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AgarStudent
Noob


Registered: 01/25/15
Posts: 550
Last seen: 2 years, 10 days
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Too much coffee?? Galindioi
#23544518 - 08/15/16 04:11 PM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Hi guys,
I was just wondering if I might have an issue here?
The first jar was done earlier and when I add an agar wedge to it, it just shrinks back and dies. The grain is also darker and has more coffee? I don't know if it was instant or not?
The second jar is lighter in colour and prepped a week or so later, yet it is colonising much better.
Could I have overdone it with the coffee? What is the trick to getting your grains to swell up and be puffy? I soaked them for 24 hours, but do you still need to boil to get that grain big and hydrated? The jars with the bigger grains seem to colonise better also.
Thanks for your help 
-------------------- Why reinvent the wheel when someone here has already done the science?
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Scrimshaw
Sponsored by Sterilite



Registered: 06/27/14
Posts: 643
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Re: Too much coffee?? Galindioi [Re: AgarStudent]
#23545029 - 08/15/16 06:53 PM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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If you prepped the jars, how do you not know if the coffee you used was instant or not? Not that it matters, regular or instant will work, it's just odd you don't know what you used. We need more information here:
-How did you prep the coffee? -How much did you use?
When using rye, I always soak for 12-24 hours and combine this with a simmer/boil at the end. That being said, I think your grains look dirty, and the second one a bit dark, but I don't really see anything too off.
The jar you inoculated on July 31 does not seem to have colonized much is 2+ weeks. Are you sure your agar was clean? What was the size of the wedge? The jar from August 5 looks about right for the time if you used a small wedge.
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
Loc: Milky way
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Re: Too much coffee?? Galindioi [Re: Scrimshaw]
#23545066 - 08/15/16 07:08 PM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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with rye and oats after the soak you should be simmering them until the starches on the inside are completely gelatinized
alternatively with oats you can just boil 30 minutes
after the boil/simmer step you dry the grains then PC them
there's more than one way to prepare grains but if you're having trouble go with a tried and true method that's worked for decades
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AgarStudent
Noob


Registered: 01/25/15
Posts: 550
Last seen: 2 years, 10 days
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Re: Too much coffee?? Galindioi [Re: bodhisatta]
#23545249 - 08/15/16 08:17 PM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Thanks for your feedback guys  I did wash the grains about three or four times, but heard instant coffee was weaker, so put more in. How much instant coffee would you use in say a soaking batch of ten jars? I put in about half a teaspoon of gypsum per jar too. Is this too much?.. I did not boil the grains, just soaked for 24 hours. Does boiling help fluff them up?
-------------------- Why reinvent the wheel when someone here has already done the science?
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Scrimshaw
Sponsored by Sterilite



Registered: 06/27/14
Posts: 643
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Re: Too much coffee?? Galindioi [Re: AgarStudent]
#23547946 - 08/16/16 07:27 PM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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The amount of Gypsum you used sounds fine. I don't even measure gypsum when I add it to my grain. I usually toss in a handful when making 7-10 jars, so I bet I'm adding more than the 1/2 tspn per jar you used.
When I make close to 10 quarts, I typically only add about 1-4 cups of coffee to my soak water. I would classify too much coffee as more than 50% of the soak water. I've recently stopped using coffee in my soaks since I'd rather drink it and haven't noticed a big difference with, or without it.
The biggest takeaway would be your lack of simmering the grain. Soaking does add moisture to your grains, but you still need that ~10min simmer/boil at the end to really hydrate them. Plus, when the water gets boiling, they dry quicker when you drain. With rye, it should be somewhat dry to the touch before you PC.
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AgarStudent
Noob


Registered: 01/25/15
Posts: 550
Last seen: 2 years, 10 days
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Re: Too much coffee?? Galindioi [Re: Scrimshaw]
#23548281 - 08/16/16 09:30 PM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Ah great, thanks for that. I was wondering why some grains really fluffed out. It was from boiling and the mycelium love it.
-------------------- Why reinvent the wheel when someone here has already done the science?
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