Should you refrigerate kombucha SCOBYs or SCOBY hotels?

Read the full write-up here: www.youbrewkombucha.com/cold-...
Jump down to a specific section of the video:
0:20 - what’s a SCOBY hotel?
**Also check out this video for full details: • Kombucha Basics: SCOBY...
1:33 - when it’s OK to store SCOBY hotel in the fridge
2:05 - why SCOBYs thrive at room temp
2:39 - downsides of refrigerator storage
4:13 - how to deal with SCOBY hotel/kombucha odors
4:32 - use activated charcoal to help absorb odors
5:06 - tips if you do decide to store hotel in fridge
5:40 - tip for brewing with a refrigerated SCOBY
My favorite activated charcoal packets: amzn.to/37Co6bh
* For a list of all my recommended materials + where to buy them (for new brewers to build your own kombucha starter kit or for expert brewers to upgrade your materials): www.youbrewkombucha.com/byo-s...
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* If you’re interested, watch my video on homemade CBD Kombucha, and find my favorite water-soluble CBD products at www.youbrewkombucha.com/cbd-k...
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[@chrismeder1]

Your content is easily the most clear, organized and well presented on kombucha that I've found. Thanks for all the helpful information, keep it up!

[@cachi-7878]

If you do decide to store it in the fridge and want to avoid mold contamination or odors from other foods that are in the fridge, why wouldn’t you cover it completely, tight, since the fermentation will slow down in cold temperatures anyway?

[@alexdavidyuk7901]

Make a vid about what other cool stuff you can do with SCOBYs!

[@markevans5648]

Thanks for all the informative videos. You have been a great resource for kombucha knowledge. I started by growing my own scoby with a bottle of GTs and now I’m up to 6 gallons!

[@HaynSoja]

I keep my scoby hotel at brew temp because I use it as starter tea as well. This allows for faster first fermentation as the tea in the scoby hotel is very strong.

[@taygenormandy4284]

Great video as always. You've helped me so much thank you!

[@jeffbriggs3449]

Thank you for sharing. This channel is always helpful!

[@joshuaitrust805]

Great video. These are questions I’ve been asking myself. Thank you so much.

[@TheAshantidutch]

Thank you just getting started and your advice was very useful

[@raineboots]

Thank you for making more videos! Your videos were great for when I started brewing a few months ago, and I still refer to them to this day 😊

[@elevproduktion]

My new go-to place for all things kombucha ☀️

[@YouBrewKombucha]

Yay! Glad you find it helpful! :)

[@kecola]

Oh thank you so much! I've been searching for the answer to this question.

[@francoandreidearaujo8020]

You're awesome!! I am watching all your videos! Thank you so much!! Hugs from Brazil

[@HappyPepper]

Great information! Thank you!

[@righteousone8454]

Thank you, very comprehensive explanation for a first time brewer

[@wanderingteaapprentice1039]

I love your strategies.

[@ScutrBich]

Scobies make GREAT fruit leather!!! 2 Cups pureed scoby 2 Cups pureed fruit 1/4 Cup organic cane sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( I know the cayenne sounds crazy but all I can say is try it first before you omit it...) Puree it all together, spread it 1/4 inch think and dehydrate... It's wonderful!!!

[@frutosdomar5315]

ScutrBich Im putting cayanne in most my brews. Tried Guava-cayanne, Ginger-lime-cayenne and Mango-passionfruit-cayenne 😍

[@nicolep2424]

Sounds yummy!!!!! Can't wait to try it

[@nicolep2424]

@@frutosdomar5315 sounds awesome. I wanna try lychee juice from the Asian market for flavor

[@frutosdomar5315]

nicole p Lychee sounds refreshing & tasty! I'm out here in PR and we get a lot of interesting fruits like that during the year. You gave me idea to use Quenepa, which is similar to lychee. yummy

[@chrisv6086]

In a very acidic kombucha the yeast part of the symbiosis will die, and with so many layers the bottom ones won't get any oxygen, that's why keeping few layers is better. At room temperature you should feed your hotel every month or so to keep the culture alive and active. In the fridge it can stay healthy for months as yeast will be preserved. Either way, if you stop to brew you should reactivate the culture with a small batch before restarting. Your scobys is like bred sourdough, it will thrive if fed regularly. Check the work of Sebastien Bureau for details.

[@annh3599]

I love to walk by my motel and get a wiff of that yummy vinegary kombucha smell.

[@dthomas2047]

Your channel is excellent. Love the content and how you’re breaking it all down. I’ve been brewing kombucha for awhile, but wasn’t treating my scoby’s well based on your information. My kombucha wasn’t that good and I frequently made bad bad batches. Since changing my process based on your so by care and second fermentation guidance, I’m nailing real crisp, clean an effervescent kombucha successively. Thanks for all your information!

[@YouBrewKombucha]

D Thomas I’m so happy to hear!!!!

[@chiouyenchang1514]

Thank you for doing these videos again! Can we eat these scoby? Do you have dessert recipes for the scoby? I too many scoby and I feel it is wasted if I just throw it. Hope to see videos on what other ways we can use scoby.thanks!

[@KellySandra716]

some baking soda near it would help the smell also.

[@infinitetsukuyomi2763]

The only reason I could think to refrigerate a scoby hostel would be if for whatever crazy reason my house got above 85 F or if it had gone over a year without feeding it. If it were acidic enough, then wouldn’t that be better than letting it suffer damage or risk losing the entire thing from the heat? I think so.

[@marcimakes8936]

Thank you

[@HandDmedia]

I used to enjoy Kombucha tea made by my parents when I was a kid. That's like 30yrs ago. I'm grown up now and would really love to make it for my own family. Especially now at this period of isolation and lockdown. I'm really grateful I came across your videos because my last brewing trials ended in heart breaks and a total mould disaster. And I have seen my errors from a couple of your videos I've seen. I was using venigar instead of the stater tea (which I learnt from other silly videos) and a couple of other things that weren't well specified. Now, I am so fired up and would love to give it another trial. But first I would like to ask if my scoby which have been stored in the refrigerator for up to 12months now, since my last brewing attempt, is still healthy and ok to use? It doesn't have mould, and I believe it still grows. Secondly, how do I go about getting/making a start tea? I live in Lagos, Nigeria, and this tea isn't popular here at all. Asides from my parents, I haven't come across anyone that know about it nor any place I can purchase it. I would really appreciate you guidance right now. This tea will definitely help me cope with the whole coronavirus pandemic. Warm regards.

[@chrisv6086]

Hi, you can in fact start a fermentation with vinegar or any other acid like lemon. Mix water + sugar + acid + oxygen and it will start to ferment properly. After first batch keep a bit of it as starter for the new one instead of vinegar. You can also start with juice from lactofermentation like sourcrout, this way you already have strong lactic bacterias. You will not have at first a kombucha culture, but a new scoby that could be unable to form the disc at first, but it will still work. After some time it will adapt if you feed it regularly with tea and the bacteria responsible for the layer may settle in naturally, or not.

[@luciapiarova7544]

Beautiful Thank You for the great info>

[@cenedraleaheldra5275]

Brilliant thanks. I live in Australia. Currently in a heat wave. I just cant drink the amount i brew as fast as i can make it. So thinking i will leave the hotel in the fridge for like a week. So if the scoby hotel is out in the warm air and as you said goes strong like. Wont your brew be very strong too? I prefer a light strength. I brew the tea for 4 days due to heat.. then second brew with fruit juice for just one day and it carbonates just lightly. Nothing like soft drinks/soda. Just enough for me

[@lindachandler2293]

I do and have had no trouble at all. I do keep them in the door.

[@BigggRoss]

I am going on Vacation and this is exactly what I was wondering, was it safe to leave it out or not.? I have just started making Kombucha this year and I love it!

[@dandana4647]

when the liquid of the hotel becomes really vinagary i use it in association with baking soda to clean the house instead of all the chimicals ….

[@lauratuchlei4408]

Can u make a video on how you split the scoby? I find it very difficult and i always tear it apart.

[@amy-bethtaylor2656]

Thank you!! So I'm leaving my home for a little over 2 months. Will the liquid evaporate outside the fridge? Or should I not take a chance and keep it in the fridge?

[@erikaaaker8965]

Hello! I have a question, so the SCOBY is fine to just sit in the acidic tea for months? It won't die or get bad without getting new sugars to feed off of?

[@bmglobalsupplycorporation1823]

Hello, you need feed the SCOBYs with tea or sugar ? Thank you

[@DrIanRubenstein]

If I leave the scout hotel out for months, don’t I have to top it up with sweet tea during that time?

[@nataliamery1925]

How do i feed my hotel scoby ? Tea and sugar ? Thank you 😊

[@katherinem502]

Thanks for your videos. Can it be kept in a light space or would a dark place be better?

[@YouBrewKombucha]

Watch my video on location for all my tips! :) www.youbrewkombucha.com/location

[@michelleguevremont7067]

Did you say what to put in with the scoby hotel? Is it tea or kombucha?

[@BloopyBlobBob]

I just ordered my first scoby from happykombucha. I put it straight in the fridge without thinking. It's been in there for 2-3 weeks. I just took it out and going to wait 1-2 days before starting my brew. I read that putting it in the fridge can cause your brew to catch mold on your second batch. Do I have to be worried?

[@marcheadixon9937]

Just received my scoby from Amazon, how do l store it until i'm to make kambucha, thx

[@petropavlovskkamchatskiy1917]

I don't mean to blow my own trumpet here, but everybody says I make the nicest kombucha tea. However, despite my success in making kombucha tea, I find it impossible to make more SCOBY. After giving so much SCOBY to beginner friends to start off with, I'm left with very little myself. So I'm desperate to increase my batch. Please can you do a video on how to grow more SCOBY. Never works for me Thanks

[@dianadai1411]

Hi, I hope u can help me out. I got a store bought Scobby, and ended up with two after my first batch. I used the two scobies for my second batch. Now I have three. I'd like to create a Scoby hotel. Do I just prepare 1) big jar 2) put one cup or more of the liquid and the extra two scobies, and 3) add in some room temperature starter liquid? Can i add my new Scoby to the jar each time I have a new one? Or will the bacteria be messed up somehow since it's from different batches?

[@musicfeind]

Please explain the thermometer that's often on the jar, what temperature are we looking for, does slightly lower temperature slow things down?

[@YouBrewKombucha]

www.youbrewkombucha.com/temperature :)

[@mstki5676]

I need help, my first scoby batch has gone over 105 f (40c) Is it dead? Do need to add another bottle of kombucha? PLEASE HELP.

[@rayshellyohansen4196]

I love your videos! I'm wondering why it's necessary to have "starter tea" if I have a healthy SCOBY? In other words, why can't I place a SCOBY in fresh sweet tea without "starter tea"? Thanks!

[@imperimgladius]

You can, but there is a risk that you may fail the fermentation. Starter helps start the fermentation process in a better condition by helping acidifying the brew.

[@crystalwtube]

The starter tea is doing the real work.

[@chrisv6086]

Scoby is in the liquid, the layer is just a byproduct of fermentation in which some scoby happen to live. Starter liquid is key for acidity, the biofilm brings more stability and provides protection from the top.

[@WholeBibleBelieverWoman]

Do you ever need to feed a SCOBY hotel, or just let it go to vinegar for months without giving it any support is fine?

[@Sam-wl3fk]

same thought i mean wouldn't it need sugar to stay alive!

[@annh3599]

I add a little first fermentation kombucha to my motel if it starts drying out.

[@kingspal99]

I keep in my cabinet about 40°-50°

[@gilliganmikeaz]

Ive been brewing for a year now, i brew and drink 2 gallons per week, batch brew in one gallon jars, then second ferment in old GTs bottles for 3 days. Room temp is 76F degrees. My new scobby layers are only as thiick as crepes, even in my motel, why is yours so much thicker? Mine also gets lifted above the liquid level im assuming due to built up c02 in my two brew jars as well as the motel. Im assuming my brew is yeast heavy, but i also like the carbonation. Ive switched to a 2+ gallon continuous brew for my main cycles with no difference in production. Do i have an issue, or is this just how my specific culture has decided to progress?

[@YouBrewKombucha]

gilliganmikeaz SCOBY size doesn’t really matter. As long as the starter tea is strong and acidifies your batches, that’s really the most important thing. Not all SCOBYs get thicker or produce new SCOBYs with each batch/as time passes. If you like the taste and the finished product that’s really all that matters. If it pushes up out of the vessel, that’s normal. You can poke it down. I cover that in my “What to expect during first fermentation” video if you haven’t checked it out yet

[@dleben8597]

If I put my extra scoby’s in a jar to save them for use later do I have to add sweet tea to them to keep them alive

[@sunfishdana]

I think u add some already fermented tea from a batch you made. I think.

[@misskellie2]

About how much liquid tea do you need in your scoby hotel?

[@annh3599]

Just enough to cover the scoby.

[@hanko498]

Can you use a jar with an airlock to store and maybe also brew kombucha?

[@White000Crow]

Kombucha needs oxygen as opposed to beer which needs an absence of oxygen.

[@derekfrost8991]

What do you call a kombucha mother with a light saber?? Scoby Wan Kenoby.. :)

[@HEADBANGRR]

Hello Will the scobies in the hotel die if kept airtight with a lid? Thank you

[@YouBrewKombucha]

They won't necessarily die, but since they produce carbon dioxide as part of the fermentation process, it could get over-carbonated and break the glass if you seal it up airtight

[@HEADBANGRR]

@@YouBrewKombucha Ok Thank you

[@jbwjr54]

Why do you not use Honey as the the sweetener? I have used the same SCOBY with honey and with organic cane sugar. Do you see any reason for not doing that in terms of the health of the SCOBY?

[@isma4219]

honey is antibacterial it will kill the culture or at least prevent it to ferment more. It can work it's just not optimal.

[@rayshellyohansen4196]

In have a SCOBY I use only with Green Tea and Honey, like a JUN tea. While honey is anti microbial, it is watered down enough that it won't kill the SCOBY. Once I switch tea type and/or sweetener, I only use those with that SCOBY going forward

[@atmenajjanda1022]

Hi to All and thank you very much for your fruitful video 🌸🙏🏼🌸 This said, isn't it risky to let all your scoby's in one hotel ? I mean if there is an issue (mold, accident,..) for the hotel the whole scoby family might in danger. Whereas if you store them separated there is less risk.. What do you think ?

[@YouBrewKombucha]

We have multiple hotels so it’s not a huge risk

[@cachi-7878]

@@YouBrewKombucha can you store them in a bed and breakfast, AirB&B, youth hostel?

[@sarahcontento9516]

Does my scoby in my scoby hotel need to be fully immersed in tea?

[@marceldeac1876]

Yes!! aprox 1-1,5 cups of tea per scoby

[@loricote574]

Do you need to give it sweet tea now and then?

[@YouBrewKombucha]

Check out my video on SCOBY hotels for info on how I keep them healthy :) www.youbrewkombucha.com/scoby-care-hotel

[@adrumwhisperer]

Do you feed your scoby hotel? If not how long will they last before they run out of sugars and die?

[@YouBrewKombucha]

check out my video on SCOBY hotels :) www.youbrewkombucha.com/scoby-care-hotel

[@OriginalMariAnnaWolf]

What if its too hot? Those houses in uk really get hot! 🥵

[@rh5022]

Is tea from scoby hotel starter tea

[@YouBrewKombucha]

yup! Check out my video on SCOBY hotels for more details

[@neoblue9831]

does the hotel has to be in a dark place?

[@atmenajjanda1022]

Direct light could be an issue for the scoby.. you can just cover it with a piece of clothe and/or store in a closet if it's dry 🙏🏼

[@amira4121]

🥰🥰🥰🙋‍♂️

[@kwebbel2345]

My scoby just grows a bit, but I don't get a new scoby. Tips anyone?

[@chrisv6086]

When at taste take the liquid but let some for the scoby and let it sit like that. With time the new layer will thicken.

[@november9err]

Can I brew JUN anaerobically ?

[@chrisv6086]

Yes, you'll get some sort of hydromel

[@november9err]

@@chrisv6086 WOW ! Thats why my boss said he could taste a bit of alcohol in there. So I stop drinking it at work.

[@fabioamaral9809]

😮😮😮😮😮😮

[@Colirio949]

When I know my scoby is dead?

[@seanlemmeadventure1216]

Soooo I got a scoby from a girl in a plastic bag.... what now?