Metal contamination...and newbieism :)

[Guest guest]

Hi Folks!

New to this board and KT.I live in the Philippines,but returned from the US in

Sept with 2 scobies and 2 cups of tea.My first brewing took almost 2 weeks to

complete...perhaps because they were kept in the fridge for 2 weeks in ziplock

bags,and perhaps because they had been raised on green tea and honey,and we went

to black tea and sugar.I then immediately set out to brew another batch.I was in

a hurry and cooled the brewed tea in cold water in the sink.I then (this part

is the dumb part)....I took a metal commercial thermometer to take the temp of

the previously brewed KT.In my mind,I was going to take the temp of each

assuring that the brewed tea was not to hot for the already brewed tea.The

thermometer was in the tea for a good 3 minutes before I realized what I had

done.

The questions are these:

Is my tea now somehow contaminated?

Should I start anew? I still have the second scoby that has been kept in the

fridge in a ziplock,but there is very little tea with it,as I used most in my

first batch.(maybe an ounce or 2 is all)

Could I brew a half gallon (or less?) and use the reserved scoby and the limited

tea and just let it brew until it catches up?I have some Raw unfiltered Apple

Cider Vinegar,could I use some of that to " stretch " the " inoculated tea " for

this one batch?

I have friends coming from the US next month.Should I just ask them to bring a

couple of commercially bottled KT and then brew up a new culture?

One question just right after another.Must be a newbie

Thanks for any and all help.

[Guest guest]

In message you

wrote:

> Well...something went awry with the last message..Anyway,after being

continually warned about metal and KT,I went right out and did what I wasn't

supposed to do...

Tut-tut! ;-) If the metal is non-ferrous = stainless steel you and your

Kombucha should be fine and you will not need to get rid of it!

> We still have a scoby left from the first purchase that has been in a

> ziplock for almost 2 months.Problem is that there is very little tea left

> with it,as there was only a scant amount over 2 cups included with the

> scobies.So,there is likely less than a few ounces of tea available to

> inoculate (?) another brewing.(maybe 2 ounces).

There should be enough microculture present to brew Kombucha - your scoby

is also full of the bacteria and yeasts!

You would be wise to add extra acidity in form of distilled or pasteurised

malt/cider vinegar over the top (about 2 tbsp should be fine for 4 litres)

> Would it be possible to brew a batch with the " untainted " scoby,and just

> start over?Maybe just a quart of tea and the scoby and what tea there is in

> the bag.I also have some raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar...could I

> perhaps add a bit of that?

ONly use that if you first kill the resident culture through boiling the

vinegar for a few minutes.

> Would I just be better off having friends bring me a bottle of commercial

> KT from the health food store or whatever?

You could do that as well and have some brews to compare. That might be quite

and interesting experience to share!

> One question just right after another.Must be a newbie

That's fine. Asking questions is the best way to learn new things .....

> Thanks for any and all help.

You are VERY welcome!

Margret, brewer in UK :-)

--

+------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+

http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html

http://bavarianminstrel.wordpress.com

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/index.html

creation.com

A man who does not pray, will soon not be a man!

[Guest guest]

In message you

wrote:

> Well...something went awry with the last message..Anyway,after being

continually warned about metal and KT,I went right out and did what I wasn't

supposed to do...

Tut-tut! ;-) If the metal is non-ferrous = stainless steel you and your

Kombucha should be fine and you will not need to get rid of it!

> We still have a scoby left from the first purchase that has been in a

> ziplock for almost 2 months.Problem is that there is very little tea left

> with it,as there was only a scant amount over 2 cups included with the

> scobies.So,there is likely less than a few ounces of tea available to

> inoculate (?) another brewing.(maybe 2 ounces).

There should be enough microculture present to brew Kombucha - your scoby

is also full of the bacteria and yeasts!

You would be wise to add extra acidity in form of distilled or pasteurised

malt/cider vinegar over the top (about 2 tbsp should be fine for 4 litres)

> Would it be possible to brew a batch with the " untainted " scoby,and just

> start over?Maybe just a quart of tea and the scoby and what tea there is in

> the bag.I also have some raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar...could I

> perhaps add a bit of that?

ONly use that if you first kill the resident culture through boiling the

vinegar for a few minutes.

> Would I just be better off having friends bring me a bottle of commercial

> KT from the health food store or whatever?

You could do that as well and have some brews to compare. That might be quite

and interesting experience to share!

> One question just right after another.Must be a newbie

That's fine. Asking questions is the best way to learn new things .....

> Thanks for any and all help.

You are VERY welcome!

Margret, brewer in UK :-)

--

+------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+

http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html

http://bavarianminstrel.wordpress.com

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/index.html

creation.com

A man who does not pray, will soon not be a man!

[Guest guest]

In message you

wrote:

> Well...something went awry with the last message..Anyway,after being

continually warned about metal and KT,I went right out and did what I wasn't

supposed to do...

Tut-tut! ;-) If the metal is non-ferrous = stainless steel you and your

Kombucha should be fine and you will not need to get rid of it!

> We still have a scoby left from the first purchase that has been in a

> ziplock for almost 2 months.Problem is that there is very little tea left

> with it,as there was only a scant amount over 2 cups included with the

> scobies.So,there is likely less than a few ounces of tea available to

> inoculate (?) another brewing.(maybe 2 ounces).

There should be enough microculture present to brew Kombucha - your scoby

is also full of the bacteria and yeasts!

You would be wise to add extra acidity in form of distilled or pasteurised

malt/cider vinegar over the top (about 2 tbsp should be fine for 4 litres)

> Would it be possible to brew a batch with the " untainted " scoby,and just

> start over?Maybe just a quart of tea and the scoby and what tea there is in

> the bag.I also have some raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar...could I

> perhaps add a bit of that?

ONly use that if you first kill the resident culture through boiling the

vinegar for a few minutes.

> Would I just be better off having friends bring me a bottle of commercial

> KT from the health food store or whatever?

You could do that as well and have some brews to compare. That might be quite

and interesting experience to share!

> One question just right after another.Must be a newbie

That's fine. Asking questions is the best way to learn new things .....

> Thanks for any and all help.

You are VERY welcome!

Margret, brewer in UK :-)

--

+------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+

http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html

http://bavarianminstrel.wordpress.com

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/index.html

creation.com

A man who does not pray, will soon not be a man!