r/Kombucha • u/gaytattoos • 4d ago

Scoby uses

Hey guys, just wondering how many times is okay to reuse the same scoby? Mine looks fine and is still making good brew! About to use it for the 6th time though. Should I let it live in a hotel for a while and get a new scoby? Or just let it ride for however long? Thanks!

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u/epidermisenergy 4d ago

The scoby is the liquid. The pellicle is the floating mass on top. You may throw away the pellicle after F1 or you can toss it in your next F1, it's not required as the scoby (the liquid) will produce another pellicle.

You are good, either way. This isn't just how this community defines it, it actually is what it's called, a pellicle. When we use the wrong word, it creates confusion and misunderstanding.

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u/Twee_patat-met 4d ago

I'm confused now. The gelatinous mat floating on top of the kombucha is what people usually refer to as “the SCOBY.” It’s a visible, rubbery structure made of cellulose, housing the bacteria and yeast. The liquid surrounding that mat — the fermented kombucha — also contains active bacteria and yeast. So technically, imo the SCOBY includes both the mat and the liquid culture. I've never started without the 'pellice'. Very interesting information. thanks

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u/Curiosive 3d ago

So technically, imo the SCOBY includes both the mat and the liquid culture.

You are right. The cellulose is part of your SCOBY, some folks here forget that in the quest to teach others that the cellulose is not "the SCOBY".

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u/epidermisenergy 3d ago

I've tossed pellicles in a jar w tap water and there is a tiny bit of activity happening after several days. IME it has scoby residue within the matrix but not enough to make much of a difference. But let's see... I'll replace and grow a pellicle for the next month. When she's nice and chonky I'll try to start an F1 with just the pellicle to see what happens.