Is a SCOBY dead if it sinks to the bottom?

[Rafael]

If the kombucha SCOBY sinks to the bottom (instead of being suspended in the liquid or floating on top) is it dead?

I've just used such a SCOBY and after more than 10 days it only produced a very very thin new SCOBY riddled with air pockets. It doesn't look appetizing or healthy at all.

Is it valid to assume that a SCOBY thats sinks to the bottom is practically dead? Or is it worth giving it another try?

[AlexP]

Scobys can either sink, rise or be somewhere in the middle. It doesn't really indicate anything besides yeast content. If it rises, it probably has more yeast. Sometimes the best scobys are the ones that sit at the bottom because they tons of bacteria. I would give it another try. 10 days can be a short amount of time for a scoby. Sometimes it takes time to balance and get good scoby growth. The best way to determine how well the scoby is doing is to smell and taste the kombucha after 10 days. If it's still really sweet, then the scoby is not doing its thing.

[Rafael]

Thank you Alex for the explanation, that helps. I will give it another try and see how the SCOBY behaves. The tip about the sweetness of the kombucha after 10 days is also very helpful. Thanks again.