7 Myths of Kombucha that many wont talk about

Initially I started brewing because ,we wanted to make our own Booch to experiment with crazy flavors. ( I still do)

One main issue which I had was, the level of secrecy in around it and conflicting data. This made me take a vow.

How we got the SCOBY and the measurements right which we use in Heaven's Elix Kombucha is another story for another time.

7 Deadly myths

Let's assume you want to brew Kombucha on your own and start either reading or watching clips of people doing it online. Some points start to get played on repeat.

1. SCOBY is the Rubber like puck.

2. Kombucha will explode when stored in airtight bottle.

3. Kombucha should not be shaken when its forming the SCOBY.

4. You Should not taste the Kombucha which is brewing.

5. It has to be fermented for X days before it can called Kombucha .

6. Mold is common.

7. Pellicle/ SCOBY needs to be pretty.

SCOBY is the Rubber puck like thing.

When saying Kombucha Brewing, what we mean to say is

So now let's get to the Puck. When we place the Puck in a solution of Sugar and Tea, the bacteria and yeast start feeding on it & they get busy multiplying. They in turn produce various organic acids which give it the unique tart-ie Sweet-ie flavor. ( It's not a typo, this is how I describe the taste ;) )

Now as the fermentation progress, they create a layer of cellulose between the air and surface of the booch similar to a layer of Slime. This in turn grows in thickness as day's progress. Its called "Pellicle". As it's a physical marker of the growth, many (including myself ) assume that this the SCOBY which develops into future Kombucha .

But the actual SCOBY is present in the pellicle as well as the liquid which we drink. So you don't need the Pellicle to make Kombucha, you just need Kombucha. Isn't it neat?

Kombucha will explode when stored in airtight bottle.

This one is not entirely a myth, but a misconception.

Raw Kombucha is a live creature. The yeast which is present inside continually chomp on the residual sugar which is present and converts it into CO2. This CO2 in turn gets built up inside the glass bottle and carbonates the Kombucha.

This is a good thing as we Love a Bubbly Booch.

BUT, if the carbonation increases more than the capacity of the bottle to hold, then it leads to cracking of the bottle or gushing bubbles when you open the cap. Both equally bad since it involves you losing your booch.

Best way to avoid it?

• Don't add any sugar for secondary Fermentation.

• Don't bottle up when you know there is an abundance of residual sugar.

As you can see, both these involve reducing available sugar for yeast to convert.

Kombucha should not be shaken when its forming the SCOBY & You Should not taste the Kombucha which is brewing.

Both these can be busted together. As explained earlier, people fuzz over pellicle too much. Hence the whole

Jarr Kombucha has a great clip in Instagram. You mix in all your ingredients and let it go for 3 days. Then start tasting it from day 3 or 4. Based on your volume and brewing temperature, the brewing time will vary.

You take a spoonful daily and determine it yourself.

It has to be fermented for X days before it's called Kombucha .

Continuing on the previous point, there is no Fixed taste where you can say " ITS DONE".

Kombucha is considered DONE, when you feel its DONE.

Some like it Sweet, some like it 1 step before Vinegar & many like a balance of tart-ie Sweet-ie flavor ( again, not a Typo). When you start tasting from day 3, it'll be pretty sweet, then slowly as days move ahead, the sweetness will reduce and give way to Tart-ness due to increasing in concentration of Acetic acid.

Brew you Kombucha few times and you'll develop your palate for it.

Mold is common.

Every site hype up Mold as if it's Voldemort and scare new comers. In the past Year, I have brewed almost 50+ batches and haven't had the icy grip of Mold on my jars.

For this you have to understand what mold is-

I wanted to see how a mold looks, so I left 300ml Kombucha in a open bottle -No cover , in a cupboard and forgot about it . after 2 months, I went back to it, there was a pretty thick pellicle , the liquid was almost dry below it. But NO MOLD.

So, I kept it outside and kept watch everyday, once the liquid dried up, then white hairs with a black head started growing on top of the pellicle. So now I had firsthand knowledge on how to grow a mold. If you want to keep mold away from your Booch,

• Add atleast 20% super acidic starter to your booch.

• Don't let your SCOBY hotel go dry.

• Always keep the jar covered with a cloth.

Finally, Don't be afraid to toss a batch and start new. Its not then end of the world, but a Infected batch might be.

Pellicle/ SCOBY needs to be pretty.

There is no nice way of saying this. The pellicle is alien looking, the yeast strands look like tentacles, the smell is like ripe vinegar , I can keep going at the risk of your face turning green .

Every brewer early in his life wants a clean, smooth Pellicle ( the rubber puck of cellulose ) from each batch. But , most of the time, that wont be the case and you'll end up with a puck marked pellicle which might even have some holes in it. There are 100 ways a pellicle can turn up.

Just login r/Kombucha in reddit and the #1 question which is repeated is "Is it mold?". I don't blame anyone for asking this, because as said earlier KOMBUCH IS WEIRD. Each one looks different. Some are ugly, some so shiny that your face will be reflected.

My advice,

Ok, its not a catchy line, but it fits. The look of pellicle doesn't matter as much as the taste of finished booch.

So close your eyes, take a sip and enjoy your Kombucha