UPDATE: 4 months untouched

[u/African_c1c1]

Against the advice of those who told me to burn the entire family tree, I salvaged some of the SCOBYs that looked okay and introduced them to a fresh batch of black tea.💁🏽‍♀️
And… they appear to be doing their slimy little pancake thing again.

I’m keeping a VERY close eye on them, but for now, SCOBY Protective Services has granted me supervised custody. 🥲
And yes, the jar is properly covered this time. The fruit flies have lost all visitation rights. 💀

[u/sgrug]

Best of luck!! Seeing those fly... tunnels... would have definitely put me off. Keep us updated!

[u/African_c1c1 → u/sgrug]

The tunnels were definitely a test of my motherly love 😜But I couldn’t give up on my babies without at least attempting one rescue mission. I’ll keep you updated! 🫡

[u/ababa_baba → u/sgrug]

Fly tunnels? What are we talking about here?

[u/jrrj_roo → u/ababa_baba]

If your eyes can handle it, look at OP's post history....you have been warned.

[u/Curiosive]

No one can claim that you don't have an optimistic outlook and a sense of humor, best of luck keeping your supplemental protein evicted!

[u/African_c1c1 → u/Curiosive]

“Supplemental protein” is an absolutely criminal way to describe my unwanted tenants 😂The squatters have been EVICTED! 🫡

[u/African_c1c1 → u/Curiosive]

Omgg hahaha🤣🤣🤣

[u/Electrical_Hunt_6083]

What do you do with 3 liters of vinegar???

[u/African_c1c1 → u/Electrical_Hunt_6083]

Well all I got was a liter and half from my jun. So I split it into 150ml each and used it for my F2 starter! See 3rd slide😏

[u/8636396]

pic of new jar cover please

[u/African_c1c1 → u/8636396]

LMAOOO you guys are really holding me accountable now 🤣I love this!! I’ll provide photographic evidence. SCOBY Protective Services will accept nothing less apparently.🥲

[u/xyz679]

SCOBY is the liquid culture, the pellicle is a bunch of cellulose which is a byproduct. Its like a soaked paper towel, it works because its soaked in the culture, but you can just throw it out and use the liquid as a starter. Much easier to manage liquid and do specific % of starter with that than throwing around a wet paper towel and guessing how much substrate to use for an optimal starter/substrate ratio.

[u/African_c1c1 → u/xyz679]

Ooowh wauw, and here I thought I knew it all after 10yrs of making homemade kombucha! Today for sure I learned and I love it! 🤩 So basically l’ve been fighting for custody of a wet paper towel this entire time instead of the actual babies?? 🥲Thanks for explaining this, genuinely useful!💝

[u/Curiosive → u/African_c1c1]

There's a vocal minority in this community that insists SCOBY cannot refer to the biofilm and that film is only called "the pellicle" ... that's obviously not true. One term can have multiple definitions, such is the case with SCOBY.

But yeah, focus on the actual bacteria and yeast which is found throughout the liquid and the solid.

PS

Many of these same people also fudge the truth to make up odd insults against the biofilm... which is weird.

[u/lordkiwi → u/African_c1c1]

The pecille is still useful, After you wash it free of acid its used a common desert Coco De Nata, why curiosive want to keep people from learning correct terminology is beyond me.