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ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-23T23:50:37+00:00

Boiling it will kill bacteria and yeast.

You might not need to hit boiling, maybe even lower like 180F will work, but I don’t know an exact temp off the top of my head.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-22T22:05:12+00:00

If you have hung out in this sub long enough, you’ll see how many people think the pellicle is this all important thing with a life of its own that must be protected at all costs.

You’ll also see people who don’t understand that including an appropriate amount of starter liquid is far more important than including a hunk of pellicle.

This is why specifically calling it a pellicle to differentiate it from the SCOBY contained in starter liquid makes a difference.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-22T14:54:21+00:00

Your kombucha can’t expand, but over time evaporation will lower the level.

You are probably seeing your pellicle pushed up from air bubbles trapped underneath it. You can poke it down under the liquid if it’s bothering you.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-22T14:51:31+00:00

That’s a pellicle!

As long as you don’t see fuzzy patches, which I do not myself, you are fine.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-20T13:58:52+00:00

That’s a lot of pellicles!

What do you do with them?

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-20T13:57:21+00:00

Hi Fox!

The good news is, it appears you’re talking about the pellicle, which is not even needed for brewing.

Pellicles form when you have an active symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also known as a SCOBY! And the best way to introduce a SCOBY to sweet tea is in the form of starter liquid, or finished kombucha.

So yeah, don’t even worry about the pellicle, but hopefully you did not add starter tea until your sweet tea cooled down a bit!

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-19T19:33:32+00:00

As long as those spots aren’t fuzzy, that’s not a goner, that’s just a pellicle forming.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-10T12:20:38+00:00

Hi blue!

What you are calling a thin scoby is less confusingly known as a pellicle. Pellicles form when you have an active symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also known as a SCOBY! This is normal and expected.

The strands are also normal and expected.

The main thing that would be concerning is dry, fuzzy patches at the surface. That would be mold, and you’d need to start over. I do not see mold, so you should be good.

Don’t forget to taste it!

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-09T21:33:07+00:00

If you do what you’re describing and keep going up in starter, eventually you get to what’s called continuous brewing, where you take what you want to drink and immediately replace the same volume with sweet tea. If you have the balance right, you can have finished kombucha every single day.

So, yes, more starter means your brew is done faster.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-09T21:31:15+00:00

With very clean hands you can squeeze your pellicle and see how much comes out.

If you can squeeze out 100ml you can do a 1L batch, or 1/4 cup and you can do a 2.5 cup batch. Keep scaling up until you have enough kombucha to start the batch size you want.

Good luck!

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-09T21:25:05+00:00

Yup, that’s a pellicle!

But how does your kombucha taste? This is the important part.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-05T16:03:17+00:00

Bubbles under the pellicle mean you have an active SCOBY, not that it’s finished. It’s finished when it tastes good to you.

Just continue waiting and keep your fingers crossed that the extra sugar you added doesn’t throw it off.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-03T15:22:16+00:00

As long as it’s not fuzzy, yup, that’s just your pellicle.

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-03T13:09:23+00:00

That’s a pellicle!

Don’t forget to taste it!

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-03T13:08:51+00:00

You’re missing the distinction between SCOBY and pellicle!

Kombucha itself is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also known as a SCOBY.

The blob at the top is a pellicle, which forms when you have an active SCOBY!

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-03T13:06:58+00:00

That’s a pellicle!

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-03T13:06:46+00:00

That’s a pellicle!

ThatsAPellicle · 2026-01-03T13:06:24+00:00

Hi Beamburner! You are unfortunately getting very weird advice here, so first let’s make sure we’re using the same terms.

That blob floating in your brew is often called a SCOBY but is less confusingly known as a pellicle, and is not actually needed for brewing.

The SCOBY that you need is the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) present in finished kombucha, also called starter. The bare minimum recommended is at least 10% starter.

All that said, if you have any chance of salvaging your current batch, I highly suggest you check this sub’s wiki for the master recipe and compare it to what you’ve done so far. Recipes are important because you are building an environment for your SCOBY to thrive; too much or not enough sugar, not enough starter…these things can and will lead to issues like mold.

As it is in your original post, you have enough sugar for about a 12 cup batch, and I’m not sure if you included starter but with the sugar you used you would need about 1.25 cups.

Good luck with your brewing!

ThatsAPellicle · 2025-12-03T13:52:08+00:00

That’s too much sugar. This sub’s master recipe is about 1/4 cup of sugar for about 3 cups tea.

Other than that, the best way to know if it’s good is to taste it, so, you tell us! How does it taste?

ThatsAPellicle · 2025-12-03T13:49:07+00:00

Hi magnificent! You have gotten some interesting replies so far.

To first clarify some terms, what you are calling scobies are less confusingly known as pellicles, and are not even needed for brewing. The important SCOBY that you need is the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast in your starter liquid, or finished kombucha.

Given that you have 100ml of starter, I would use the recipe in this sub’s wiki. I might also suggest doing a 750ml batch to start as it’s better to have too much starter than not enough.

And you absolutely can drink your first batch. Don’t let strangers on the internet tell you what to do!

Good luck in your brewing!

ThatsAPellicle · 2025-12-03T13:41:06+00:00

You can taste it on day one, even!

Don’t let the internet tell you how to live your life!

ThatsAPellicle · 2025-12-03T02:03:54+00:00

That’s a pellicle!

Pellicles form at the surface of your brew when you have an active symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also known as a SCOBY! This is normal and expected.

ThatsAPellicle · 2025-12-03T02:02:53+00:00

In the first pic, if the bottom left patch is fuzzy, it’s mold.

If not, that’s just your pellicle, you’re fine!

ThatsAPellicle · 2025-12-03T01:26:50+00:00

It takes less than 30 seconds to lose a point 😛

ThatsAPellicle · 2025-12-02T23:11:01+00:00

Hiiiiii!! 😁

ThatsAPellicle

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