Guest guest Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 Hi Murray, I don't think the negative ion generator is to blame. I used one in the beginning close to my brewing vessels, wanting to give my scobies extra fresh air... they grew nice and thick! Also, I keep at least 3 to 4 cycles worth of scobies together. How much sugar and how much tea do you use? I use 1 cup of sugar per 3 liter of KT, and 5 bags of tea for 3 l. I had the thickest scobie when I substituted 1/4 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of #2 mable syrup (from the Waterloo farmer's market near you!). If you ever come to Toronto, you are welcome to have a plump scobie with starter for free, I just don't have time to mail them... > > Hello, > > I have been brewing and taking Kombucha on and off for about a decade. > The first strain of Kombucha that I got was the best in terms of the > size of the scooby that formed in the coarse of about seven to ten days. > It would get to be about 1/4 inch or better in thickness and therefore > easy to handle to move to make new cultures. That strain died out at > some point, and I have gotten two others that both produce very thin > scoobys. They are sometimes just a skin and very flimsy; little more > than like floating tissue paper. The source of the first strain is gone. > I make the tea the same way. I have one suspicion, and that is an > Airsource^TM air purifier in the house. It works by creating ions and > other chemistry in the air, and is not a filter. The marketers claim > that it will control mould problems in a home, and I sometimes wonder if > it's affecting the Kombucha cultures I'm trying to grow. The " damage " is > all ready done if this is a valid concern > > Does anyone reasonably close to me have a culture that is good at > producing a thick scooby willing to share theirs? Or, does anyone have a > suggestion that I can try to get my culture to grow a thicker scooby? > > Thank you, > > -- > Murray - Kitchener, Ontario, Canada > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 canadiangirlsdream wrote: > Hi Murray, > > How much sugar and how much tea do you use? I use 1 cup of sugar per 3 > liter of KT, and 5 bags of tea for 3 l. I had the thickest scobie when > I substituted 1/4 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of #2 mable syrup (from > the Waterloo farmer's market near you!). > I'll give the maple syrop a try. I have some I bought from a Menonite. Thank you. > If you ever come to Toronto, you are welcome to have a plump scobie > with starter for free, I just don't have time to mail them... > I will be in Brampton or Etobicoke in the near future. I have clients that are due for a visit. May I contact you when I solidify the details? -- Murray - Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 > I have one suspicion, and that is an >Airsource^TM air purifier in the house. It works by creating ions and >other chemistry in the air, and is not a filter. The marketers claim >that it will control mould problems in a home, and I sometimes wonder if >it's affecting the Kombucha cultures I'm trying to grow. The " damage " is >all ready done if this is a valid concern We had someone on this list a while back who said that her HEPA air filter inhibited her brews. But Do is saying she uses a neg ion generator with no problems, so not sure this is the issue. The person who claimed she had a problem kept her brews in another room, sealed away from the filter. I was having thinner and thinner SCOBYs and very long brew times, and I brew with agave syrup instead of cane sugar/sucrose. I added 25% barley malt syrup, and now my SCOBYs and brews are fat and swift. So my experience combined with the observations of others leads me to believe that people with skinny SCOBYs might want to change a portion of their sugar to an alternative sweetener and see if that helps the matter, also as Do mentioned. --V ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~ --A.J. Muste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 I've only heard that an air filter is bad, your best bet is to try it, try putting it in a different room. As far as the scoby's, I'm getting thin ones right now because of the winter months(Even in texas, lol!) but they're still pretty thick, over a 1/4in for the ones I got, and they will go that big if I let them brew an extra week or so. The source I got them from sent me very thick and very large ones. One thing you may want to try, use GT or some other commercial (raw, unpastuerized) kombucha with your starter liquid when you start another brew. It's cross-breeding but can help re-establish any cultures that may have died off, and since everyone's kombucha is a little different anyways, it adds more variety and alters the taste a little. If you get GT's get the original 100% kombucha don't throw fruit in to be fermented with it. Stick to the basic recipe(black tea, sugar) if you can for one of them, and throw in your starter like you always do, with 1/2 a bottle of GT's or maybe even the whole bottle. Keep one or two of the thin scoby's on there with a bigger scoby if you have one to let them all work together. I really like the idea of cross-breeding, each scoby is a little different, or, each family strain is. I've got an A and a B line right now. A and B both had a baby and I put them together with some GT and now it's a really thick baby. B is also mixed with GT while A is what I originally received. But the A/B mix are 2 big SCOBY's making an even thicker one, going on for 4 weeks, with extra starter. --ph > > > > I have one suspicion, and that is an > >Airsource^TM air purifier in the house. It works by creating ions and > >other chemistry in the air, and is not a filter. The marketers claim > >that it will control mould problems in a home, and I sometimes wonder if > >it's affecting the Kombucha cultures I'm trying to grow. The " damage " is > >all ready done if this is a valid concern > > We had someone on this list a while back who said that her HEPA air filter > > inhibited her brews. But Do is saying she uses a neg ion generator with no > > problems, so not sure this is the issue. The person who claimed she had a > problem kept her brews in another room, sealed away from the filter. > > I was having thinner and thinner SCOBYs and very long brew times, and I > brew with agave syrup instead of cane sugar/sucrose. I added 25% barley > malt syrup, and now my SCOBYs and brews are fat and swift. So my > experience combined with the observations of others leads me to believe > that people with skinny SCOBYs might want to change a portion of their > sugar to an alternative sweetener and see if that helps the matter, also > as > Do mentioned. > > --V > > ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~ > --A.J. Muste > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 See how it goes with the maple syrup. If you use the amber (#2)mable syrup, it adds interesting flavor to the kombucha. If you still need another scoby, I am in Scarborough, just let me know a few days before you are coming so I can have it all ready for you. Wishing you happy brewing! Do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 See how it goes with the maple syrup. If you use the amber (#2)mable syrup, it adds interesting flavor to the kombucha. If you still need another scoby, I am in Scarborough, just let me know a few days before you are coming so I can have it all ready for you. Wishing you happy brewing! Do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 See how it goes with the maple syrup. If you use the amber (#2)mable syrup, it adds interesting flavor to the kombucha. If you still need another scoby, I am in Scarborough, just let me know a few days before you are coming so I can have it all ready for you. Wishing you happy brewing! Do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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