Kombucha tea?
Posted by SilentCricket on Jan 12, 2007 · Member since Jul 2006 · 141 posts
Has anyone heard of the Kombucha tea? I found it a couple months ago while browsing random websites, and the whole idea has been stuck in my head since then. I actually joined a yahoo! group and asked for a culture (it reproduces every time you brew), so hopefully I'll be making my own tea by this time next week. I'm still curious, though - has anyone else ever heard of this tea?
i just bought a "mushroom" from happyherbivore.com...you only need to buy 1 right? i'm a little worried about growing my own too... VBR are you still brewing your own kombucha? have you tried making it flavored? sorry i just have so many questions i don't even know where to start... i hope i still wanna drink the stuff after seeing that creepy looking "mushroom" floating around lol
i still brew my own. to date i have about 20 SCOBY babies i'm nursing in a hotel! i would ship them to everyone everywhere, but i don't know that i trust SCOBY via mail... :/
but i give them away locally. :)
try peeling ginger and adding it to your kombucha....and drink it when its less sugary.
sounds good :)
Does anyone know the secret for FIZZY kombucha? My kombucha gurus are wondering too!
yes! i want fizzy and vinegary! not sweet and un-carbonated... I hope that's not how it turns out :(
Maybe this will help. I've found the same advice in a couple different placing. The prospect of exploding bottles kind of makes me nevious though.
http://www.wildfermentation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=55
good link lbarte :) looking forward to some carbonated kombucha :)
as for flavorings can I just blend up fruit (like a fruit puree) and add that to the kombucha once I bottle it and leave it out for the second ferment? or should i use pre-made juice?
Thanks, all! I think I have the answer - letting it sit out (w/ fruit juice esp.) after it's done fermenting will fizz it up...or so I was told yesterday. It just has to be airtight and sit out 2-5 days. I'll make sure to document it on my blog though!
:)
i have tons of old vegenaise bottles... Will those work okay? I removed the shiny cardboard like layer beneath all the caps though if that makes a difference?
One source says not to use glass as it can explode (http://www.totalkombucha.com/2010/02/refermentation-in-bottle-plastic-vs.html) but I might take my chances, as I'd rather use glass for many reasons (mainly, I have a ton of GT kombucha bottles waiting to be used!)
I haven't done this, but most of what I am seeing recommends glass because of reactivity with plastic and medal. It just says that you want a tight seal but not an air-tight seal. That makes sense. I'm just not 100% sure how to accomplish that without buying bottles specifically made for this. I think I'd rather err on the side of using a bottle that isn't sealed tight enough than the other way, but I have a young child in my home, and my tiny house is set up so that you have to walk through the kitchen a lot.
Great feedback, lbarte! Thanks. I think I'll try my GT bottles & seal them almost airtight...and maybe put them in a cardboard box just in case they explode!
Now I see why some of the k you buy goes so crazy and fizzes all over!!
I was just thinking about this and hope I didn't screw my tea up... I have a pretty big gap between the tea and the top of my glass container (i cloth is covering the top)... Is this okay? It's a pretty big gap
OK the deal with the fizzy...
yes, bottling airtight promotes fizziness...but do NOT fill your kombucha to the rim of the airtight bottle. doing so could cause the pressure to build with no room to 'vent' or circulate air, and the pressure could very well cause the bottles to shatter or the lid to fly off (its happened before, ive read, but not to me thank goodness...'
refridgeration seems to get rid of the fizziness, and really vinegary kombucha seems to loose its fizz. but i tend to get the greatest benefit from my kombucha when i can't taste any sweetness at all; anything short of 10 days brewing is too sugary for me; i am very cautious about my sugar intake.
also, flavouring. the following make great kombucha flavours:
-kombucha + coconut water from a thai young coconut
-kombucha + ginger
-kombucha + pineapple
Thanks!! :)
I was planning to fill my GT bottles about 80% full. Do you think that leaves enough room?
when i was talking about how full my container is I was talking about before I put the tea into individual bottles... Is it okay to have a lot of room in your huge original container (the container with a breathable cloth on top)
i use my old gt bottles for bottling because they are made to withstand the pressure, and fill them leaving about 1in from the top.
Thanks!!! That's just what I did.
I'm giddy with excitement. I have 8 kombucha bottles w/ grape juice in them & in a few days I'll be able to drink them!!! I'm planning to check them in 2 days and every day after until they're just right. I've heard it's 2-5 days for the fizz. Is that what you guys do too?
i let my kombucha brew for 10-14 days, then i bottle, and leave bottled for 3 days. then i enjoy! :)
Nice! I was taught to do 3 brewings - a first, then second, then closed up for fizz. Your way sounds quicker & easier!
Nice! I was taught to do 3 brewings - a first, then second, then closed up for fizz. Your way sounds quicker & easier!
what do you mean? please elaborate.
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