RECOGNISING MOULD
Once you have seen Mould on Kombucha you will be a pro in recognising good Kombucha scobys from mouldy once. You are reading this because you probably never seen mould on Kombucha before. So let me help you to find out if you have a perfectly fine scoby that may look a little funky or if you have mould.
In general it is very rear that a Kombucha scobys becomes mouldy. I have made over 3000 brews and have had only three times mould in my brew. Once I had it, I knew straight away yep that was mould.
The few points and pictures below should bring you some clarity:
Mould can only be on the top surface of your new baby scoby. So if you see some brown dark stuff just below the new film on top (your baby scoby) then you are fine as its just some yeast growth, totally harmless.
Mould on a scoby looks like mould in a jam jar. Its furry and often green or black. It can be partially white but is furry and has usually a green or black core.
If you still not 100% sure then it helps to just wait few more days to see how the scoby develops.
Unfortunately, if it is mould, you must throw away the whole brew including scoby and start fresh.
What can you do to avoid Mould?
Keep your brew preferably above 20°C .
Always use strong starter or use more of it if its not that strong.
Keep your jar always covered.
Maintain a clean environment.
Keep house plants in a different room.
