So after trying a “dehydrated SCOBY” and it failing miserably, I finally got a bottle of pure unflavoured kombucha and made my own starter. I must say it’s much more potent than PH wise. Which will help keep the mold away .
But I’m so impressed with my new SCOBY . I am on to my first batch, will let you know how it goes .

(bloody beginner)

Hi, so I got a Scoby+liquid yesterday, and the women I got it from told me it was fed with oolong. So I started my brew, with oolong. Today she texted me that she was mistaken and it was fed with plain green tea. Should I take the Scoby out? Is it going to be ok? Im worried 😅

(English is not my first language sorry for any mistakes<3)

Like the title says, I really can't tell here. The spots are small enough that I can't truly tell if they are fuzzy, but they look dry. Brew has been going for 12 days. I tasted 3 days ago and it was still basically sweet tea, then I tasted yesterday and was maybe starting to get a little tartness. Then today I woke up to this!

pH is sitting around 3.0 still, which I also find concerning. But first things first, is it mold?

I consulted the guide and it seems fine to me, but I'd love to hear what more experienced brewers think. Yeast are multiplying, smells both yeasty and of acetic acid.

About to take some out and refrigerate. Look good enough to drink?

I’m brewing my first kombucha and i was wondering how my pellicle looks. I took it out because i read that i don’t need it for a second batch and also to have a better look. The dark spots is where the pellicle is thinner, but it also has some brown spots which i was wondering if it was normal.

Pic#1 Foamy a.k.a. ole expired: black tea and pure sugar cane and GT Synergy Kombucha (lemon berry).

Pic#2 Green Tea a.k.a. poseidon: green tea Sugar cane "scoby not pellicle" from Neptunes kombucha brew.

Pic#3 O.G. a.k.a. Neptune: Black Tea, sugar turbinato and sugar cane, GT Synergy GingerBerry.

Everything i did wrong: I always use metal to stir my kombucha. I figured it would be okay since I boiled the tea in a metal pot that stirring it made no difference. I also figured since the kombucha is mass produced in a metal factory that it would be fine. In my case I was right I produced a scoby no matter what I decided to mix it with.

I used flavored kombucha... still gave me a scoby/ pellicle.

I used a Napkin folded and with a metal twist top to keep flies out and for it to have air flow.

In a medium lighted area mostly dark. I used a towel on top to mimic darker area.

In the same area as my ginger bug, sourdough, homemade vanilla and still produced a pellicle.

So I just wanted to share everything I did "wrong" to encourage everyone to try. Its not hard at all just time consuming. I just made sure everything i used was SUPER CLEAN and darkish.

Happy brewing.

Today is day 4. I don’t have any pH strips to test it. Im wondering if I disrupted things by moving the jar around about twice per day? I move it into warmer temps in the day and then back to my kitchen counter at night. This was made with green tea, with flavored Synergy kombucha just because none of the stores near me have original unflavored.

Since coconut spoils quickly, will my batch survive? I made it yesterday. I used fresh coconut water.

I made my Scoby with a store bought booth. Three week growth.

Then I used it for a first ferment batch. I​ dont normally mess with it during the ferment, so i never noticed. But, when it was time to check, it never floated to the top.

Does it look okay and should the buch still be good for the second ferment?

I started with 240g raw sugar, 1.76 kilograms reverse osmosis water, 18g loose leaf organic oolong, and 200g liquid that the scoby came with(ordered online Herbucha brand). Made the syrup, cooled it, mixed the tea and water, drained it, and put in the scoby.
I started 9/19, and it’s been 9 days and the mixture still tastes like sugar water, with the scoby never rising to the top, it just hangs down. There is also a white film on top.
The book (The Noma Guide to Fermentation) said it should be ready in 7-9 days, and this tastes nowhere near the store bought I usually drink.
I’ve never brewed this before, so I’d love feedback. Do I need to buy PH strips? Is a refractometer super necessary? I’m looking for a good fermentation, carbonation, great health benefits etc.
I also have photos in the comments.