Diary of a Beginnger

[Guest guest]

May 13 (Day 9)

The top of my brew is completely covered with the growing SCOBY. It is not

particularly think -- perhaps 1/8 inch. The color is creamy whitish -- the

color of yeast. It is bubbly. It looks on the top the way a bread starter

(biga) looks after 24 hours.

So, folks, what is next? Should I let the SCOBY develop more and get a bit

thicker? Or has the time come to move it all to a bigger container and start

the tea brew?

This is exciting!

[Guest guest]

>

> , I'd let it go another few days, till Tuesday or so.

>

I can wait until Tuesday. The SCOBY is getting thicker and denser.

ALso, when you do start the real batch, be sure to put the SCOBY and

> starter in at the top, once you've got your sweet tea situated in the

> vessel.

>

>

How much water, tea, and sugar should I use for the first real batch?

The starter has 2 cups of GT's original KT and 1 cup of water. That's a

total of 3 cups of liquid for the starter. How much sweet tea should I make?

Thanks,

-nancy

[Guest guest]

>

>

>

> > , I'd let it go another few days, till Tuesday or so.

> >

>

> I can wait until Tuesday. The SCOBY is getting thicker and denser.

>

> ALso, when you do start the real batch, be sure to put the SCOBY and

> > starter in at the top, once you've got your sweet tea situated in the

> > vessel.

> >

>

May 15: Day 11 (for the starter)

This morning I noticed that the SCOBY was pulling away from the sides of the

vessel. The disk was beginning to turn vertically. I decided to get going

today with the KT brewing.

Once the sweet tea cooled I poured some of the starter liquid in slowly.

Then I guided the SCOBY in gently. I tried to float it on the top. However,

it sank immediately to the bottom. I added the remaining starter liquid.

There is some foamy stuff on top of the liquid and the SCOBY is at the

bottom. Is this okay?

[Guest guest]

>Once the sweet tea cooled I poured some of the starter liquid in slowly.

>Then I guided the SCOBY in gently. I tried to float it on the top. However,

>it sank immediately to the bottom. I added the remaining starter liquid.

>There is some foamy stuff on top of the liquid and the SCOBY is at the

>bottom. Is this okay?

, it's totally not a problem. Some people's SCOBYs do flips, stand

vertically, go to the bottom, etc. Even though floating is the image of

what is correct, it's quite normal for it to do other things. Whatever it

wants to do is what is good.

--V

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

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

Hi Trish,

Im patiently waiting for my scoby to create itself from GT tea. It

> is Day 8 and something is happening.(YAY) There is an increasing

> white film building up on the top of the tea I started with. As you

> did , I started with GT tea and added a cup of water. The jar

> is covered and unmoved for the past 8 days. I noticed you

> waited til DAY 11 before you added sweetened tea to your new scoby.

In the very beginning I used the GT Kombucha and sweetened tea for the

starter. The ratio was 16 ounces GT Kombucha and 24 ounces sweetened tea.

To this small amt of starter how much tea should I add? The jar I

> am intending to use is a one gallon glass jar with a very wide mouth

> that I purchased at Target. Advice on the Amt of sugar to tea would

> be greatly appreciated...

Here is the recipe kindly put together for me:

>How much water, tea, and sugar should I use for the first real batch?

>The starter has 2 cups of GT's original KT and 1 cup of water. That's a

>total of 3 cups of liquid for the starter. How much sweet tea should I

make?

This depends entirely on the size of your vessel and how much space your

SCOBY will take up. I think you said that you estimated your vessel to

hold 116 oz leaving enough airspace, yes?

Anyway, subtract the 24 oz of your liquid starter from your total, then

make a recipe that is proportional to your basic recipe for KT. Many people

suggest 2 tsp of tea and 1/3 cup sugar per qt/liter of water. I use 1 tsp

tea and about the same ratio of sugar, because the recipe I started with

(Tietze's) is apparently a lighter-on-tea recipe,, but I know some people

use even more than 2 tsp per liter. Mine works fine, so I think the amount

of tea has a workable range and people can choose what they want to use. I

think 1 tsp per liter would be about the low end though.

I figured out that this ratio for sugar is .083. So if the total brew

volume is 116 oz, subtract the 24 oz for the starter, which leaves 92 oz of

water to be used. Multiple 92 by .083 and you get 7.6 ounces, rounding up

to 8 oz (1 cup measure) of sugar. 92 oz is a little under 3 liters, so

that would be 6 teaspoons of tea by the more generous recipe, or 3 tsp of

tea by the lesser.

So anyone seeking to figure out the ratio of sugar to water can use this

ratio to figure it out. The ratio can be simplified to .08 (8 percent),

but I would recommend rounding up to the next nearest ounce of sugar either

way.

This is a volume measure of dry sugar, btw, using a cup measure. Anyone

using liquid sugar will find that you'll need to reduce your water volume

by the same amount of sugar you add, because dry sugar barely increases the

overall volume of sweetened tea, but liquid sugar is the same as adding

that amount of water as well as sweetener.

Hope I haven't muddied the waters. And sorry about you folks on the metric

system. The ratio (.08) would be the same but I don't feel confident

trying to offer numbers in that system.

--V

How has this worked out for you ? Are

> you now brewing KT happily?? All the best, Trish M

DAY 11 was eleven days after beginning the starter. This is when I moved the

SCOBY and starter liquid to a larger container, added sweetened tea, and

began my first " real " brew of KT.

Today is DAY 9 of the of the real brew of KT

I moved the starter SCOBY and liquid to a much larger container. It took

eight days for a SCOBY to develop across the top of the entire surface. The

SCOBY is very thin. I will let it continue to brew.

I'll let you know how it goes.

-nancy

[Guest guest]

>Today is DAY 9 of the of the real brew of KT

>I moved the starter SCOBY and liquid to a much larger container. It took

>eight days for a SCOBY to develop across the top of the entire surface. The

>SCOBY is very thin. I will let it continue to brew.

-- probably you should taste your brew at this point. Remember that

SCOBY size really is not a determinate of readiness, and it's been going

long enough it's time to taste. !

Let us know how it goes

--V

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

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

>

>I tried it and liked it! I tried it again and liked it!

>

>It is pleasantly tart. It doesn't have bubbles, but it tastes like it is on

>the verge of carbonation. It's really, really good!

>

>I'll figure out how to bottle it and start another batch.

Well, remember that you can always decant some into a pitcher and put it in

the fridge. When I need it for immediate drinking I put some in a pitcher

and bottle the rest.

--V

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

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

When I was able to drink more that half a straw full, it was even better!

Pleasantly tart and bubbly. I put some in small pitcher and bottled the

rest.

I started a new batch. The SCOBY that grew in the starter, grew wider in the

larger tea container. It is still thin, but strong. How long will it take

for this SCOBY to produce a baby SCOBY?

-nancy

[Guest guest]

>When I was able to drink more that half a straw full, it was even better!

>Pleasantly tart and bubbly. I put some in small pitcher and bottled the

>rest.

Excellent. Sounds perfect.

>I started a new batch. The SCOBY that grew in the starter, grew wider in the

>larger tea container. It is still thin, but strong. How long will it take

>for this SCOBY to produce a baby SCOBY?

A new SCOBY will form with this new batch, and every new batch. It may

attach to the old one, or may be separate. While they are thin I suggest

leaving them together in each successive batch until you get a good

thickness going, and then once you've got a strong brew going, more batches

can be started with the new SCOBYs. Certainly if they attach to each other

I do not recommend pulling them apart (some slight adherence is normal, but

when they are strongly attached I leave them).

--V

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

--A.J. Muste