SWIM is getting a sticky skin on top of an ayahuasca only brew while reducing. He used very finely powdered caapi, which was a first, as he has previously shredded his own whole vine, but that is how it arrived, so that is what he used. The brew was acidified with some vinegar for the boils.

When he pokes the skin with a spoon it sticks to the spoon and he can lift the whole skin out in a big glob. When he attempts to stir the skin back into the brew it doesn't completely dissolve, and instead floats around in the brew as broken up pieces. He doesn't want to toss it out yet until he knows for sure what it is and that it doesn't contain actives.

Has anyone ever experienced this skin on top of the brew before? Any ideas what it is and if it can be removed and discarded or not?

Thanks!

Theoretically, when you're done boiling the Caapi, almost all of the actives, which are water-soluble, have been dissolved into the liquid of the brew, so you want to discard any solid material that remains.

If you stir constantly and never let the brew sit still while reducing, that sticky film can be avoided.

reducing S pedro as weel produces this sticky skin.

If it is inactive so it's better leave it forming to remove easier.

This seems to happen with higher heat... I've always just stirred it back in to no ill effect, and never had a weaker or foulER tasting brew because of it. So, perhaps something that can be avoided, but definitely nothing to fear.

Yes, and this Caramelization should be avoidable by using lower heat.

In my experience it forms with low heat too. That happened when I reduced ayahuasca to a solid paste inside a container put over a gently boiling pot.