absolutely shocking squidlies!

[Guest guest]

Dear folks who know what they are doing:

I'm a newcomer to making kombucha. My second batch is underway - day 5 now. The

mushroom has grown HUGE and looks very happy, BUT hanging from it are 3 or 4

huge

clumps of dark brown squidlies - most unappetizing... Is this the way it's

supposed to be? I

read that these are spent yeast cells - true? What do I do with them when I

decant?

Wanting to look forward to a successful brew,

Teakvass

[Guest guest]

The brown hanging stuff is active yeast cells, not spent. When decanting

you can avoid bottling them by filtering as you pour. otoh, they will not

hurt you to ingest, far from it. When ready to drink, I drink the sediment

and whatever else finds its way into the bottles, my partner filters it

when pouring into his glass, using a bamboo tea strainer such as are made

in China. Our bottles almost invariably develop some SCOBY activity.

Yes, they are completely normal and part of the process. I understand that

in Germany, where KT has been widely brewed for a long time, there are

cultural traditions that involve not allowing the children to see the

SCOBY/brew while in process, because it can be alarming. Since few of us

grew up drinking KT and understanding how marvelous it is, we haven't been

culturally prepared for the KT culture, as it were.

I keep my brews covered using muslin tea towels, which then also drape the

vessels from view. I find them to be fascinating and beautiful, but I do

understand that others don't. It's more important to enjoy the tonic.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste