FAQ: Problems Brewing Kombucha February 9, 2009

Bubbles and Holes
We are used to seeing photographs of perfect Kombucha cultures and we are also used to seeing pictures of perfect looking people, but like people cultures are not always perfect, physically. These bubbles which sometimes looks like the bubbly crust on a pizza are simply air pockets. You can expel the air by gently applying pressure and pushing the bubble to one side of your culture. If your culture has a hole or two don’t worry it should still yield some awesome tea.

Mold
Yuck. Nobody likes mold but unfortunatley sometimes mold likes Kombucha, although rare. When this happens I recommend starting over with a new culture, our bodies take in mold consciously and unconsciously all the time but when we can avoid it, it’s usually best to. This just means that something went wrong in your process. In general avoid leaving your culture exposed to air for a long period of time when you harvest, keep covered with a cloth, and leave it away from any plants.

HOT TEA!!!
Placing your culture in hot tea before it has been given a chance to cool down risks killing your culture. You should always let the tea cool down first, if you are impatient trying place the pot of boiling tea into your sink filled with ice, although I would recommend just waiting.

Worn Out
When your culture is looking a little weak and worn out, chances are it’s time to give it a funeral and move on with it’s child. Your cultures should continue to multiply so don’t be afraid to throw them away when they die.

Population Problem
Cultures will continue to grow on top of one another. The tea you have it in however, will not continue to multiply. If you plan on keeping your cultures you need to give them their own jars to thrive in. Don’t be afraid to share the love with your friends and neighbors though. If you don’t have any friend maybe this is a good way to make some.

Thin Cultures
When you go to harvest your culture and it appears too thin chances are it means it was too cold. Your best bet is to keep the temperature between 70 and 90° F. In winter it might help to ad more starter tea to kick start the process.

Freezing
Unless you have an industrial, quick freeze unit DO NOT FREEZE YOUR CULTURES. Your culture will starve to death you are better off giving it away.

Vacation
Just so happens we have a video on this subject. Check it out Below: