Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

[Soliloquy]

Please share you *you* make kombucha, any tips, tweaks, etc. and ask any questions!

[Blue Savannah]

bbl :heart

[crunchymum]

ok, question - is there a way to let a scoby "rest"? i love kombucha, but if i make perpetual batches, it's coming out of my ears! i can't drink it fast enough...

[hopefromgrace]

ok, question - is there a way to let a scoby "rest"? i love kombucha, but if i make perpetual batches, it's coming out of my ears! i can't drink it fast enough...


I was wondering this too.
We are currently letting ours "rest" in a glass bowl with some allready made kombucha (about a cup or so...) and it's sitting out(covered).
I'm about to make another batch today, and I'm really hoping the scoby is still "active", or good......
I wonder how you can tell.... :shrug

Also, I let me dd have kombucha, and she loves it.....but it recently hit me that it has caffeine in it from the green tea.... :doh
oops! I thought I heard somewhere though that it is ok for kids to have it....? How can that be if it has the caffeine?

[Ima LeShalosh]

ok, question - is there a way to let a scoby "rest"? i love kombucha, but if i make perpetual batches, it's coming out of my ears! i can't drink it fast enough...
In a glass bowl with at least a cup of already brewed Kombucha, covered in the fridge.

[Ima LeShalosh]

I like it sweet...DH likes is sour..sometimes he likes middle of the road.

I brew mine for only 14 days....his for 21 and when he wants middle of the road, he mixes the two.

I also brew Raspberry Kombucha...which has become my favorite. I use the Raspberry tea by Cel. Seasoning. That is the only difference...I use the same amount of sugar/water ratio. And your Scoby will be a pretty pink after it is done. I keep my raspberry scoby and my regular scoby separate when resting them :yes

Oh...and I use Succanat instead of white sugar.

[Blue Savannah]

my kids would LOVE the raspberry! That's an herbal, right? Can any herbal be used?

[Soliloquy]

ok, question - is there a way to let a scoby "rest"? i love kombucha, but if i make perpetual batches, it's coming out of my ears! i can't drink it fast enough...
In a glass bowl with at least a cup of already brewed Kombucha, covered in the fridge.


:yes Just enough kombucha to cover it in a glass jar. I've kept one in the fridge for several months.


I wish we couldn't drink it fast enough! I have 4 batches going right now and it's not enough. I have to go back to 6 batches but my pantry is so small that I'll have to get creative.

[Ima LeShalosh]

ok, question - is there a way to let a scoby "rest"? i love kombucha, but if i make perpetual batches, it's coming out of my ears! i can't drink it fast enough...
In a glass bowl with at least a cup of already brewed Kombucha, covered in the fridge.


:yes Just enough kombucha to cover it in a glass jar. I've kept one in the fridge for several months.


I wish we couldn't drink it fast enough! I have 4 batches going right now and it's not enough. I have to go back to 6 batches but my pantry is so small that I'll have to get creative.
:jawdrop wow

[Herbwifemama]

I don't have time right now, but I want to be part of this thread!

First, a question- is kombucha generally very sweet? The stuff I get from the store wasn't as sweet as my homemade- and I let it ferment longer in case it wasn't done yet, but then I let it go too long and my scoby died. Maybe I should have just decanted and started more kombucha even though it hardly tasted fermented at all?

[crunchymum]

it died? maybe because it ran out of sugar, huh... ok, so it should be in the fridge to rest? i'm nervous because i had some in the fridge (for a really long time, though, maybe a year :blush) and they just molded when i tried to brew them. :/

[Havilah]

I had a kombucha glitch this morning, so the timing is perfect!

I started my first batch on Sunday. (Thanks, Chibi! :kiss) This morning I opened the cabinet and discovered that my masking tape had detached and my napkin was on top of my kombucha mixture. It was a clean cloth napkin... but there was also a strip of masking tape floating in the kombucha. Yuk. I suppose I should start over? Opinions? :/

Also, I really don't have a warm place in my house right now. I have the bowl sitting in one of my cabinets near the stove, but my house is about 68* this time of year. Is that okay? Will it just take longer to brew? Right now it smells like sour tea.

I'm using the Nourishing Traditions recipe... 3q water, 1c sugar, 4 bags organic black tea steeped until the water chilled completely, then put in a 4 q bowl with a towel over the top. Should I change any part of this recipe before I start my replacement batch?

Thanks!

[Soliloquy]

:nak

I'm not sure what to tell you about the napkin and tape--personally, I'd just scoop them out and let it finish brewing. :shrug I cover mine w/ a dishtowel and use a rubber band to keep it in place. I don't use any tape.

Our house is 64 during the day and about 60 at night. Our kombucha brews just fine--it just takes a bit longer

The longer you brew it, the more sour it will become. I usually brew ours for 14-18 days in winter and 12-14 days in summer. You can also do a 2nd ferment by bottling it after it's finished and letting it sit in a dark place for awhile, up to 2 weeks. This may also give it more carbonation.

[Havilah]

Do you brew in a bowl? Where'd you find a rubber band that big? That sounds like a much better plan.

[Blue Savannah]

I brew mine in a gallon sun tea container from Goodwill. I do the rubber band/washcloth thing too.




Is it safe to use herbal tea? I always thought it wasn't. . . :scratch

[Lady TS]

:cup

I read somewhere that you should use a glass container that hasn't been washed with dishsoap.

So, can I use my suntea container then? It's definitely been washed with dishsoap. :scratch

[Soliloquy]

Do you brew in a bowl? Where'd you find a rubber band that big? That sounds like a much better plan.


I brew in a gallon jar--the size of the mouth is about 6 inches in diameter, I'd guess, maybe a bit more. I buy them at the farm where we get raw milk. I also use them for storing grain.


Is it safe to use herbal tea? I always thought it wasn't. . . :scratch


It is safe but my understanding is that you have to use black tea for the SCOBY to make glucorionic acid, which is one of the main health benefits. If you use herbal tea, you won't get nearly the same health benefits. During the fermentation, almost all the caffeine (as well as sugar) is chemically converted.


I read somewhere that you should use a glass container that hasn't been washed with dishsoap.

So, can I use my suntea container then? It's definitely been washed with dishsoap. :scratch


I've read that, too. I use all-natural dish soap and dishwasher detergent and I use it on my kombucha utensils all the time. It's fine. If you use a mainstream dishwasher detergent, then it has chlorine bleach in it and it will leave a residue that could kill your SCOBY. You can use a natural dish soap or vinegar and water. If you've ever used conventional soap, just rinse really, really, really well.

[Blue Savannah]

I washed mine in hot water/vinegar to remove any residue.

[hopefromgrace]

It is safe but my understanding is that you have to use black tea for the SCOBY to make glucorionic acid, which is one of the main health benefits. If you use herbal tea, you won't get nearly the same health benefits. During the fermentation, almost all the caffeine (as well as sugar) is chemically converted.



What about using green tea? I wonder if that would make the glucorionic acid.....

So, that was my question earlier.......about caffeine....so, it's safe to give to kids?

My scoby has been resting the way you all mentioned, but not in the fridge......do you think it is still ok?
How do you tell if it's not good? :shrug

[tempus vernum]

:wave I am about to start my first batch using no refined sugar as an experiment. I recently read a website about using only honey in kombucha and have been wanting to try it :)

AFA the unanswered questions so far. . . .

Kombucha is definitely safe for kids

Not sure on the unrefrigerated scoby - but it's probably okay cuz it's just like making a tiny batch of kombucha :think

Not sure on the green tea. I've never had a scoby go bad so I have no clue how to tell if it's not good :think When I was concerned, I googled and got some pics ;) But if it *looks* fine, you will know for sure if it doesn't have a baby, it's probably not good or you messed up somehow.

[Soliloquy]

There are some websites that tell you to NEVER refrigerate a SCOBY, just to keep it fed. :shrug If it runs out of food, it will eventually die. Refrigeration slows down the metabolism of the SCOBY so it won't starve as quickly. If a baby doesn't start to grow when you put it in fresh sweet tea, then it's dead. So, the one on your counter--did it grow a baby?

Lisa Kombucha Method: This is what I've come up with after awhile--it's the easiest for me.

Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil.
Pour into a large bowl w/ a spout. (I use the Pampered Chef mixing bowl--it has measurement right on the bowl, a handle, and a spout. :tu)
Add 2 Tbsp. organic black tea and 1 cup sugar.
Stir well to dissolve the sugar
Let sit for about at least an hour--or until you're ready.
Remove SCOBYs from finished KT, place in bowl, bottle finished kombucha leaving about 1/2 cup in the jar. Do not wash the jar.
Put some VERY cold water into the jar, then add the sweet tea (I pour it through a strainer), then more cold water until it's at the appropriate level (I figured out the right level previous times through measuring but I no longer measure).
Add the SCOBY.
Cover w/ dishtowel (I use the same one over and over w/o washing) and secure w/ a rubber band. Place in pantry.
Write date on calendar so I don't forget!

[cobluegirl]

my last batch of green tea didn't produce a very good scoby..does much better on black.

What about water?? We have a RO and our tap water is from a water softener..I think I have been using the RO water...but would prefer to just use tap because it is unlimited..where the RO runs out....

any ideas??

[crunchymum]

the recipe i always use says to use distilled water...

[lmgeenw]

:popcorn I want to make kombucha, but for whatever reason, I am scared. I make yogurt and kefir, but I use starter, not grains. I got grains from kefir once and I killed them when dd2 was born. Is a scoby kind of the same?

[Soliloquy]

I've read many sources that say to used distilled water. I don't. I did once but it didn't make any difference. I used filtered water.

You can use plain tap water if you let it sit out for 24 hours. That give the chlorine time to evaporate.

:popcorn I want to make kombucha, but for whatever reason, I am scared. I make yogurt and kefir, but I use starter, not grains. I got grains from kefir once and I killed them when dd2 was born. Is a scoby kind of the same?


A kombucha SCOBY is similar to a kefir SCOBY but they look different. Kefir needs to be attended to almost daily while kombucha brews for 7-21 days, depending on your taste preference and the temperature in your home. In some ways kefir is easier, in some ways kombucha is easier.

[cobluegirl]

my tap water has salt it in..because it is filtered through a water softener...

[Blue Savannah]

I get water outside. . . it is well water, and not softened like the house tap water. We have filtered water, too, but the poor filter can't keep up with my kombucha habit. :bag


BTW, putting the kombucha in old wine bottles for a second ferment is my favorite way to drink it. So fizzy!

[Soliloquy]

my tap water has salt it in..because it is filtered through a water softener...


ahhh, that probably wouldn't be good. Can you bypass the softener?

[Havilah]

Mine is 9 days old and it's jelly-like on the top layer, and there are a few moldy areas forming. Is that normal? It seems gross.

It's starting to smell more kombucha-ish though. For awhile it just smelled like stinky stale tea.

Oh, and what does "growing a baby" look like? There are stringy bits around in the water, and little stringy bits trailing from the mother. :scratch

[cobluegirl]

Can you post a picture? shouldn't be any mold...

[hopefromgrace]

BTW, putting the kombucha in old wine bottles for a second ferment is my favorite way to drink it. So fizzy!


I was wondering about this!
We're hoping to get our second batch more fizzy, but have been wondering the best type of bottles to use (I've heard you have
to be carefull of explosions!)
So, do you just put it in the old wine bottles and cork it with the same cork?
How long do you then let it sit to get nice and bubbly?
Also, do you add anything to help along the process (more sugar? or a bit of juice?)

Thanks! :)

[Blue Savannah]

BTW, putting the kombucha in old wine bottles for a second ferment is my favorite way to drink it. So fizzy!


I was wondering about this!
We're hoping to get our second batch more fizzy, but have been wondering the best type of bottles to use (I've heard you have
to be carefull of explosions!)
So, do you just put it in the old wine bottles and cork it with the same cork?
How long do you then let it sit to get nice and bubbly?
Also, do you add anything to help along the process (more sugar? or a bit of juice?)

Thanks! :)


I just use the same corks. A week is long enough, IMO. Though it keeps longer. I have had some pop the corks, but I just put the corks back in. I don't add anything else.

FWIW, my kids don't like it like this. It does have a harder taste. :yum

[Soliloquy]

Mine is 9 days old and it's jelly-like on the top layer, and there are a few moldy areas forming. Is that normal? It seems gross.

It's starting to smell more kombucha-ish though. For awhile it just smelled like stinky stale tea.

Oh, and what does "growing a baby" look like? There are stringy bits around in the water, and little stringy bits trailing from the mother. :scratch


The jelly-like layer on top is the baby. :yes It will be semi-solid like the mother, but lighter in color and thinner, by the time the brew is finished. SCOBYs get thicker and darker w/ each use.

Moldy areas????? Green and fuzzy? If yes, throw it out, all of it, and start over w/ a fresh SCOBY! If it's just brown spots on the SCOBY that are not fuzzy, or air bubbles, that's normal.

This website (http://www.organic-kombucha.com/kombucha_mold_photos.html) has some photos (but they're not all that clear) of a moldy SCOBY. It will be fuzzy and green and/or white, like bread mold.

[crunchymum]

mine gets whitest spots on it, but it's not mold... mold is fuzzy! plus for me, if mold grows that scoby stops growing. if it is mold, ita with lisa, throw the whole thing out. :yes2

[Havilah]

Hopefully I can get a pic tomorrow. The more I look at it the more I think it's probably okay. I just need natural light for the pic because the flash makes it look weird.

[Blue Savannah]

It is safe but my understanding is that you have to use black tea for the SCOBY to make glucorionic acid, which is one of the main health benefits. If you use herbal tea, you won't get nearly the same health benefits. During the fermentation, almost all the caffeine (as well as sugar) is chemically converted.

So, the greatest health benefits are found in kombucha made with black tea. How does white tea compare? Green? Are there any benefits of the glucorionic acid in those? I love the taste of green tea kombucha. I slacked off making it during my pregnancy, and now I can't get my kids to drink it. :doh They used to LOVE it. I'm going to try making a batch of pomegranate and a batch of raspberry kombucha today. Maybe I can get them to start on that and move back to regular kombucha. Kind of a gateway kombucha. :giggle




edited to add in the quote.

[Soliloquy]

:nak
this site http://www.kombuchaessence.com/why_kombucha.html has a brief overview of some of the nutrients in kombucha.

Here's more
Glucuronic acid
The body's most important detoxifier. When toxins enter the liver this acid binds them to it and flushes them out through the kidneys. Once bound by glucuronic acid toxins cannot escape. A product of the oxidation process of glucose, glucuronic acid is one of the more significant constituents of Kombucha. As a detoxifying agent it's one of the few agents that can cope with pollution from the products of the petroleum industry, including all the plastics, herbicides, pesticides and resins. It kidnaps the phenols in the liver, which are then eliminated easily by the kidneys. Kombucha can be very helpful for allergy sufferers. Another by-product of glucuronic acid are the glucosamines, the structures associated with cartilage, collagen and the fluids which lubricate the joints. It is this function that makes Kombucha so effective against arthritis. http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/fermenting/kombucha.shtml
I don't consider myself an expert but, from the reading I've done, you do need to use real tea (not herbal "tea" that's made from plants other than the tea plant) to get all of the benefits. I've read that black tea & white sugar produce the most glucoronic acid--but you can use green or white.
Types of Tea for Kombucha
Kombucha requires tea for its fermentation (Camellia Sinensis). That's real tea not herbal tea. It can be also be sensitive to strong aromatic oils. A tea like Earl Grey that contains Bergamot oil, can sometimes kill or badly affect the culture. There are several different kinds of tea that give different results from lighter tastes to stronger more cider like tastes.

Black Tea
Black tea is made from leaves that have been fully fermented. The leaf is spread out and left to wilt naturally, before being fired, producing a deep, rich flavour and an amber brew.

Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is half way between green tea and black tea. It's gently rolled after picking and allowed to partially ferment until the edges of the leaves start to turn brown. Oolong combines the taste and colour of black and green tea.

Green Tea
Green tea is withered then steamed or heated to prevent oxidation and then rolled and dried. It is characterized by a delicate taste, light green colour. The Japanese tea Sencha makes an especially fine kombucha.

White Tea
White Tea is the rarest and most delicate of tea. Plucked forty-eight hours or less between the time the first buds become fully mature and the time they open. Unlike black and green teas, white tea isn't rolled or steamed, but simply aired dried in the sun, this preserves more of its antioxidant properties. White tea has about three times as many antioxidant polyphenols as green. White tea represents the least processed form of tea. http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/fermenting/kombucha.shtml

[Iarwain]

My first batch is, I think, a little overdone. I was wondering, how do you all store your kombucha? I made two sun tea pitchers of it and I want to use them for the next batch but we're not going to drink it all today. I'm thinking I should take the scobies out then transfer the kombucha to canning jars or something? I was just going to put it in the fridge to chill at this point but maybe leave some out in a cabinet?

I want to do a second ferment in but I don't have any corks at the moment. I have some old olive oil bottles that would probably work with wine corks but I only have 2 of them (and of course no corks). I could just do the secondary fermentation in canning jars with the lids left a little loose, right?

[cobluegirl]

I am using old wine bottles...I have also used those carbonated apple cider bottles with the plastic lids...

[Iarwain]

Yeah, I don't actually have a supply of old wine bottles. ;) I might have ONE if the friend at whose house I left the last of that bottle saved it for me. I go through a lot more olive oil than wine. :giggle I'll see if I can find sparkling cider with plastic lids. You mean the pop-off kind of lids, right? Do you happen to know what brand that is? If I can use canning jars that would be the easiest 'cause I have a ton of those and they'll fit nicely on my shelf (I have limited tall shelf space) but I wasn't sure if just putting the lids on and leaving them a bit loose so air can escape was good enough.

Oh, and it turned out really yummy! Not much fizz though. I did one jug with plain ol' Lipton's tea and one with pomegranate flavored black tea. The batches I started today are Lipton's again and the CS raspberry green tea. Do you all leave the old scoby in or both? Or just the baby? I just started them with the babies and put the old one in a baggie in the fridge with some sweetened tea until I can get another glass jug. I think I need to get staggered batches going so there will be some ready each week.

[cobluegirl]

I just leave all my scobies together until they get to fat...LOL

brand of cider.... is it Martinelli's?

[Blue Savannah]

Christie, I think you could use canning jars, but I also think that corking it tightly is what makes it fizzy. Mine's never very fizzy til after the second ferment.


I've used big glass jugs, too, like from apple juice and found corks to fit. Something like that might work. Or maybe call around to some restaurants in your area to see if you could get some bottles from them.