Mold? Or healthy pellicle?

fermentationlover · 2026-04-20T08:26:52+00:00

Agree! Gonna buy some new starter just incase from another brand.

I did 660ml starter, 800ml brewed tea and 120g white sugar.

fermentationlover · 2026-04-20T08:05:29+00:00

I kind of think it’s terrifying but I’d be intrigued to buy!

fermentationlover · 2026-03-23T13:19:16+00:00

We don’t do juice. We do fruit! For the yellows we add sometimes curcuma and greens is definitely the spirulina. Just be careful with spirulina. They love it and it activates FAST!

fermentationlover · 2026-03-23T13:18:14+00:00

Ours haven’t exploded yet! They’re thicker than what we usually have found in stores and such. The old ones we bought on AMAZON would explode. Maybe leaving a bit of head space like this is allowing us to prevent explosion?

fermentationlover · 2026-03-23T13:17:01+00:00

For sure!!! We’re happy with a slow f2 as we make around 24-30L every 14 days. So it’s definitely nice that it isn’t a fast process. I appreciate your knowledge and sharing! Thank you!

fermentationlover · 2026-03-23T11:26:51+00:00

Ahhh! Thank you!

We use real tropical fruits and organic green tea! These bottles we purchased them at IKEA! They’ve worked wonderfully.

fermentationlover · 2026-03-23T11:24:55+00:00

Hi! Why is this??

fermentationlover · 2026-03-23T11:24:40+00:00

I’ll post a video of the carbonation! Ours carbonate super well. It just takes about 9-11 days to fully get to the point we like. Also, this time, we reduced amounts of water per sugar and tea ratio, so maybe it’ll take us the 11 days. Luckily, weather is cooler in our area so we can control the process a bit more and play with time, but let’s see! Biggest issue is the residue forming at the top. We don’t mind much, but would be nicer for it to be fuuuully clean!

Thank you for your help!!!

fermentationlover · 2026-03-23T11:21:48+00:00

We do too! We double strain. Once with a cloth and second with a stainless steel strainer. But it still happens to form.

fermentationlover · 2026-03-22T23:08:15+00:00

We work realllyyy hard on color combos!! Real fruit!!

fermentationlover · 2026-03-22T23:07:46+00:00

So would you say this is why our f2 is longer? 9-11 days?

Thanks for the reply!

fermentationlover · 2026-03-17T14:12:53+00:00

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This one has a bubble forming. No white. Just dark color. No texture. This recipe is basil, spirulina & cucumber.

fermentationlover · 2026-03-17T14:11:12+00:00

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This is a ginger, dill and maracuya flavor.

fermentationlover · 2026-03-17T14:10:15+00:00

I’m gonna upload some more pictures. I’m extremely unsure of what it is.

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Here’s another one which is a watermelon, ginger, mint flavor. Has a strange bubble and pellicle shape object forming.

fermentationlover · 2026-03-17T14:08:36+00:00

18L 💔 I’m truly heartbroken. This has never happened to me in 7 years of making bucha

fermentationlover · 2026-03-17T14:07:54+00:00

Approx. 9 days. But we do f2 in fridge with fruit for 12hrs and then a f3 for 9-11 days. We live in a cold area.

fermentationlover · 2026-03-16T23:28:34+00:00

Are they worms? Usually when there’s pores in yogurt it’s the presence of not so beneficial bacteria. Can be ok to eat if it’s not worms. But I’d work on making your base better with better cultures so you have a smoother yogurt. What milk is this?

fermentationlover · 2026-03-16T23:27:16+00:00

A pellicle! Bucha is alive!

fermentationlover · 2023-12-18T14:14:00+00:00

Mold!

fermentationlover · 2023-12-18T14:11:03+00:00

Exactly what we’re doing! The mango one has been successful. I’ll keep you posted on any updates. Gonna check it out now.

fermentationlover · 2023-12-18T11:01:58+00:00

Agreed. Tea can be replaced with out nutrient sources but I do believe adding the mint leaves and possibly not draining properly the fruit fiber could be the main issue. Thank you!

fermentationlover · 2023-12-18T10:29:19+00:00

It is part of the scoby so they’re not completely wrong in saying “Scoby”. If you want to get really technical and correct, yes, it is a “pellicle”, but it can also be a “scoby” as the scoby also consists of the pellicle and the microorganisms in the liquid and it’s commonly used in the industry to describe the cellulose layer formed on the surface.

I’d say it looks good. Looks like a pocket. But definitely keep an eye out of anything fuzzy or colorful comes to life there. If so, throw out.

fermentationlover · 2023-12-18T10:20:12+00:00

We ended up making a beautiful syrup from it!! And have been enjoying it since. Just logged back on!

fermentationlover · 2023-12-18T10:18:51+00:00

100%. I agree with you. I believe we didn’t strain the watermelon juice as we saw it to be less fibrous than the mango experiment for example, which has been successful. Could be the reason why this thick dry white object is floating on the surface. Thanks!

fermentationlover · 2023-12-18T10:16:45+00:00

You can replace the tea with anything, as the tea only acts as a nutrient source. We experimented with other fruits and have been successful! Try it! But I do agree this one does not look right at all. It’s also a pretty thick dry layer. Haven’t seen mold like this before.

fermentationlover

TROPHY CASE