Where and how to keep your SCOBYS

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In message <11BB5298E6C74DA2B8F64F1A918D382E@marslaptop> you wrote:

> ..... Do any of you keep a back up scoby? and how do you do that?

Yes, , and I have 2 good posts to explain how this is best done:

1) (post sent by Gayle)

---One glass container large of equal or larger diameter of the SCOBYs

---SCOBYs

---Finished KT

---Put SCOBYs in container, add enough finished KT so they can float.

---Cover as for brewing.

---Add finished KT when needed to prevent drying out.

---Store at room temperature.

They will not grow together. The ones added will not continue to grow.

A new one will form at the top and continue to thicken until disturbed.

2) (by Len Porzio from http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kombucha_balance/

Though not required, a starter pot offers several advantages in helping

to maintain a consistent product and healthy balanced culture.

You may already have the beginnings of a starter pot if you are storing

spare cultures in KT somewhere.

Besides a place for storing spare cultures, starter pots provide the most

acidic starter available for fighting mold. They also ensure the bacteria

remain fully active while keeping the yeast in check but healthy.

..... this extremely acidic starter actually improves the taste of KT when

maintained properly.

A starter pot should hold roughly 5 to 10 times the amount normally used

for starter or half to an equal amount of the tea volume you currently brew

with. This ensures the bulk of the starter fluid is extremely aged and

acidic when drawn to begin fermenting.

Maintenance:

A great way to get your pot started is as a means of salvaging one of

those batches that may have soured faster than usual. Similar to continuous

brewing, when you get ready to start a new brew you draw the needed starter

from the starter pot and replace it with freshly fermented KT.

Only keep one or two spare cultures in the pot and replace them with the

newest cultures which aren't currently committed to a ferment. This helps

slow down the accumulation of dead debris in the pot. When you remove the

older cultures, squeeze out as much of the juice as possible to take

advantage of the acid content and free some of the new cells to further

boost the bacteria population.

Filter the contents of the starter pot every 4 to 6 weeks to insure dead

cells don't accumulate and cause detrimental side effects. When dead cells

begin to stack up, the yeast will cannibalize them which can result in some

pretty nasty tastes and smells.

'''''''''

Only add fermented tea to the starter pot. This ensures the maximum amount

of sucrose has been converted into glucose and fructose. Though not

critical, this is fairly important because sucrose will stimulate the yeast

where as glucose and fructose will not.

This last minor detail is the number one contributor in keeping the culture

balanced over successive generations. This is because glucose ensures the

culture has fuel for activity without causing the yeast to go into the

highly reproductive respiration mode, normally triggered by sucrose.

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Scobyly,

Margret UK :-)

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