Re: My kombucha is brewing up too fast and sour!!!

[Guest guest]

I would ask you haw much sugar and tea you are using in your brews. I ask

because Len Porzio suggests to reduce sugar to speed up a brew. Perhaps if

you up your proportion of sugar it will slow things a bit.

Gayle

My kombucha is brewing up too fast and sour!!!

> Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance for your patience!!!

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> First of all, I want to thank you all for answering my first

> questions. I decided to go w/ a scoby from a bottle of raw kombucha

> I bought at Lassens. The resulting brew was very good and I got a

> new scoby that formed on top. Woohoo!

>

> I felt like the scoby was kind of thin and wanted to thicken it up

> so I let one batch go very, very sour. The scoby didn't thicken

> dramatically (maybe b/c my kombucha bowl is so wide?). I made a new

> batch of kombucha w/ a little of the very sour KT and the scoby (I

> haven't yet peeled off any of the baby scobies). That batch brewed

> very fast. By the time I tasted it at day 5 or so, it was already

> pretty sour. I tried to drink it w/ a little sugar mixed in, but I

> couldn't tolerate it. It'll have to do for salad dressing. I tried

> again w/ another batch and found that batch brewed super fast too.

> At about 4 days I found it a wee bit too sour for my taste, but a

> little sugar mixed in w/ my morning cup makes it tolerable. I'm not

> sure why it's brewing like that. I did put the sweet tea in rather

> warm the last couple of batches and have been leaving the sediment

> in the bottom of the brewing bowl when adding then new sweet tea. I

> switched from oolong tea to ceylon tea, though I can't imagine that

> would account for the souring. I may have also been leaving too much

> starter in the bowl.

>

> This last time, I put the sweet tea in only after it had cooled

> completely and removed the sediment. I used only about half a cup

> total of the previous kombucha (just what I needed to cover the

> scoby on a plate while waiting for placement). Thus far it's been

> about 4 days and the brew is approaching that sour point again. I

> don't want to decant it just yet b/c I'm concerned 4 days isn't

> enough time to form all the beneficial stuff (also, I saw a fruit

> fly? on the inside edge of the bowl when I removed the cover...it

> may have gotten in while I was pulling the cover off but I want to

> give it 24 hours to be sure no eggs were laid...ewwww).

[Guest guest]

I would ask you haw much sugar and tea you are using in your brews. I ask

because Len Porzio suggests to reduce sugar to speed up a brew. Perhaps if

you up your proportion of sugar it will slow things a bit.

Gayle

My kombucha is brewing up too fast and sour!!!

> Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance for your patience!!!

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> First of all, I want to thank you all for answering my first

> questions. I decided to go w/ a scoby from a bottle of raw kombucha

> I bought at Lassens. The resulting brew was very good and I got a

> new scoby that formed on top. Woohoo!

>

> I felt like the scoby was kind of thin and wanted to thicken it up

> so I let one batch go very, very sour. The scoby didn't thicken

> dramatically (maybe b/c my kombucha bowl is so wide?). I made a new

> batch of kombucha w/ a little of the very sour KT and the scoby (I

> haven't yet peeled off any of the baby scobies). That batch brewed

> very fast. By the time I tasted it at day 5 or so, it was already

> pretty sour. I tried to drink it w/ a little sugar mixed in, but I

> couldn't tolerate it. It'll have to do for salad dressing. I tried

> again w/ another batch and found that batch brewed super fast too.

> At about 4 days I found it a wee bit too sour for my taste, but a

> little sugar mixed in w/ my morning cup makes it tolerable. I'm not

> sure why it's brewing like that. I did put the sweet tea in rather

> warm the last couple of batches and have been leaving the sediment

> in the bottom of the brewing bowl when adding then new sweet tea. I

> switched from oolong tea to ceylon tea, though I can't imagine that

> would account for the souring. I may have also been leaving too much

> starter in the bowl.

>

> This last time, I put the sweet tea in only after it had cooled

> completely and removed the sediment. I used only about half a cup

> total of the previous kombucha (just what I needed to cover the

> scoby on a plate while waiting for placement). Thus far it's been

> about 4 days and the brew is approaching that sour point again. I

> don't want to decant it just yet b/c I'm concerned 4 days isn't

> enough time to form all the beneficial stuff (also, I saw a fruit

> fly? on the inside edge of the bowl when I removed the cover...it

> may have gotten in while I was pulling the cover off but I want to

> give it 24 hours to be sure no eggs were laid...ewwww).

[Guest guest]

Thanks! I'm using 1cup per 3qts of water. I started a continuous

brew so that hopefully that will solve the problem and take

advantage of the acids that form over longer brewing times.

>

> I would ask you haw much sugar and tea you are using in your

brews. I ask

> because Len Porzio suggests to reduce sugar to speed up a brew.

Perhaps if

> you up your proportion of sugar it will slow things a bit.

>

> Gayle

>

>

> My kombucha is brewing up too fast and sour!!!

>

>

> > Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance for your patience!!!

> >

> >

> > ------------------------------------

> >

> > First of all, I want to thank you all for answering my first

> > questions. I decided to go w/ a scoby from a bottle of raw

kombucha

> > I bought at Lassens. The resulting brew was very good and I got a

> > new scoby that formed on top. Woohoo!

> >

> > I felt like the scoby was kind of thin and wanted to thicken it

up

> > so I let one batch go very, very sour. The scoby didn't thicken

> > dramatically (maybe b/c my kombucha bowl is so wide?). I made a

new

> > batch of kombucha w/ a little of the very sour KT and the scoby

(I

> > haven't yet peeled off any of the baby scobies). That batch

brewed

> > very fast. By the time I tasted it at day 5 or so, it was already

> > pretty sour. I tried to drink it w/ a little sugar mixed in, but

I

> > couldn't tolerate it. It'll have to do for salad dressing. I

tried

> > again w/ another batch and found that batch brewed super fast

too.

> > At about 4 days I found it a wee bit too sour for my taste, but a

> > little sugar mixed in w/ my morning cup makes it tolerable. I'm

not

> > sure why it's brewing like that. I did put the sweet tea in

rather

> > warm the last couple of batches and have been leaving the

sediment

> > in the bottom of the brewing bowl when adding then new sweet

tea. I

> > switched from oolong tea to ceylon tea, though I can't imagine

that

> > would account for the souring. I may have also been leaving too

much

> > starter in the bowl.

> >

> > This last time, I put the sweet tea in only after it had cooled

> > completely and removed the sediment. I used only about half a cup

> > total of the previous kombucha (just what I needed to cover the

> > scoby on a plate while waiting for placement). Thus far it's been

> > about 4 days and the brew is approaching that sour point again. I

> > don't want to decant it just yet b/c I'm concerned 4 days isn't

> > enough time to form all the beneficial stuff (also, I saw a fruit

> > fly? on the inside edge of the bowl when I removed the cover...it

> > may have gotten in while I was pulling the cover off but I want

to

> > give it 24 hours to be sure no eggs were laid...ewwww).

>