Have extra kombucha SCOBYs that you don’t need right now, but want to hold onto? Make a SCOBY hotel! Here’s everything you need to know about making and maintaining your five star kombucha SCOBY hotel.
If you’ve been brewing kombucha for any length of time, you’ve probably run into the all too common problem – you’re drowning in SCOBYs!
As a recap, a kombucha SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), sometimes referred to as the pellicle, is a cellulose-based byproduct of kombucha fermentation that’s filled with bacteria and yeast. While you can brew kombucha without the SCOBY, using a SCOBY helps to quicken the fermentation while protecting your brew from contaminants.
But the thing about SCOBYs is…they grow. Sometimes quickly! And as this happens, you’ll want to remove the excess SCOBYs from your main fermentation vessel so that you have enough room for the kombucha.
But don’t throw that SCOBY away! Get her checked into your deluxe, five star SCOBY hotel, where she can hangout until you need her again.
What is a SCOBY hotel?
What is a SCOBY hotel, exactly? It’s basically just a jar where you can store your extra SCOBYs. These SCOBYs aren’t actively making kombucha, just resting until they’re needed.
Kombucha SCOBYs can be reused and last for a very long time (sometimes years!), so by storing them in a “hotel” you’ll always have a healthy SCOBY ready to brew your next batch of kombucha.
So why do you need a SCOBY hotel? There are a few great reasons to have one!
- Breaks: A hotel allows you to take a break from brewing while keeping your SCOBY healthy.
- Storage: It gives you a place to store extra SCOBYs.
- Backups: You’ll have backup SCOBYs in case your batch gets moldy.
- Sharing: You’ll always have extra SCOBYs to share with friends and family.
- Starters: It becomes a factory for potent starter tea, which you can use to fuel your first fermentation.
How to make a SCOBY hotel
So now that I’ve convinced you that you need a SCOBY hotel to store all your spare SCOBYs, how do you make one? In short, you’ll just put your extra SCOBYs into a clean glass jar and cover with sweet tea + starter kombucha (in the same ratios of sugar / tea / starter as with the first fermentation). Follow these instructions for making an easy SCOBY hotel.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE A SCOBY HOTEL
- 7 cups (1.6 L) water (tap water should be fine)
- ½ cup (100 g) white sugar (sugars you can use in kombucha)
- 4 black tea bags (teas you can use in kombucha, opt for black or green tea instead of herbal teas for the SCOBY hotel)
- 1 cup (240 mL) unpasteurized, unflavored kombucha
- All of your extra SCOBYs
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO MAKE A SCOBY HOTEL
- A large glass container or fermentation-safe brewing vessel
- Tightly woven cloth (coffee filters, paper towels, napkins, cheese cloth)
- Rubberbands
- Large pot for boiling water
HOW TO MAKE A SCOBY HOTEL
1. Make Sweet Tea: Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and dissolve sugar into it. Add the tea bags and allow them to steep for at least 20 minutes (or until tea has cooled).
2. Cool to Room Temp: Allow hot tea to cool to room temperature. Quicken this process by boiling just 2 cups of water, dissolving the sugar, and steeping the tea for 20 minutes. Then add remaining 5 cups of cold water, which will bring the mixture to room temperature faster. Test that the tea is room temperature by drawing out some tea with a paper straw, using your finger to keep the kombucha in the straw.
3. Assemble: Using clean hands, add all of your extra SCOBYs to a clean glass jar. Pour starter kombucha then the sweetened tea into your jar to cover the SCOBYs.
4. Cover: Cover with a few layers of the tightly woven cloth, securing with a rubber band. Do not use a lid on your SCOBY hotel – it needs to breathe!
5. Store: Store your SCOBY hotel in the same area that you brew kombucha. The temperature should be 60-85°F (16-29°C), and it should be away from direct sunlight and potential contaminants (like compost or garbage). Do not store your SCOBY hotel in the refrigerator.
How to care for a SCOBY hotel
When it comes to maintaining your SCOBY hotel, there are just two things to remember:
- Don’t let it dry up: Your SCOBYs need to be submerged in liquid to keep them healthy, so be aware of liquid evaporating and replenish as needed.
- Feed it: Occasionally remove about 75% of the acidic liquid and replace it with a fresh batch of sweet tea (the same proportions as listed above). This provides nutrients and sugars for the bacteria and yeast to eat.
Your SCOBY hotel can go 30 to 90 days without hotel maintenance, depending on the temperature of your house.
You can optionally decide to remove excess yeast. These are the stringy brown bits that usually hang off the bottom of the SCOBYs. If you notice that there are a lot of these in your hotel, you can remove them to help maintain a good bacteria/yeast balance.
While mold is not common in SCOBY hotels due to the high acidity, always clean your hands and equipment well before working on your SCOBY hotel.
“I left my scoby hotel for for almost a year in a dark cupboard – are they safe to use or should I throw them all away?”
How to draw from a SCOBY hotel
Your SCOBY hotel is a factory for two things: SCOBYs and starter tea.
- To use SCOBYs from your hotel, simply pluck them out (or chuck them in) as you need them.
- To use starter tea from your hotel, just remove what you need. If the liquid level drops below the SCOBYs, make a fresh batch of sweet tea and pour it in to feed the hotel and to keep it from drying up.
“can new SCOBYs appear in the hotel?”
It’s normal for a baby SCOBY or new SCOBY layers to form in your hotel! It’s still a living fermentation, so it will continue to grow.
SCOBY hotel don’ts
The do’s and don’ts of SCOBY hotels are the same as with brewing kombucha. But as a reminder, here are some big don’ts when it comes to your hotel:
- Don’t refrigerate your SCOBY hotel. The fridge is too cold and will stop the fermentation, which could lead to kombucha mold.
- Don’t use dirty hands or supplies.
- Don’t store you SCOBYs in plain water. Always sweet tea + starter liquid.
- Don’t store SCOBYs in tea without starter; the starter tea provides the acidity needed to prevent mold.
- Don’t place SCOBYs in hot water or tea.
- Don’t put a lid on your SCOBY hotel. The fermentation process requires oxygen, and depriving it of that could lead to mold.
Feel free to comment below with any questions. I’ve been brewing for over a decade and personally check comments daily! Happy brewing! -Sarah
Thank you for the great information.
I was putting my scobys hotel in the fridge.
I hope I didn’t kill them!
Hi, I made a scoby hotel and then left it for a couple of months, just adding small amounts of sweet tea here and there. The hotel liquid got very vinegary. When I made a new batch of kombucha from it (using 2 cups of hotel liquid + a scoby), the new batch did not carbinate during the second fermentation. I think most of the yeast must have died off in my hotel. Can I fix this by adding a large amount of sweet tea to my hotel and waiting or do I need to start over with my brewing? Thanks so much.
Great observation—and you’re probably right that the yeast population in your hotel dipped after sitting in such an acidic environment for so long. You don’t need to start over, though! You can revive your hotel by adding a larger batch of fresh, cooled sweet tea and letting it ferment at room temp for a week or two. This gives any remaining yeast and bacteria a chance to rebound. Keep it somewhere warm (around 75°F if you can) and give it a gentle stir after a few days to help redistribute yeast. If you start to see more yeast strands and tangy smell, you’re back in business! Then use the freshest, most active liquid (not the darkest stuff at the bottom) as starter for your next batch.
I have started making kombucha after receiving a SCOBY and starter tea, and I’m on my second batch and it’s going great! Problem is, it’s going SO well that I already need to take a break until I can catch up with drinking the kombucha I have now. Since a SCOBY hotel is essentially the same thing as the first fermentation, can’t I just let it sit for two or three weeks instead of my usual 8 days? I realize it may end up being super strong, but I can monitor that. Thank you!
Absolutely—you’ve got the right idea! Letting your brew sit longer basically turns it into a mini SCOBY hotel, and that’s totally fine if you’re just pausing to catch up. As you said, it’ll get pretty tangy the longer it sits, but as long as your SCOBY is submerged and you’re keeping it covered and at room temp, everything should stay happy and safe. Just make sure to taste occasionally and top it off with fresh sweet tea every few weeks if you’re planning a longer break.
Once I brew my first batch and transfer to second fermentation, can I leave my scoby in with the leftover liquid as the hotel? Then when I’m ready to brew another batch I follow the steps and add the tea to the container.
Yes, you can absolutely leave your SCOBY in the leftover kombucha to create a hotel. Just make sure there’s enough liquid to keep the SCOBY fully submerged so it stays happy and protected. When you’re ready to brew again, you can brew fresh sweet tea, let it cool completely, and then pour it right into the container with your SCOBY and starter liquid to kick off the next batch.
So you just make a batch of sweet tea as you would for starting a new batch and add the pellicles? A little confused.
Yep! 🙂
Hi there! I’ve had my Scoby hotel for a couple of years now and have never changed out the liquid in it and it’s always had a cap. I’ll remove the top and add woven cloth and also add in new liquid like you suggest. But, how many times can you use a scoby for a batch and when do you know when to toss it from the hotel? I’ve always just kept all of my Scobys.
As long as there are no signs of mold, you can use them virtually forever! I tend to throw them away when I run out of space to store them.
Hello, i recently had a batch that came out cloudy looking or more “yeasty?”, any tips to get my next batch to be more transparent? I’m wondering what went wrong, as this was my second batch with this scoby. I live in the south, and keep the hotel on the top of the fridge. I used brown sugar and black tea to make my tea.
Hi Nora! You shouldn’t use brown sugar, I think that could be your problem. Here’s my guide on the best types of sugar for kombucha!
I have noticed what looks like skum in my second and first ferment. It doesn’t really look like mold but am wondering what to do about it and is the kombucha save to drink? It will float around but does go to the top of the bottle. Thanks for answering!
Could it be another SCOBY layer forming on top? That’s pretty typical!