I've tried brewing kombucha a couple times but keep getting weird fuzzy growth on top that I'm pretty sure isn't the SCOBY. Am I doing something wrong with sterilization or is my kitchen just not clean enough? What's the safest way to do this without wasting money on failed batches?
The fuzzy growth is almost certainly mold, and it means your SCOBY or brew got contaminated before fermentation really took hold - this usually happens because the starter tea (kombucha from your last batch) wasn't acidic enough to protect it, or because you're not keeping everything clean enough during setup. Start fresh with a really strong starter (like 1-2 cups of store-bought kombucha or your own from a previous successful batch) mixed into your sweet tea before adding the SCOBY, keep the vessel covered with a clean cloth while it ferments so dust and bugs can't land in it, and make sure any equipment touching the brew gets boiled or at least washed with hot soapy water - your kitchen doesn't need to be surgical-clean, but the SCOBY itself needs those few weeks of acidic conditions to establish before any mold spores can get a foothold.
Log into answer.
