Kombucha

[LaurieRobo]

Yes I make my own and shared a baby w/ Metga and she is off running...

It is really easy and I have it down to a science and Met is getting there too... I can mail you a scoby if you want... just PM me.

More later... just popped in and I have blech work to do!!!

Originally Posted by DiamondDeb

Laurie & Metga, if making in a larger container, where do you get it? And you two are making from scratch?

The idea of a pineapple one... Oh that sounds good. And blueberry...that sounds good.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by DiamondDeb

Laurie & Metga, if making in a larger container, where do you get it? And you two are making from scratch?

The idea of a pineapple one... Oh that sounds good. And blueberry...that sounds good.

Yeah, Laurie gave me a scoby and I'm using a gallon jar I got from Walmart for about $8 or so. I just don't use the lid and put cheesecloth over the top with a rubber band.

This is my first batch from scratch thanks to Laurie and 9 days later I've already got four recycled drink bottles filled and working on the next batch. It's really easy as mostly you are waiting.

ETA: I guess if I wanted I could have added blueberries to the drink bottles for the second ferment and fizzy making, but for now I'm just trying to get the basic stuff.

[LaurieRobo]

and waiting... Glad to to see things are brewing along...

[metqa]

Oh No! I think I did a Terrible thing! i left home expecting to be back in a couple of hours so I left the batch of brew on the heating pad. but I ended up staying out longer than I expected so when I got back home, I never turned it off. It's been on low all day long and the temp got up to 90 degrees! that's ten degrees warmer than it should get. Do you think I may have killed my very first scoby!?!?????

I told you Lauren, that I execute Epic Failures What do you think? I've removed the pad and it's cooling down. I had just transferred new tea. . . Maybe they are vigourous and will survive my gaffe?

[LaurieRobo]

I'd give it a couple days to see what happens.... I can always send another one.... They are pretty resilient at least as far as I've seen.

Hint... if you didn't flavor all that you bottled... just dump a bottle into a brew jar and add sweet tea. You will grow another one.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

I'd give it a couple days to see what happens.... I can always send another one.... They are pretty resilient at least as far as I've seen.

Hint... if you didn't flavor all that you bottled... just dump a bottle into a brew jar and add sweet tea. You will grow another one.

Thanks Laurie. It is a waiting game, isn't it? I didn't flavor the bottles, so I guess they can be back up. Right now I've got my digital thermometer monitoring the temp, it's back down to 76. whew!

[LaurieRobo]

I haven't bothered with heat YET... Who know what will happen this winter here in NE.

Right now I have them in the cabinet over the fridge and it stays about 70 (so far)... If it get cold I put a couple bottles of HOT tap water in the cabinet to warm it up a bit.

I think that I have enough bottled now to be safe if my brews take a few more days.

[oyvey]

Laurie sent me one as well, and it's puttering away--I tasted it today, still too sweet (it's in my pantry, where it's not all that hot, but it'll happen), but very delicious.

[LaurieRobo]

I'm finding mine is taking a little longer too... that's why I am glad I bottled enough to keep up with our consumption :blush:

Remember if you are bottling - you want to bottle it just a tad sweeter than you would want to drink, once bottled it still keeps fermenting.

I have a couple quart jars that I'm letting go to vinegar level!

I just used Celestial Seasonings Strawberry/Black and Green tea... smelled yummy - I can't wait til this weekend to sample.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

I'm finding mine is taking a little longer too... that's why I am glad I bottled enough to keep up with our consumption :blush:

Remember if you are bottling - you want to bottle it just a tad sweeter than you would want to drink, once bottled it still keeps fermenting.

I have a couple quart jars that I'm letting go to vinegar level!

I just used Celestial Seasonings Strawberry/Black and Green tea... smelled yummy - I can't wait til this weekend to sample.

Wow, that sounds like it will be yummy. Did you just brew it up and add it to the kombucha or did you add a tea bag to each bottle of kombucha and let it steep in the k-brew?

What are you gonna do with your Vinegars? Flavor them? Hair Rinse? Foot Soak? Marinade?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know if my scoby is doing anything or not. Since it was floating from the start it's hard to tell if it is growing another layer on top.

My order for the 2.5 Gallon is delayed I knew that when I ordered, but I hoped a week later they would be back on track and sending it out. Oh well, I'm not in a hurry, after all, I guess. Seems like my pot is keeping consistently around 71-72 and I'm not heating the apt yet. So I'll bet(If I haven't killed it) I'm still on track for the average brew time.

[LaurieRobo]

I brewed the strawberry/black/green tea and then add the scoby... I made a batch a while ago Blueberry Breeze and it was very good. I think I did 5 flavor/5black/3 green... I also do flavor my secondary ferment bottling too.

However, when I experiment with flavors.. I use an extra scoby and after that brew use a regular brew. I also brew them only a gallon at a time - cause I would feel bad dumping it if I didn't' like it!

The vinegar ... cleaning I have heard, face astringent, marinade, we shall see!!! I also use the potent brew for a starter after a flavored batch.

Bummer on the delay on the brewer!!!! I love mine!

Some batches I have made didn't make a great new scoby and tasted fine. They all seem to be a little thinner now since it has cooled off too. I would give it the 7 days then taste to see if it is working (impatient me only 5 before I taste).

[metqa]

OMG, Laurie, i had the most Odd Nightmare. I dreamt that I went to check my kombucha, and a massive growth of bread like yeast was growing through the cheesecloth and ballooning up like billowing clouds. It was the consistency of overcooked oopsies and crumbled when touched!

Wake Up!

I checked this morning a few minutes ago, and even though I'm gonna be late for work I had to tell you, . . . MY Scoby is Still Alive! Part of it sunk beneath the tea, but I couldn't see it from the front. When I turned it around I saw the sunken part, and a film of scoby growing above it. So it's official: No Death Certificate for my Scoby just yet. I'm so happy!

[LaurieRobo]

That is way too funny....

You have been spending way too much time here dreaming about scoby's and oopsies!

I'm glad things are ok - I really don't think that the scobys are as delicate as one would have you believe... After all they have survived until now and before all the technology of today!

[metqa]

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

That is way too funny....

You have been spending way too much time here dreaming about scoby's and oopsies!

I'm glad things are ok - I really don't think that the scobys are as delicate as one would have you believe... After all they have survived until now and before all the technology of today!

Yes, i suppose you're right.

I drank my first bottle of Home Brew Yesterday. I let everyone sample and got some FUNNY FACES! BF of course didn't like it just like before but said he'd drink it if it makes him feel good , and two other guys, one of which ended up not liking it, said it smelled and tasted like apple cider wine. Another guy couldn't get past the vinegariness, but agreed it smelled and tasted like apple cider vinegar juice.

We had a good discussion about yeast, vinegar, and fructose sugar, then we increased the DOOM!!! (Oops, that's, uh, another topic )

Regardless, i was very pleased with the result. It had fermented a week, then I bottled it and let it sit out one week. Then I chilled it and it was very basic. Not too strong, not much fizz at all but noticeably carbonated. Still a bit sweet but just the right amount of vinegar to not be offensive. (I could stand a little more vinegar taste though since this will be my private pleasure)

the second batch I'm letting brew a few days more than a week since I gave it a sauna.:blush: plus i think it may get stronger more vinegar like I like.

You have made a girl really happy, Laurie!

[MsSeattleSlim]

and it's all LCF's fault!

I am drinking my first kombucha drink right now

I got ginger flavor - I like it!

Next thing you know I'm going to have jars full of weird-looking muck all over my kitchen........

[oyvey]

Can I bottle the brewed kombucha in mason jars? I know metal isn't ever supposed to touch the scoby, but what about if the brew splashes it? Should be all right, yeah?

My first batch from Laurie's scoby is just about done! Who0t!

[metqa]

Some of my lids have a white plastic coating on them all the way to the edge and then the red sealing ring, so It probably won't hurt if they are new and splash. You don't plan on storing them upside down, are ya?

You don't want metal touching because the acidity of the brew can leach ions from the metal and lead to chronic heavy metal toxicity. It won't necessarily kill the scoby if it touches metal. You just want to minimize prolonged contact with metal. If it is coated it should be fine.

[oyvey]

Originally Posted by metqa

Some of my lids have a white plastic coating on them all the way to the edge and then the red sealing ring, so It probably won't hurt if they are new and splash. You don't plan on storing them upside down, are ya?

You don't want metal touching because the acidity of the brew can leach ions from the metal and lead to chronic heavy metal toxicity. It won't necessarily kill the scoby if it touches metal. You just want to minimize prolonged contact with metal. If it is coated it should be fine.

Thanks! Time to go inspect my lids! The upside of this is that when the brew gets going, my whole pantry smells like fizzy goodness. Huzzah for kitchen full of projects!

[LaurieRobo]

Originally Posted by MsSeattleSlim

and it's all LCF's fault!

I am drinking my first kombucha drink right now

I got ginger flavor - I like it!

Next thing you know I'm going to have jars full of weird-looking muck all over my kitchen........

You'll be hooked in no time!!!

[LaurieRobo]

Originally Posted by oyvey

Can I bottle the brewed kombucha in mason jars? I know metal isn't ever supposed to touch the scoby, but what about if the brew splashes it? Should be all right, yeah?

My first batch from Laurie's scoby is just about done! Who0t!

I ran out of bottles :blush: and had to use 2 mason jars for my last batch. I don't thin it will be a problem since the liquid isn't in constant contact w/ the cover.

My bottle caps are metal too and so are the GT's caps.

[SueMc]

You can get white plastic screw on lids specific for qt. canning jars. They're in the same section as the rest of the canning supplies. They're great for turning unused qt. jars into extra storage for nuts, etc.

[metqa]

Drinking kombucha makes me smile!

I'm into my second bottle, it's been on the shelf a week longer than the first and it's perfect! tart, slightly sweet, carbonated but not explosive. Yay!

Today I'm going to pour off my second brew. I let it brew for two weeks, instead of one, so I'll see how it tastes compared to the first. Trying to get the time formula right.

So far I've had a steady above 70 degree temp and my second scoby is growing fine.

I Kombucha.

ETA: I just checked my new box of canning lids and they are coated, as well as my pack of jars with lids. I think I could use these to store large quantities for making vinegar, only if I use the new lids, and they will be sitting somewhere no splash zone. All my old lids are scratched and have metal showing. I have a couple of liquor bottles with corks. I can't wait to fill those.

[metqa]

Hey All,
Got some pics I wanted to share.

My Kombucha Prep center ( a bunch of pickle jars and tea bottles)

Here is a picture of my scoby from the top. It is creamy white and lumpy!
It looks soft and cuddley but it's a nice firm mass of cellulose.

the next one, you can see the results of two brews: two thick scobys one on top of the other. it bent down where I took the sample and the second one followed suit. that's fine. It'll give me a place to separate them eventually.

The last picture is my new batch sitting on the it's shelf, next to it's little fly trap , and the row of newly poured teas, waiting to fizz up.

This two week brew actually tasted done straight from the jar. The last one still had a good bit of sweetness in it so letting it second F on the shelf seemed to bring it up to proper balance. I wonder if I don't need to let this batch sit at long since it is closer to balance. M'not trying to make vinegar yet!

Speaking of vinegar, Laurie how long you gonna let 'em go to make vinegar, or is this a first time venture?

[HolyHottie]

Oh I'm so jealous! I can't believe so many of you are making your own Kombucha!

My DH drinks one almost daily before work. He's a tennis coach and puts in long, very physical hours. He's swears the kombucha keeps him going. The problem is we buy them at Whole Foods for $3 a piece ! I'm totally afraid to make my own, but it would save me SO MUCH MONEY!

Maybe I'll talk myself into trying. I'm a little intimidated.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by HolyHottie

Oh I'm so jealous! I can't believe so many of you are making your own Kombucha!

My DH drinks one almost daily before work. He's a tennis coach and puts in long, very physical hours. He's swears the kombucha keeps him going. The problem is we buy them at Whole Foods for $3 a piece ! I'm totally afraid to make my own, but it would save me SO MUCH MONEY!

Maybe I'll talk myself into trying. I'm a little intimidated.

Hottie, YOU NEED TO BREW!

If you can make Sweet Tea, you can totally make Kombucha. And If I can't kill the thing, I'm sure your's will THRIVE. Your hubby would love you for your creative skill and money saving action!

I'm still waiting for my continuous brewer, but darned it if hadn't already ordered it I'd still be happy making it this way. It's too easy. Here are my future plans:

1: Get that Gallon Glass Pickle jar from BF (there are three pickles left and they won't eat them!)
2. Make 3 Quarts of sweet tea per instructions(3 Qt pure water, 1 cup sugar, 6 bags or equiv green or black tea, regular, no decaf or essential oils) and keep it in the fridge a few days before transfer. Day of Transfer leave tea on counter to get room temp
3. Day of transfer, Without removing the scoby from the Gallon Size Glass Jar (with lid, I bought from Wally World for around $8) pour most of the finished tea into another container and leave about a quart or less in the jar with the scoby.
4.Pour Room Temp tea on top of scoby letting the tea blend with the leftover Kombucha. Wipe, Cover it and set it on it's shelf.
5. Fill Clean Recycled Commercial Tea Bottles with Finished Kombucha and either set on shelf for second ferm&fizz or chill immediately for yummy happy hour.

Clean, Set, Repeat!

I've only just started, Thanks to Laurie, but if you want to wait a couple of weeks till my current brew is finished, I could send you a scoby. Laurie sent me one, It would be proper community spirit to pass one along. or you could ask Laurie if she has any extras.

What say you Laurie? I don't want to speak for you but thought I'd ask on Hotties behalf.

BF says don't get too excited or tell too many people about my brewing cause if people started feeling too good, then the FDA will ban it!

[wen774]

Im curious about the carb count in kombucha. I bought my first bottle yesterday and I think it has something like 7 carbs in it, though some of the bottles had more. Since the sugar gets eaten in the fermentation process, is this a true carb count or something similar to the yougurt thing there they are only counting the original sugar before the fermentation? Does that make sense?

[metqa]

Originally Posted by wen774

Im curious about the carb count in kombucha. I bought my first bottle yesterday and I think it has something like 7 carbs in it, though some of the bottles had more. Since the sugar gets eaten in the fermentation process, is this a true carb count or something similar to the yougurt thing there they are only counting the original sugar before the fermentation? Does that make sense?

Y'know I never thought it our or calculated it. It's gonna be hard to say with the commercial stuff unless they tell you up front.

There are glucose strips that you can buy at the pharmacy that tells you how much sugar is left. Only thing is. not all the sugar gets eaten. First it turns into fructose, then if you let it get undrinkable, that's when it turns to alcohol or vinegar. but then it would be probably nasty. So it would still have fructose sugar , but how much depends on how long you ferment. It's probably not an induction friendly beverage by any means, unless you brew it strong then cut it with S.F. Tea , but I don't think that would taste good either.

There's more science to it, but I'm burning something in the kitchen. I'll see what I can find and post it later.

Cheers!

[metqa]

Put on your reading glasses, Here we go!
Please don't just go by the quotes I've chosen. There is a wealth of info out there and these pages seem to be thorough, if not, sometimes, contradictory. Getting a bigger picture can sometimes answer questions in different ways than just a one line answer. I'll get back to that in a sec . . .

KOMBUCHA TEA

Most authors state that you have to use refined sugar in making Kombucha. Since Kombucha tea has been cultured for thousands of years and refined sugar has only been available for about a century, this is an absurd statement. It has been noted that you can use honey to make the tea, but it must be kept at a temperature of about 85 degrees F, which is for most of us impractical. Since nearly all the sugar is transformed, white refined sugar is almost always used to make Kombucha tea.

Simple answer but I'd like a bit more details. . .

What is the sugar content of Kombucha Tea?

What is the sugar content of Kombucha Tea?
Kombucha FAQ Part 1b sugar - Frequently Asked Questions
In response to the query about the carbohydrate content of Kombucha, the following was found in Christopher Hobbs book: In tea made with 1 cup of sugar to 3 quarts of water, fermented for 7 days -- there are about 4 grams of sugar in a 3-1/2 oz. glass. That's about a teaspoon or 16 calories. The analysis was done by a certified food lab.


Can people with diabetes drink Kombucha Tea?
Kombucha FAQ Part 1fa miscellaneous - Frequently Asked Quest...
Many diabetics report they have had absolutely no problems drinking it; while others may need to reduce their intake of sugars, or adjust their insulin to compensate. One way to reduce the sugar content is to ferment for a longer period of time. A recent lab test done confirmed a sugar value of 1.65 grams in one ounce of Kombucha Tea that had been fermented for 15 days.

Still a bit of hearsay, with lab results to support.

Analysis* of Kombucha Ferment

Average Analysis of the Kombucha;

some ferments have more, less or none of them. results do vary.

Much of this depends upon 1). brewing time & temperature, 2). sugar and 3). tea .

An average 4 ounce (120 ml) daily dose may average NO Sodium, NO Protein, and 8 grams of sugar (as fructose) and 8 grams carbohydrates. Alcohol content depends upon length of brewing and averages (8 days) less than 1/2 of 1% (about the same as fresh squeezed orange juice). A longer brew time (14 days) reduces the sugar content and alcohol content considerably although the taste moves from sweet to semi-sweet to sour to vinegar. Michael Roussin suggested an 8 day ferment at 80F (26-27C) and Cornell University Food Study indicated 9 days at 79F (26C) for the optimum blend of taste and health. Len Pozio, long time kombucha enthusiast, likes his at 14 days and 74F (23.5C). I have found it best to keep the temperature between 74 F (23.5C) and 84F (29C). The warmer temperature produces a faster more consistent ferment while the lower temperatures produce a less harsh more mellow taste though more inconsistent and with a greater susceptibility to molds and pathogens forming. Kombucha brewing seems to work better in the summer than in the winter months. Some people make a kombucha cabinet with a light bulb or other heat source that helps maintain a perfect brew.

There's a lot more information. Please check out this website it has much more details than I can quote.


This page is interesting and has, in this one afternoon, changed how I view Kombucha. I will explain after the quotes:

Kombucha instructions

# Kombucha, among other things, produces significant amounts of glucuronic acid, which along with the glucuronic acid normally produced by the liver, has the capacity to bind itself to the waste products of metabolism and to foreign toxic substances (e.g. tobacco, pollution, drugs, etc.), make them water soluble, and isolate them until it carries them out of the body. Kombucha's capacity to synthesize glucuronic acid is remarkable and valuable, considering that other means to achieve this synthesis have been difficult to devise.
# [COLOR="Blue"]*** According to more recent and generally accepted spectrographic analysis, Kombucha does not contain glucuronic acid. There remains, in many quarters, strongly held belief that KT does actually help the liver to detoxify the body in some way, and the search for understanding of the mechanism continues. ***[/COLOR]

For reasons of their serious negative effects in the human system, nutritionists increasingly recommend against the use of black and green teas and of refined sugar in any diet. However, all research with Kombucha indicates that the refined sugar and tea, specifically with high purine (including caffeine) content, provide the nutrients and the milieu required by the "fungus" for its most beneficial action. Through a complex sequence of interacting processes, this action, when executed with optimum tea to sugar balance, and proper temperature and duration of fermentation, consumes and/or transforms the sugar (2) and the caffeine.
[COLOR="Blue"]*** We understand that it is now generally agreed that caffeine content is not changed by the fermentation. We further understand that it is quite low, approximately 6 mg. per 4 oz serving (depending on brewing techniques). A cup of coffee may have about 100 mg. In the experience of ourselves and others we know who have been markedly sensitive to caffeine, reaction to KT has ranged narrowly, from none at all to very little. ***[/COLOR]

Footnotes
(2) Using currently available information, the best estimate we can make of the caloric content and makeup of Kombucha is as follows. In well made Kombucha, the 100 grams of sucrose (refined white sugar) per liter are used and hence transformed, by the yeasts and bacteria, into the beneficial metabolic products--gluconic acid and acetic acid--and perhaps 30 grams of fructose, a form of sugar which puts less stress on the metabolic regulatory system. The recommended daily maintenance dosage (11 oz.)
can be expected to supply about 40 calories, or about as many as in half an apple.

this mention about the glucoronic acid not being produced made me curious about the need for caffeine after all since it's the caffeine that is supposed to be turned into that particular acid. . .

I'm not going to quote this page since it is a web board like ours, but I think it is worth reading peoples questions and answers and their interesting solutions for measuring various contents of their kombuchas.
Print Page - Kombucha: Alcohol, pH, Caffeine, Sugar & Culture Content


Finally there is this page, Not abut sugar, but about home de-caffeination, which I've heard of and tried before, though i buy most of my teas already decaffeinated.

Antioxidants and Health: Decaffeinated Tea

Decaffeinated teas are commercially available. However, the process involves chemicals which may leave traces after the processing.

How are coffee, tea and colas decaffeinated?

The process of decaffeinating tea using chemicals not only removes the caffeine content but also some of the health promoting nutrients and polyphenols found in the tea leaves.

There is an alternate way of making a decaffeinated tea right in your home. How about that? A caffeine free tea which you prepare yourself. The process uses no chemicals and can remove up to 80% of the caffeine from the tea leaves. How much caffeine will be left will depend on the source (black tea, oolong tea, green tea).

Caffeine is very water soluble compared to the antioxidants (polyphenols) in tea. It means that caffeine easily combines with water when it makes contact with it. The higher the water temperature, the faster the caffeine combines with it. Here's what you'll do to make your tea almost caffeine free, approximately 80% caffeine free.

* Boil some water
* Place your tea leaves in a separate container
* Pour some boiling water in the container where you placed your tea leaves.
* Allow to steep for 30-45 seconds.
* Discard that water which now contains a lot of caffeine from the tea leaves.
* Boil the water again then pour it in the container and allow to steep for 2-5 minutes
* You can now drink and enjoy your home made decaffeinated tea.

You can drink more cups in a day without worrying of the side effects that caffeine may bring to your health.

www.HappyHerbalist.com
Although acidic, the synergism of digestion kombucha becomes an alkaline forming food.

I wish I could find the exact page where it describes the actions of the yeast and the bacteria and it's by products. That sucrose is used up by being broken down into fructose. The sugar is competed for by both the yeast and the bacteria, with different temperatures giving advantages to one over the other for sugar eating. So While there is no "white" sugar, there will be "fruit sugar" until you let it consume all the sugar in which you have vinegar.

Sorry I can't find it right now. It was a great site, gave temperature ranges for the organisms actions and really cool details.

Anyway. I'm thinking that since Caffeine may not actually be "converted" into glucoronic acid (test prove lack of acid in kombucha) I think I may eventually separate a baby and start brewing with water decaffeinated tea. BF has been grilling me on my stimulant consumption, what with the Kombucha and the MSM I've started taking. I would like to keep casual caffeine consumption to a minimum as much as possible. So if there are no benefits to including it, I plan to exclude it.

[COLOR="Sienna"]Maybe I'll stop having nightmares about strangers attacking me with switchblades trying to take my Kombucha!![/COLOR]

[metqa]

Okay, a Quote from the web board that i wasn't gonna quote:

Title: Re: Kombucha: Alcohol, pH, Caffeine, Sugar & Culture Content
Post by: SarahK on July 10, 2007, 09:45:55 PM
On caffeine in Kombucha tea:

The following is taken from Kombucha: Healthy beverage and natural remedy from the Far East (9th ed. 1995) by Gunther W. Frank in the section titled "What are the disadvantages of herbal tea compared with black tea?"

QUOTING:
"Bing (1928) conciders the purine content of black tea to be the characteristic element of the nutrient medium." ... "In the plant and animal kingdom purine is found in great amounts as physiologically important combinations, such as uric acid, building blocks of the nucleinic acids (guanine, adenine) and xanthine alkaloids (caffeine, theophylline and theobromine). Bing describes the Kombucha culture as a community of living things which are particularly adapted to a nutrient milieu rich inpurine, and which need this rich supply of purine to maintaim their own metabolism. Bing thus explains the breakdown of purine in the human metabolism - and so of uric acids as well - through drinking Kombucha."

My translation: Bing says purine to be very important in the food for the SCOBY. Purine is found naturally in lots of forms & caffeine is one of them. So, he thinks ya' just gotta have purine in there for it to be ready for gen-U-ine Kombucha. (no offense to the author or Bing intended - just fits in my brain better this way.)


QUOTE CONTINUES:

"In 1929 Bing writes that the Kombucha maker often "commits the sin" of using elderflower tea, camomile tea and other herbal decoctions instead of good Russion or Chinese tea for the nutrient solution, which alone contains the necessary purine. He consders that it "goes without saying that under such circumstances the desired process of fermentation cannot take place and the effects fail to materialise"."

My translation: Bing says if you use something other than regular tea with the purines in it - you won't get the same results as others who do use regular tea.

After this point in the book, caffeine is not addressed anymore as far as I can tell. There is a brief mention of it in the discussion of sugar, but it seems to be as a side note as an example of other elements of different food products containing sugar. It doesn't address our question of 'how much is left in there?'

I'm not convinced that the purine/caffeine, as an important nutrient for the SCOBY, is actually decreased or converted in large amounts. I have no other evidence than my caffeine headaches when drinking caffeinated tea/kombucha on odd occasions and my caffeine 'hooked' headaches I get if I drink caffeinated tea/kombucha for 3-4 days running and then skip it one day (go without caffeine after having it regularly).

Next post: Herbal Teas discussed in the same book...

Well I dunno, maybe I'll do a side by side caffeine vs. non caffeine brew and see what happens.

Ciao!

[MsSeattleSlim]

So I've been drinking some kombucha from the store - a raw, organic brand, and I like it a lot. I've read, though, that some complimentary medicine docs worry that the culture (especially home brewed) could get contaminated with wayward bacteria that are bad for you. Any thoughts?