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Take a vacation from kombucha making with a Scoby hotel
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If you are brewing your own kombucha, you may want to store your Scoby in between batches or while you are away. “Scoby” stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast, the mother culture that brews your kombucha. If you want to store your Scoby for less than a month and a half, you can simply brew a new batch! Additionally, you can store Scobys long-term by putting them in a Scoby hotel. This article will give you all the info you need to pause your brew, plus tips on making new Scobys!
How to Properly Preserve a Scoby
- Store Scobys for up to 6 weeks in a fresh batch of kombucha, made from kombucha mother tea, clean water, black tea, and cane sugar.
- Put several Scobys in a large, sterilized glass jar, then fill it ¾ of the way up with a 1 to 1 mixture of sweet black tea and fermented kombucha.
- Do not refrigerate Scobys unless the temperature of your kombucha is at risk of going over 100 °F (38 °C) It will cause the Scoby to go dormant and puts it at risk of growing mold.
Steps
Section 1 of 4:
Preserving Scoby in a New Batch of Kombucha
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Start a batch of kombucha with clean water and black tea. The best way to store your Scoby is to make a new batch! Boil about 3.5 quarts (3.31 L) of water in a medium pot, and add around 8 black tea bags. [1] X Research source Once the water boils, remove the pot from the heat source so it can cool.
- Place your pot over ice to speed up the cooling process.
- If using loose-leaf tea, use about 2 tablespoons (29.57 g).
- Generally, the first brew should only be made with unflavored, caffeinated black tea. Anything else can weaken the Scoby—remember, it’s a living organism with a specific diet. [2] X Research source
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Add 1 cup (200 g) of cane sugar and dissolve it into your tea. Pour in your sugar and mix it with the tea until it dissolves. Only use white cane sugar—honey, agave, or brown sugar can be difficult for Scobys to break down and eat. Every Scoby is different, though, so you can try experimenting (but have extras on hand in case something happens!). [3] X Research sourceAdvertisement
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Pour your tea into a glass jar after it cools and cover it with a cloth. Let your tea steep until the water has cooled, which may take 1-3 hours. Then, pour it into a large, clean glass jar. This is where you will house your Scoby as your kombucha brews. [4] X Research source
- Put the jar through the dishwasher or wash it with soap and hot water before pouring in your tea.
- A 0.5 US gal (1.9 L) glass jar works great!
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Put your Scoby inside the jar and cover the top with cloth. Wash your hands, then put your Scoby into the jar. It will likely settle at the bottom. Then, place a tightly woven cloth over the opening, like a bandana or tea towel. [5] X Research source
- You can add a lid to your kombucha jar, but don’t seal it. As the Scoby breaks down the sugar, it releases carbon dioxide. If you seal the gasses in, you could end up with a mini kombucha explosion when you open it.
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Store your glass jar in a warm, dry, dark spot. Kombucha ferments best at 70 °F (21 °C), but can be safely kept anywhere between 65 and 85 °F (18 and 29 °C). [6] X Research source Since sunlight can weaken (or even kill) your Scoby, keep it somewhere dark and dry. in a dark environment. To prevent spills or potential damages, place your jar on a flat, stationary surface where it will not be bumped.
- You can place your jar in a cabinet, for example. Just make sure it’s not too humid—excess moisture can cause the top of your Scoby to grow mold.
- Your Scoby will safely ferment at room temperature for about six weeks, so you can let it brew without worrying.
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Section 2 of 4:
Making a Scoby Hotel
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Select a large, sterile glass container big enough to fit several Scobys. You can use any size jar, though keep in mind it has to be large enough to hold all of your Scobys, plus their food. Wash a large jar (4 litres (1.1 US gal) should be enough in most cases) with hot water and soap. [7] X Research source
- You can squirt some soap into the jar and soak it, then rinse the jar to wash away soap residue.
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Put all of your Scobys into the jar. Clean your hands well before handling your Scobys. Over time, you can add more Scobys into the same jar to create your “hotel.” This is helpful in case one of your brews goes bad. That way, you will have backup Scobys to use for new batches. [8] X Research source
- If you have so many Scobys that they take up over half of the jar, consider giving some away or making more than one hotel.
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Pour in one part kombucha and one part freshly brewed tea. Ultimately, the jar should be about ¾ of the way full, so if you have a 4 litres (1.1 US gal) jar that’s ¼ filled with Scobys, add 1 litre (0.26 US gal) of kombucha and 1 litre (0.26 US gal) of tea. [9] X Research source
- You can use some of your recent kombucha brew or use a bottle of unflavored store-bought kombucha.
- To make your tea, you can boil 5–6 cups (1.2–1.4 L) of water and steep about 4 teabags. Then, pour in about 0.5 cups (0.12 L) of cane sugar.
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Cover your jar with a clean cloth. Place a tightly woven cloth on the top of your jar and secure it with a rubber band. [10] X Research source If the kombucha smells strongly of vinegar, consider putting an activated charcoal pouch next to your container or on top of the cloth.
- Some people advise sealing the jar with a lid to prevent it from smelling, but that will cause pressure to build up and could lead to a kombucha explosion . [11] X Research source
- If you don’t have a cloth, you can use 2 coffee filters instead.
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Store your jar in a dark, warm, and dry place. You can place this next to other kombucha batches if you'd like. Make sure your Scoby hotel will not be disturbed in whatever location you pick. [12] X Research source
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Replace the kombucha in your Scoby hotel every 8 weeks. Since you have multiple Scobys in your batch, it will ferment more quickly than normal and will be much more potent. To keep it well fed, empty about half of the liquid every 8 weeks and refill it with new sweet tea. [13] X Research source
- You can make a new batch of kombucha from the extra liquid, use it as vinegar, or drink it (it will likely be very acidic since the Scobys are breaking down the sugar so quickly).
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Section 3 of 4:
How to Make a New Scoby
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Purchase or obtain unflavored, unpasteurized kombucha. When people refer to a Scoby, they’re often referring to the filmy cellulose mat made from bacteria in the kombucha. However, the majority of the “symbiotic colony” is actually in the liquid. The mat (or pellicle ) is very helpful for the fermentation process and can be grown from plain kombucha. [14] X Research source
- Store-bought kombucha is often lower quality than homemade and can produce weaker Scobys (which are more likely to die). If possible, get raw, homemade starter tea. [15]
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- If you have a friend who makes kombucha, consider asking them for a few cups of starter tea.
- Store-bought kombucha is often lower quality than homemade and can produce weaker Scobys (which are more likely to die). If possible, get raw, homemade starter tea. [15]
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Pour the tea into a sterilized jar and cover it with cloth. Put a jar through the dishwasher or hand wash it with hot water and soap to sterilize it. Pour in your kombucha, cover the top with a thick, breathable cloth (like a bandana), then put it in a dark, dry area to ferment. [16] X Research source
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Let the tea sit for 6-8 weeks. After around seven weeks, you should see a pellicule (Scoby) formed over the top of the liquid. Your Scoby is ready to go! [17] X Research source
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWill some loose tea leaves in the tea damage the mother?Community AnswerAny potential bad bacteria could ruin your scoby. You also want to be careful using paper towels, they drop particles of paper onto of your scoby.
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Things You'll Need
Storing Scobys
- Scoby
- Jar
- Black tea bags
- White cane sugar
- Cloth
- Dark, warm storage spot
Making Scobys
- Raw, unflavored, unpasteurized kombucha (can be store-bought)
- Jar
- Tightly knit cloth
Tips
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Warnings
- If your jar or bag is not completely clean, your Scoby may grow mold.Thanks
- If your Scoby is black, it sadly is dead. You must use another to make a new brew.Thanks
- If you see any blue spots, you must stop your brew. That is mold, and you don’t want to drink it! [25] X Research sourceThanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/guide-to-first-fermentation
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/guide-to-first-fermentation
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/guide-to-first-fermentation
- ↑ https://www.liveeatlearn.com/the-simple-guide-to-kickass-kombucha/
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/guide-to-first-fermentation
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/temperature
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys/
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys/
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys/
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys/
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys/
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys/
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/BUqvSz4p3fw?t=84
- ↑ https://youtu.be/BUqvSz4p3fw?t=23
- ↑ https://youtu.be/BUqvSz4p3fw?t=84
- ↑ https://youtu.be/BUqvSz4p3fw?t=81
- ↑ https://culturesforhealth.com/blogs/learn/making-a-scoby-hotel-to-store-your-scoby
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/mold
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/mold
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/mold
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys
- ↑ https://homemadekombuchaco.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-extra-scobys
- ↑ https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/mold
- ↑ http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/03/27/kombucha-tips-troubleshooting/
About This Article
Article Summary
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To store multiple Scobys at a time, try making a Scoby hotel by choosing a glass container large enough to fit several Scobys. Next, put all of your Scobys into the jar and pour in 1 cup of kombucha and 3 cups of freshly brewed green or black tea. Then, cover your jar with a clean, tightly-woven cloth and screw the lid on firmly. Finally, store your jar in a dark, warm place and replace your kombucha every 2 weeks. For more tips, like how to store your Scoby by making a new batch of kombucha, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "We have quite a bit of kombucha and are moving soon, so we needed a way to both stop making more kombucha and store our scoby for the move. This will work quite nicely." ..." more
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"We have quite a bit of kombucha and are moving soon, so we needed a way to both stop making more kombucha and store our scoby for the move. This will work quite nicely."
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