I am checking out for this Memorial Day weekend for some much needed R&R with the family.  Don’t worry,  I will have some delicious camping recipes and I’m certain, some funny family stories to share on my return back to blogland. But first, I wanted to give a kombucha update –

It failed.

Five days after I brewed the tea and added the SCOBY, I found little circles of fuzzy green-white mold growing on top.  Great. Several internet sights stated that like bread, you can just scrape the mold spores off the top and carry on. Only one, teeny weeny problem – my severe allergy to all things mold.

So, we are back to the drawing board; another SCOBY ordered and on its way to my house to start a fresh batch of kombucha. 

Some of the possible reasons for my Kombucha Party Foul:

1. The Earl Grey Tea… The bergamot oil in the Earl Grey that I was hoping to mask some of the vinegary taste of the commercially-produced kombucha tea I drank, was most likely the biggest downfall.  The oil was probably just enough to prevent the kombucha from forming a protective barrier on the top of the mixture. Or, perhaps the broken tea bag, and I didn’t remove all of the pieces of tea leaves. 

2. The Glass Vessel Was Contaminated… I washed the vessel out with hot, soapy water but anything could have happened. Next batch, I will first wash the vessel with hot soapy water, but then rinse it with white vinegar to disinfect it. 

3. Allowing the Tea to Cool Overnight on the Counter… This could have allowed unexpected contaminants; next time, I will start my kombucha before 9:00pm.

Until the next kombucha tea party!