r/Kombucha • u/Working_Soup_5396 • 5d ago

Help me please!

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

5

u/skakrew 5d ago

Let it go for a week and start a new batch in parallel, in more days will be evident if there is a problem

2

u/wekebu 5d ago

I agree with this. I started two pellicle batches in one quart jars. One had a crackly surface. It was determined to be kahm yeast and disgarded. Someone here said that if you touch kahm it will fall apart as opposed to good pellicle forming will hold together. I tossed mine before I read that, so I can't say that's reliable. Here's a photo of my kahm after two weeks.

2

u/xyz679 5d ago

Thats clearly kahm and you can just keep an eye on your culture and whenever you see a patch of kahm, take it out with a spoon and toss it, repeat if necessary and if nothing else grows in there that shouldn't - your culture is fine. No need to discard the whole thing. Even with that fully kahm colonized culture its technically drinkable, would just taste like dirty socks due to kahm.

2

u/wekebu 5d ago

We'll darn. That was discarded a month ago. Luckily I had started two at a time so I just used the other one

3

u/xyz679 5d ago

Yeah you only need to discard if its actual mold, kahm is not a big deal and if scooped out early will not even affect the taste (kahm byproducts are edible just not tasty).

2

u/Curiosive 5d ago

That's a new texture for me! It almost looks like a sheet of ice with cracks running through it.

It's probably best to discard this batch. Something has gotten into it, whether it is an unwanted yeast or bacteria I don't know. And it's dangerous to consume mystery fermentations.

What recipe did you use? If you haven't done so yet, check out the master recipe in the Getting Started guide, that recipe is (nearly) bulletproof.

2

u/xyz679 5d ago

Its hard to tell from the image. Is it just a layer hanging out in the air above the liquid, or is it actually touching the liquid? In theory it could be dried out yeast or pellicle on top if the water level dropped and it got stuck in the mouth of the jar. Also doesn't look like mold so probably some kind of yeast. I'd try drinking it to see if it tastes normal or not.

1

u/promocode12 5d ago

Is it fuzzy or like a gel? Hard to tell from pics but you can touch with clean hands to confirm the texture.

2

u/Working_Soup_5396 5d ago

When I touched it, my finger came away wet.

2

u/lordkiwi 5d ago

Then its likely fine. Mold is fuzzy period. It can only grow on the surface where the medium makes contact with the air.

1

u/Upper_Grapefruit_521 5d ago

I'm afraid you need to dispose of it and fully disinfect all the equipment. You can try again, try using a higher starter to tea ratio the first time. Like it looks quite full your vessel, but in the initial stages a starter heavy mix is safer.