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Old 02-09-2009, 08:29 PM   #31
hopefromgrace
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

Quote:
Originally Posted by 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!
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Old 02-10-2009, 12:25 PM   #32
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

Quote:
Originally Posted by hopefromgrace
Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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Old 02-10-2009, 12:52 PM   #33
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
The jelly-like layer on top is the baby. 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 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.
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Old 02-10-2009, 07:21 PM   #34
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

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.
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Old 02-10-2009, 08:01 PM   #35
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

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.

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Old 02-21-2009, 10:51 AM   #36
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A


Quote:
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. 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.




edited to add in the quote.
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Old 02-21-2009, 04:37 PM   #37
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A


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

Here's more
Quote:
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/ferme...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.
Quote:
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/ferme...kombucha.shtml

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Old 03-20-2009, 11:46 AM   #38
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

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?
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Old 03-20-2009, 02:05 PM   #39
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

I am using old wine bottles...I have also used those carbonated apple cider bottles with the plastic lids...
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Old 03-20-2009, 02:22 PM   #40
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

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. 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.
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Old 03-20-2009, 02:31 PM   #41
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

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

brand of cider.... is it Martinelli's?
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Old 03-20-2009, 08:32 PM   #42
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Default Re: Kombucha recipes, tips, tweaks, and general Q & A

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.
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