How to Store Your Kombucha Scoby Outside the Fermentation Process?

What Is a Scoby?

The acronym SCOBY stands for “Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast”. So, in theory, the kombucha mushroom is not even a mushroom, it is just a colony of bacteria and yeasts that play a crucial role in the fermentation of kombucha and help to make kombucha from sweet tea.

Stopping Kombucha Fermentation - How to Save a Scoby?

Often people ask: how do I save my kombucha scoby when I want to take a break from fermentation or when I leave the house for a longer period of time? If you're planning to take a break and don't know what to do with a scoby, here are some recommendations on how to do it so that you can enjoy your kombucha again when the time is right.
A scoby can be placed in a jar with sweetened tea and a little kombucha (in the same proportions as for a normal batch) and left in a cool place. The tea prepared in this way helps to maintain the correct pH level and provides the essential nutrients needed for the scoby to survive the break. Do not put a scoby in the fridge, as a cold environment greatly reduces the activity of the yeast and a scoby may not recover.

Storing a Scoby

• Ensure cleanliness first: The first step in storing a scoby is to maintain a clean environment. Make sure your hands and utensils are clean to reduce the risk of harmful bacteria getting into the medium of a scoby you are storing.
• Choose the right container: Choose a glass, stainless steel, or ceramic container to store your scoby. A wide-necked glass container covered with a cloth is the ideal choice.
• Add scoby: Place the scoby in the kombucha liquid, making sure it is completely submerged. If you want to stop the fermentation in your fermenting kombucha, you can leave the scoby in it.
• Maintain the right temperature: Keep the scoby container in a suitable environment, ideally between 20°C and 28°C. Avoid sudden temperature changes and direct sunlight. Cool, dark rooms are best as they slow down fermentation and keep the scoby active, but you will need to refill the liquid with sweetened tea less often. The warmer the environment, the faster the fermentation.
• Use a breathable cover: Cover the container with a breathable cloth or paper and secure it with a rubber band or string. This ensures adequate airflow and keeps dust and flies out of the container, thus maintaining the right conditions.
• Monitoring: During storage, it is advisable to check the condition of the scoby periodically, every few weeks. Watch for signs of unusual coloring and unpleasant odors. A healthy scoby should have a creamy, white, or slightly brownish color and a pleasant vinegary smell. Do not be fooled into mistaking the yeast marks on the scoby for mold.
  
• Refresh the liquid: If you intend to store the scoby for a longer period of time (more than a month), add half a cup of sweet tea to the kombucha every 6–8 weeks. This will ensure that the medium remains sufficiently acidic (Insert a tag) and contains enough nutrients to support fermentation.
• Ready to make: When you are ready to make the next batch of kombucha, use the scoby you have, together with the liquid that was in the same container, and add them to the freshly brewed sweet tea. We would like to point out that after the scoby has been in the tea for a few months, the kombucha becomes very acidic, and only a small part of the scoby is needed to start a new fermentation. Leaving the scoby for a longer period of time can cause it to become very thick. A thin scoby is enough to maintain a healthy fermentation, so any extra layers of scoby can be shared with friends or used in other jars, keeping the top layer (the newest layer) for yourself.

Proper storage of the scoby is essential to ensure the continued preservation of this wonderful and healthy drink. By following the steps described in this post, you can ensure that your scoby remains good and suitable for making delicious kombucha. Remember that cleanliness, the right container, and regular additions of sweet tea are the most important things to ensure the well-being of the scoby. When you decide to dive back into fermentation and want to try other fermented beverages, visit Tealure.lt, where you will find a variety of production kits that will help you explore the world of fermented beverages.