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Kombucha Makers Unite; Where to ask and be answered


kb0426

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I have 1 mama scoby in my hotel so far. I have my fingers crossed that the baby does a good job with my 2nd batch so that eventually, I can have 2 backup scobys in the hotel.

So..it takes longer for the process when you use a baby than it does a mama correct? That part confuses me. I lost my mama and baby to a true blue mold. I think having one or two in the hotel is so key. I have only done CB, but now I am growing 2 SCOBYs from scratch. I may do one CB and one batch brew. Seriously obsessed.

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What is a CB, a GT and a baby vs a mama? What is a Scoby hotel? lol

Welcome to the world of booch-speak Praxis. :) CB stands for continuous brew. So, if I take 32oz out of my vessel, I add 32oz of sweet tea to replenish it. The advantage is that is low maintenance and the brew is ready to use again in 2 days. Mama is your first SCOBY. They continuously reproduce other SCOBYs which are called baby SCOBYs. You can store them in a hotel which is the SCOBY plus a couple cups of booch. You place it in a cool, dark cupboard for storage. It peacefully sleeps there. :) GT is a brand of Kombucha here in the states.

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I don't know CB. GT is a brand name store bought kombucha. Mama scoby is the scoby you put in your sweetened tea to start. The scoby will start growing a new scoby as a film at the top of the jar - that is the baby. Mine were stuck together. I heard that they may not always be stuck together. I just peeled them apart with clean hands. I started a new brew with the baby (the half that was on top) and put the mama (the botom part) in a small jar covered with kombucha, but without any add'l sugar, cover with a plastic wrap lined jar lid and put it in a back corner of a shelf in the basement (to stay cool, but not cold). It should not grow, but should stay alive in case I need it. So much to learn!

Susan - I'd guess it might take longer with a baby. I'm not sure. I'm so sorry for your scoby loss!

now I know CB!

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Ok so after reading this thread today I bought a bottle of GT ginger. Of course now I want to make my own. Where do I start? Do I save some of this tea and buy a scoby online? Help please?

First..enjoy the gingerade. Its my favorite with gingerberry running a close second. :) You need to start with plain, unflavored. Dump it into a container and add one cup of tea sweetened with 1 TBS sugar. Easy peasy. Cover jar opening with cloth fastened with a rubberband so it can breathe but fruit flies cant get to it. In 2-3 weeks you will have a SCOBY and then you will be ready to brew your first batch. :)

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This is what I did! Grew scoby out of GT. It made a baby scoby, which went to the second jar after peeling it off. They both grew one baby each. One baby went to the hotel and one went to my Dad. His baby grows at the rocket speed! It is double size in two days, weeeeee!

I suggest that KB edits her first post and includes instructions and links. I mean Susan is a rock star and ready to help everyone. Aaand that's why we all love her, but... What do you think?

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This is what I did! Grew scoby out of GT. It made a baby scoby, which went to the second jar after peeling it off. They both grew one baby each. One baby went to the hotel and one went to my Dad. His baby grows at the rocket speed! It is double size in two days, weeeeee!

I suggest that KB edit her first post and will include instructions and links. I mean Susan is a rock star and ready to help everyone. Aaand that's why we all love her, but... What do you think?

Of course your Dad's SCOBY is going crazy. He received a Pixie Dust SCOBY. :0) Awesome idea regarding the links in OP. I am always worried that I will forget something. Plus..what a helpful thread we will be.

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I think that's a great idea. I know I'd appreciate it. Like an FAQ and favorite links.

Ooohh..love the FAQ idea but we may have to pirate that. KombuchaKamp seems to be highly respected. Can we pirate that with no permissions or we could start our own.

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2-3 weeks? I can't wait I might buy one online ;). But yes I think a FAQ would be great.

ETA: I'm not sure how I feel about the fizz. I don't like soda or beer because of the carbonation and bubbles it leaves in my tummy. Are all of the teas like this?

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2-3 weeks? I can't wait I might buy one online . But yes I think a FAQ would be great.

ETA: I'm not sure how I feel about the fizz. I don't like soda or beer because of the carbonation and bubbles it leaves in my tummy. Are all of the teas like this?

Kt fizz is nothing like added fizz. Way fewer bubbles.

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Ooohh..love the FAQ idea but we may have to pirate that. KombuchaKamp seems to be highly respected. Can we pirate that with no permissions or we could start our own.

We could ask? Or we could do our own. I'm sure if we all thought about the questions we have (or had for you experienced brewers), we'd have a pretty solid list of questions. I, for one, have many.

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We could ask? Or we could do our own. I'm sure if we all thought about the questions we have (or had for you experienced brewers), we'd have a pretty solid list of questions. I, for one, have many.

Yeah we could totally make our own.

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Wait. What do you want me to include in the original post?

I would be happy to include links to instructions for making scoby from GTs original and Kombucha Kamp. But creating an FAQ? That sounds like work to me!

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Wait. What do you want me to include in the original post?

I would be happy to include links to instructions for making scoby from GTs original and Kombucha Kamp. But creating an FAQ? That sounds like work to me!

Totally agree. Work is so not what we are going for. Give me 2 days to compile a good list of links. You can always veto them. :)

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That's a good idea. And if the same questions do keep popping up, a bit of collating could always be done later - just taking what's said in the thread by our experts. I don't mind doing that kind of thing if that's helpful. (I'm always looking for excuses to have a break from reading/writing).

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Susan, we can split the work. I am thinking this structure. Keep it short with the link for a good article.

What is kombucha

Health benefits

Shopping list to start your own brew (list types of teas, sugars, bottles etc)

Two ways to get a scoby

Basic recipe

Two ways to brew

Second fermantation

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Susan, we can split the work. I am thinking this structure. Keep it short with the link for a good article.

What is kombucha

Health benefits

Shopping list to start your own brew (list types of teas, sugars, bottles etc)

Two ways to get a scoby

Basic recipe

Two ways to brew

Second fermantation

Sounds good. I will halt my list. :)

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Susan, we can split the work. I am thinking this structure. Keep it short with the link for a good article.

What is kombucha

Health benefits

Shopping list to start your own brew (list types of teas, sugars, bottles etc)

Two ways to get a scoby

Basic recipe

Two ways to brew

Second fermantation

One thought..we should probably be careful about health benefits. Just maybe speak to probiotics and stop there?

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SCOBY bragging!

Not nearly so impressive as Nadia's dad's doubling its size in record time, but I had a peek today (1 week since I started growing it) and it is completely covering the surface of the liquid. Starting to really thicken up in the spots where it was first visible. (Still thin overall though). Hubby asking more questions about SCOBY behaviour, wrinkles nose and says it's disgusting, then asks how long we have to wait before we get our first batch. That's my boy.

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I think all the information provided so far has been helpful. I have taken all other questions to Pinterest, Google, and Youtube. ^_^ . I ordered a scoby kit from Etsy and will start my process next week.

PS where is a cheap place to get glass bottles/jars from? I plan on hitting up the thrift store and have already asked my parents to put theirs to the side.

PPS what if my scoby is too big to fit into my jar? Can i cut it?

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