How can you tell if your kombucha has mold? And can you save a moldy SCOBY? Diving into your worst kombucha nightmare (and how to prevent it) here!
It’s every kombucha brewers worst fear…mold. But is it really as scary and world shattering as people seem to believe? No.
The thing is, kombucha mold is totally avoidable, and the chances or contracting mold are quite low if you’re brewing kombucha properly.
What is kombucha mold?
Kombucha mold is simply an overgrowth of bad bacteria or fungus. It isn’t much different than the mold that might grow on an old loaf of bread.
And while you shouldn’t drink any kombucha that has been in contact with mold (just as you wouldn’t eat that moldy bread), it’s not the end of the world!
What does kombucha mold look like
Though the chances are low, if mold is going to happen it will likely be in the first fermentation, when the kombucha acidity isn’t high enough to fend off the bad bugs. Once kombucha is bottled in the second fermentation, the acidity of the brew should prevent mold from growing.
While there are many different strains of mold that can grow – each with their own unique appearance – they usually have a few specific traits:
- Fuzzy or dry appearance
- Circular shape
- Colors range, but may be white, green, black, or blue
- On the surface of the kombucha (most mold needs air to survive)
Here are a few photos of kombucha mold for your reference. (Have a moldy SCOBY photo and want to include it in this gallery to help more people ID potentially moldy kombucha? Email me!)
(If your kombucha looks odd but it doesn’t look like mold, you could have kahm yeast.)
How to prevent mold in your kombucha
If you got mold, it’s because something went wrong in the process of brewing. Here are a few common reasons you may have got mold:
Not enough starter: If you didn’t use enough starter kombucha, or the starter wasn’t strong, the kombucha may not have been acidic enough to defend itself from mold strains. You can use pH test strips to ensure your starter kombucha is strong and acidic (should be between 2.5 and 3.5).
Temperature too low: If the temperature is too low where you’re brewing, or if you put your first fermentation / SCOBY in the fridge, the bacteria and yeast go dormant. This means they can’t acidify your kombucha, and mold may grow. Never store your SCOBY in the fridge, and ensure you store your kombucha somewhere warm enough to prevent mold.
Supplies not clean enough: Mold spores may have slipped in through your supplies, such as if you used a dirty sponge to clean the jar. Learn to clean your supplies to prevent contamination.
Used the wrong ingredients: Herbal teas and different sugars can weaken the SCOBY over time. Be sure you’re using the best teas and best sugars for kombucha.
Wrong place: Where your fermentation station is located matters! Airborne contaminants from garbage, compost, fruit bowls, or even other fermentation projects (like kefir or kimchi) can contaminate your kombucha. Ensure your kombucha is stored away from these.
What if I’m not sure?
The thing is, kombucha looks weird even under normal circumstance. So what if you’re not sure?
Just give it a few days! If it’s mold, it will grow to look like something in the photos above. If it doesn’t grow, it’s probably just normal, weird kombucha stuff.
Here are some examples of normal kombucha SCOBYs for your reference. Not sure if yours is moldy or not? Feel free to ask in our Facebook group!
You got mold, now what?
First off, my condolences. Now it’s time to make your peace and throw it all away. The SCOBY, the tea, everything. There may be microscopic mold spores that you can’t see in the kombucha, so you’ll need to toss out the whole batch.
Next step, sterilize everything very well using boiling water and distilled white vinegar. (Here’s how I sterilize my kombucha supplies).
Finally, learn from your mistakes and move on. Figure out where you may have gone wrong so you can prevent mold from ever happening again. Can’t figure out what went wrong? Read the kombucha master recipe again closely in case you missed something. And feel free to email me with your questions!
Can anyone help a first timer?
I have what looks like egg drop soup but at the bottom of the jar. Top of the jar is clear, no mold like in the pics. Been brewing for 21 days now. Tasted it and tastes just like sweet tea to me. Definitely see a new scoby that has developed. Did I do something wrong? Zero carbonation.
Sounds like yeast strands to me! Feel free to post a photo in our Facebook group to get some brewer opinions – Kickass Kombucha Brewers.
Hi!
I can notice small brown “breadcrumbs” (doesn’t look like scoby jelly, but looks more hard like small rocks) at the bottom of the brew. I stored my scoby a few days, had the big jar washed etc, and was about to make a new batch with tea when I saw this. What could that be?
Maybe it’s tea leaves that slipped in?
I made some kombucha and on the second fermentation there was white dry stuff on top. I removed it and it never grew back but was it mold?
It was probably the beginnings of a SCOBY! 😀
Hello! I am brewing my first batch of kombucha but after almost 4 days i se some white spots in my kombucha. I can also see the small scorby formation. I bravely throwed the small spots parts but what if it’s mold?I am not sure if it’s mold but if it’s mold won’t it grow again? Could it also be the scorby i am so confused i don’t know what to do. I actually added some more starter tea into the vessel so it’s more acidic. And just realized it’s winter here so i kept it in the cupboard. What should i do?
If it’s mold it will grow again. But feel free to post a photo in our Facebook group to get some feedback!
Hi…..on my first batch of kombucha I noticed a few black spots on one of the Scoby when I went to bottle it. I had several others in same jar that look fine. I threw away the one with a few black spots. Wondering if it was mold. No fuzz. Didn’t look like any of the pictures here. How could I send u a pic???
Feel free to post a photo in our Facebook group to get lots of feedback!
Thanks for your site. I have done several rounds and have discarded a few fearing they were potentially moldy – but am thinking they are just normal. I do tend to get some pretty serious yeast blooms – is that temperature related and sometimes the beautiful scoby doesn’t come to the top even with a gorgeous new thick one on top. I’ve left some until very vinegary trying to wait until the beginning scoby floats. Any guidance on this that you can give???
The SCOBY doesn’t need to be floating – it’ll swim all around your jar and that’s okay. The yeast variation is temperature dependent, but it sounds like you probably don’t have mold!
How do I send a pic?
Feel free to post on in our Facebook group, Kickass Kombucha Brewers!
Green things hanging from the scoby are yeast? Green things? Could you verify that you did intend to say that is yeast?
Yes, greenish/brown things hanging under the SCOBY are very likely yeast. Feel free to pop a photo in our Facebook group if you’re not sure! Kickass Kombucha Brewers.
Hi. I am quite grateful for this site you have. I am a beginner, with my first SCOBY given to me as a gift. Only 4&1/2 days into my first batch, I peeked and it looked like Mold. I have Two jars full, one looking moldy the other not, but you answered ALL my questions via the site and the Q&A at end.
Thank you for this. You are nice.
kth
Happy to hear this content has been help for ya! Feel free to pop some photos in our Facebook group if you want some other brewer opinions on whether or not it’s mold.
Hello, I’m on my second batch of kombucha and the SCOBY has a clump of dark green stringy tube like things hanging from the side of it. It looks like algee. Is this ok?
Yep that’s okay! Just strands of yeast 😀