And it Lives! Kombucha Baby + Kombucha Workshops

The tentative schedule for the 2009 Boston Skillshare is now up! My workshop "Home-Brewing Kombucha" will be on Sunday, April 19th from 3:45 - 5:15 pm. Keith Person's workshop "Kombucha and More" is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th from 3:45 - 5:15 pm. And Olivia Caffrey and Evan Rooney will discuss brewing beer in their workshop "Home-Brew-it-Yourself" on Saturday, April 18th from 2:05 - 3:35 pm.

There are many other great workshops scheduled as well, as listed here. There is a $3-$10 sliding scale donation, but this includes attending an unlimited number of workshops for the whole weekend, and a free vegan breakfast and lunch for skillshare attendees! The 2009 Boston Skillshare will be located at the MIT Strata Center (32 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA) April 18th & 19th, from 10 am - 7 pm.

I forgot to post this the other week, but the SCOBY that I grew made her first baby! What a cutie! A little on the thin side (she's on the right), but still healthy and cream colored! (Yes, I can become very attached to my mushrooms. :) )

The Final Days of Growing Your Own Kombucha Mother, Exp. 1

My first DIY SCOBY experiment has now come to an endend! Although from the side it looked like two cultures had actually grown, it was just one. Because the top layer was younger than the bottom layer, the top layer had a lighter, cream color, compared to the darker brown color of the bottom layer. The edges (but not the center) of the SCOBY separated a bit. However, the two layers were pretty cemented together, and they seemed all cozy and comfortable right next to each other, so I guess together as one they were meant to be.

The kombucha tea itself was definitely way over-fermented! It tasted like kombucha tea all right, but it was so acidic that you would not want to drink more than sip (taste-wise and health-wise!) The pH of the tea was around 1-2. I used some as strong starter tea, and I also mixed some regular kombucha tea with the over-fermented KT (so the pH wasn't as low), so I could store some extra SCOBYs that I want to give away in the fridge.

This experiment was much more successful than I expected, and it was wonderful to see the kombucha culture develop day by day! 

FIN - Days 13-20 - Grow Your Own Kombucha Mother (Exp. 1)

SCOBY formation is finally complete!!! Unfortunately, New England weather (and also the consistency of the heating in my apartment) is extremely variable, so temperatures during this process actually ranged from as low as ~20°C (68°F) to ~24.5°C (76.1°F). Ideally, the temperature would have been constant throughout. Look for my post tomorrow for some overall comments on this endeavor! :)

Day 20







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Day 19







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Day 18








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Day 17






It's looking like two SCOBYs to me!





Day 16








Are there TWO mothers forming?







Day 15






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Day 14

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Day 13

Days 11 & 12 - Grow Your Own Kombucha Mother (Exp. 1)

Day 12

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Day 11

Days 9 & 10 - Grow Your Own Kombucha Mother (Exp. 1)

Day 10

The SCOBY is thickening slowly but surely. :)

Day 9

Days 7 & 8 - Grow Your Own Kombucha Mother (Exp. 1)

Day 8

Judging from the apple cider vinegar/kombucha smell (and from my typical 8ish day kombucha cycles), the tea should be ready to drink within the next couple of days. But because in this case I am looking to grow a new SCOBY and not aiming to drink the KT, even if the mushroom isn't completely formed soon, I will leave the culture in peace to grow. When KT becomes over-fermented and too acidic to drink, you can make kombucha vinegar out of it or use it as a strong starter tea! When my kombucha mushroom becomes completely formed, I will taste the tea, take its pH, and report! :)

Day 7

Days 5 & 6 - Grow Your Own Kombucha Mother (Exp. 1)

Day 6

It's beginning to smell like apple cider vinegar/kombucha, which is a good sign! :)

Day 5