kicked in to overdrive, made so much CO2 and push the SCOBY out of the pot. A rotton citrus smell also occurs with elevated temp. and too much aerobic activity. IF this is the case, storing the tea without any air for a few weeks is suppose to dissapate the smell, taste. This info is from " KOMBUCHA THE BALANCING ACT " BY Len Porizio. My guess is since the SCOBY is fine, you probably will be ok to start a new batch and use some vinegar. All the best......... Jeff > > Hi everyone, > I could really use some advice here. I had two brews each in 1 > gallon jars within days of being ready to decant. We decided to go > out of town to visit family and my boys and I decided to stay longer > than we had planned. When I came back about 6 days later, my SCOBY > from Anahata was literally pushed up so far to the top that the > cotton covering was soaked with KT and the SCOBY was suspended at > the very top from so much CO2, I'm assuming because when I moved it, > a burst of air spewed out. There was no mold so I went to try to > decant my brew and it smells of horrid sulfur!! The smell is so bad > that it made me nauseated so I had to toss out the tea. I couldn't > stand to think of rinsing my hair with it or using it in anything at > all. I did rinse the Momma and Baby SCOBY with distilled vinegar > (they don't smell of sulfur) and for now, they are in separate jars > in KT vinegar from a previous batch. > > My question is if I were to start a new batch, would future batches > smell of sulfur? What happened and what can I do to get rid of it / > avoid it in the future? > > What is strange is that my other SCOBY (from ) is also pushed > up the same way just not as far. There is no food stored in that > dark, undisturbed cabinet area, no chemicals, etc. I've let my > brews go longer before and I have never had this happen before. > Usually, the SCOBY stays in the KT and just keeps getting fatter and > fatter...what did I do wrong?? > > Thanks!! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 5, 2007 Report Share Posted May 5, 2007 Tea related problems may be from chemicals, additives, preservatives, oils and flavorings that may be added to a tea. Commercial teas are made for drinking not for fermenting. Reading the label to see if there are any of the above will help decide if that particular brand may not be suitable for kombucha. Problems through are not common or of minor concern. Any tea is subject to possible contamination prior to use (pathogenic bacteria, mold, fungus). A more common problem is from over-steeping and/or too much of the tea. Usually that is related to the SCOBY balance and a ugly blob formation on the surface - less so than an offensive smell. Ed Kasper LAc www.HappyHerbalist.com .....original message ..... Posted by: " fangmanmoney " secondhandmary@... fangmanmoney Fri May 4, 2007 3:13 pm (PST) Yes, my " smell " is a rotten egg smell too. I also used distilled water and carefully washed, rinsed and then rinsed again in vinegar all my utensils. I used a mix of Celestial Seasonings Green Tea and their Breakfast Blend Black tea. The only thing I can think of is that it was rather cool in my kitchen the week I made this batch. It was the second batch from the scoby I got from the Happy Herbalist, the first batch was fine - but then I used the tea that came with the scoby. Could it be the tea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 5, 2007 Report Share Posted May 5, 2007 Hi Jeff, Yes, I actually did turn our air off since we're not in the 100 degrees as of yet, I figured everything would be fine. Remember, I've got a sensitive sniffer so I couldn't handle the smelly brew so I had to toss it. Funny, I did put a cap on the SCOBY in new fluid, I figured maybe I could deprive whatever was causing the stench of oxygen. I have started a new batch and am hoping I never have this again! :-) Thanks!! -- In kombucha tea , " Jeff " <jeffpenso@...> wrote: > > Hi , > > I also know the pain of a mis Q with the KT. > > How long were you gone? I know it has been warm in Houston so I know > Dallas was warmer. Did you turn the AC off? Maybe it just got too > hot and the yeast kicked in to overdrive, made so much CO2 and push > the SCOBY out of the pot. A rotton citrus smell also occurs with > elevated temp. and too much aerobic activity. IF this is the case, > storing the tea without any air for a few weeks is suppose to > dissapate the smell, taste. This info is from " KOMBUCHA THE > BALANCING ACT " BY Len Porizio. > > My guess is since the SCOBY is fine, you probably will be ok to start > a new batch and use some vinegar. > > All the best......... > > Jeff > > > > > Hi everyone, > > I could really use some advice here. I had two brews each in 1 > > gallon jars within days of being ready to decant. We decided to go > > out of town to visit family and my boys and I decided to stay > longer > > than we had planned. When I came back about 6 days later, my SCOBY > > from Anahata was literally pushed up so far to the top that the > > cotton covering was soaked with KT and the SCOBY was suspended at > > the very top from so much CO2, I'm assuming because when I moved > it, > > a burst of air spewed out. There was no mold so I went to try to > > decant my brew and it smells of horrid sulfur!! The smell is so > bad > > that it made me nauseated so I had to toss out the tea. I couldn't > > stand to think of rinsing my hair with it or using it in anything > at > > all. I did rinse the Momma and Baby SCOBY with distilled vinegar > > (they don't smell of sulfur) and for now, they are in separate jars > > in KT vinegar from a previous batch. > > > > My question is if I were to start a new batch, would future batches > > smell of sulfur? What happened and what can I do to get rid of it / > > avoid it in the future? > > > > What is strange is that my other SCOBY (from ) is also pushed > > up the same way just not as far. There is no food stored in that > > dark, undisturbed cabinet area, no chemicals, etc. I've let my > > brews go longer before and I have never had this happen before. > > Usually, the SCOBY stays in the KT and just keeps getting fatter > and > > fatter...what did I do wrong?? > > > > Thanks!! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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