Kombucha

[pure_radiance]

My question is regarding the expiry dates on Kombucha tea bottles.....I found one in the back of my fridge, still sealed with an expiry of 05/19/09......is it still ok???

I would think it would be.....but I thought I'd just better check!

It looks like some of the mother leaked out around the cap and dripped down the sides.....dried up dirt type looking.......

Thanks for your input!

[Zenngrl]

Originally Posted by sbarr

Sigh, this is where I become terribly politically incorrect and suggest you sell this on ebay for a million dollars because you have the scoby of Turin. There must be some face in there.

I see a tiny wittle alien head right dead center...lol

maybe that is why my brew is out of this world.....

[Zenngrl]

Originally Posted by pure_radiance

My question is regarding the expiry dates on Kombucha tea bottles.....I found one in the back of my fridge, still sealed with an expiry of 05/19/09......is it still ok???

I would think it would be.....but I thought I'd just better check!

It looks like some of the mother leaked out around the cap and dripped down the sides.....dried up dirt type looking.......

Thanks for your input!

the latest i have ever drank was a mid July 09 expiration and it was very very vinegary compared to the same flavor with an expiration of mid October. So while it may not be drinkable, you could use it for a starter tea or perhaps cleaning?

[pure_radiance]

Ok, so it is not harmful, it is just too vinegary? So, it continues to ferment even while kept in the fridge? (Sorry, I know nothing about them!

Thanks!

[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by Zenngrl

I see a tiny wittle alien head right dead center...lol

maybe that is why my brew is out of this world.....

Hilarious!!!

[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by pure_radiance

Ok, so it is not harmful, it is just too vinegary? So, it continues to ferment even while kept in the fridge? (Sorry, I know nothing about them!

Thanks!

Yup, a fridge will slow down fermentation, but it doesn't stop it. I doubt that it is going to "hurt" you, but like stated above, it might be too vinegary. Can't hurt to taste it. And if it is too vinegary - don't throw it out, use it as the starter like zenngrl stated.

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

Quick question on leaving the 2nd ferment bottles out... what is the maximum time before transferring to the refrigerator? Is it three days (from everything I've been reading)? I want the max amount of fizz factor but I definitely don't want it too tart... Also, can that 2nd ferment ever go "bad" as in unsafe to drink? Or does it just become vinegar - not dangerous, but not tasty...

I don't think it will ever go bad, I'm betting it turns either vinegary but more likely as we recently experienced just watery with lil taste. I've kept backlog of up to 21 days and it started out tart and definitely became sugar free (even with added grape juice) but wasn't undrinkable. I think during summer that 3-5 days is about all you want to do for second ferment, mainly because it turns fizz to foam. It seems like all the carbonation is in the head and not in the body. Experiment to see what you prefer. I don't have the refrigeration space and had 4 gallons bottled which takes me 2 weeks to drink and the oldest ones were more foamy than fizzy.

[BikerAng]

Here are a couple of pics of my scoby's. The last picture is my scoby hotel, I'll probably end up composting most of them. Can they just sit in strong kombucha tea for a while and be ok?

[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by BikerAng

Here are a couple of pics of my scoby's. The last picture is my scoby hotel, I'll probably end up composting most of them. Can they just sit in strong kombucha tea for a while and be ok?

Wow, beauts! I feel like my brews are going really quickly and I don't have the space to keep bottling so I would be interested in your question as well, can I put my scoby into hybernation for a bit? And what is the best way to do that?

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by BikerAng

Here are a couple of pics of my scoby's. The last picture is my scoby hotel, I'll probably end up composting most of them. Can they just sit in strong kombucha tea for a while and be ok?

Yes as long as they stay moist, they will be fine. You might consider putting some in a blender & keeping it in refrigerator as a face/foot/body cream or just keeping in hotel till you want to put in blender or you could use whole scoby as a body pack for burns, rashes, etc. I've heard of people slicing them very thin and making stir fry with them (like shirataki noodles they would be indigestible fiber) There is lots of good locked in a scoby, that's where they make the concentrates from. I don't know if I'd be so quick to toss them in compost.

Keep me one ear marked, sigh it's still early but nothings looking viable here.

[BikerAng]

I'll keep these covered in the KT for a while. I added a small bit of fresh sweet tea to them too (ended up putting a clean cloth on top instead of the lid as it was bulging). I want to make sure the continuous brew takes off ok. The blended facial scoby sounds nice. Not sure if I could saute them and eat them, I'd think they'd still taste like KT and would be super rubbery.

I'll keep at least one big scoby for you Cindy.

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by BikerAng

I'll keep these covered in the KT for a while. I added a small bit of fresh sweet tea to them too (ended up putting a clean cloth on top instead of the lid as it was bulging). I want to make sure the continuous brew takes off ok. The blended facial scoby sounds nice. Not sure if I could saute them and eat them, I'd think they'd still taste like KT and would be super rubbery.

I'll keep at least one big scoby for you Cindy.

ty ty hun, guess you haven't tried shirataki noodles lol rubbery's not so bad, I've eaten a baby and it tasted like a lemon gel but that was one of the translucent quarter sized ones. I would think it would be good for the sour in sweet 'n sour

[BikerAng]

No problem! DH loves the shirataki noodles, I didn't care for them as much - they are very chewy and extremely filling. You may be onto something though with a sweet and sour noodle.

[metqa]

Dang, Who woke all you folks up? Two pages in less than a day. Y'all be excited, don 'cha be?

Originally Posted by Zenngrl

As promised, below are a few snaps of my first brew!

you can see the small quart jar sized scoby that I started with, the large "baby" is what 7 days in my storage closet brought me!

This tastes even better tonight! Will bottle and start a new batch tonight!

What a cute Jar, If I had seen sun tea jars like that I'dve got one. Ours all have ugly flowers on them.

Originally Posted by pure_radiance

My question is regarding the expiry dates on Kombucha tea bottles.....I found one in the back of my fridge, still sealed with an expiry of 05/19/09......is it still ok???

I would think it would be.....but I thought I'd just better check!

It looks like some of the mother leaked out around the cap and dripped down the sides.....dried up dirt type looking.......

Thanks for your input!

I got my best healing from drinking a case of Synergy that had been expired a couple of months in a broken walk in cooler. I took them home chilled them and drank them over a couple of months and got hooked. One of the reasons I now prefer the more vinegery side of the finished brew.

Originally Posted by BikerAng

Here are a couple of pics of my scoby's. The last picture is my scoby hotel, I'll probably end up composting most of them. Can they just sit in strong kombucha tea for a while and be ok?

Yeah they can sit. They will even grow some more if the top stays wet or the top layer sinks.

[Kamalam]

This thread is hopping!! Love the pics! It's so fun to see everyone's scobys.

The pic I posted on my blog is already out of date! The scoby has totally sealed off the 2.5 gallon brewer at this point. Will have to snap another shot soon.

My anti-fizz past is leading me to clarify something...we don't need to add any sugar to the 2nd ferment bottles, right? My partner put in lemon and just didn't feel "right" in not adding a smidgen of sugar as well. I told him I didn't think that was necessary... Admittedly a day and a half later it does taste pretty darn good, but I hate the thought that we added sugar when we didn't have to.

Last night we put ginger pieces into our bottles... nothing else... so it's going to be interesting to see what happens. Plus, now we're leaving an air pocket in the bottle (I read that helps with creating more fizz...).

[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

This thread is hopping!! Love the pics! It's so fun to see everyone's scobys.

The pic I posted on my blog is already out of date! The scoby has totally sealed off the 2.5 gallon brewer at this point. Will have to snap another shot soon.

My anti-fizz past is leading me to clarify something...we don't need to add any sugar to the 2nd ferment bottles, right? My partner put in lemon and just didn't feel "right" in not adding a smidgen of sugar as well. I told him I didn't think that was necessary... Admittedly a day and a half later it does taste pretty darn good, but I hate the thought that we added sugar when we didn't have to.

Last night we put ginger pieces into our bottles... nothing else... so it's going to be interesting to see what happens. Plus, now we're leaving an air pocket in the bottle (I read that helps with creating more fizz...).

I like the added flavor that the juice addition gives my second brew. The sugar gets all fermented away so I don't worry about "added" sugar.

I think you are right - I think the lower I fill he bottle, the more fizz I end up with.

[Zenngrl]

Originally Posted by metqa

What a cute Jar, If I had seen sun tea jars like that I'dve got one. Ours all have ugly flowers on them.

.

I got them in the picnic section at walmart, 6 bucks!

[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by Zenngrl

I got them in the picnic section at walmart, 6 bucks!

They might even be on sale not since we are past the 4th Check where the 4th of July picnic/party supplies were sold.

[metqa]

Oh Cool! Thanks! I like the stars!

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

My anti-fizz past is leading me to clarify something...we don't need to add any sugar to the 2nd ferment bottles, right? My partner put in lemon and just didn't feel "right" in not adding a smidgen of sugar as well. I told him I didn't think that was necessary... Admittedly a day and a half later it does taste pretty darn good, but I hate the thought that we added sugar when we didn't have to.

Last night we put ginger pieces into our bottles... nothing else... so it's going to be interesting to see what happens. Plus, now we're leaving an air pocket in the bottle (I read that helps with creating more fizz...).

I can't imagine an air pocket creating more fizz, but it will allow the bacteria to remain active. The yeasts don't need air but the bacteria does (to be active) so I would think it would sour faster, but it's probably safer (for bottle pressure) and maybe in this heat will reign in the yeasts to create fizz rather than foam. Got to experiment.

You can add sugar, not add sugar, add juices or dried fruit whatever, all is good. The sugar will be continued to be processed in the bottle. As long as you don't wait to bottle til there is no sugar for the yeasts to work with, it doesn't really matter. It's only when you have no sugar does the need to add something comes in, but you can add something even if it's not needed. Which will insure your fizz and or flavor.

Personally, I'm concerned with the residual sugar, I just can't wrap my head around it being "sugar free" I know the sugar is broken down to fructose but that is still sugar, but they say that 95% of the sugar is converted and we "should" be only talking about a 5% sugar content, but on a low carb way of eating, is that allowed. I'm still working on health benefits at this point. Although I blew my low carb with brewer's yeast, bee pollen, honey & stuff so decided it didn't matter and have been eating cheese & crackers (too hot to mess with kitchen) which is not a good answer and I know I've gained a lot of weight (being off thyroid meds doesn't help).

[vli1127]

Two questions: If I don't have the mother "milk" or whatever it is called or the SCOBY from a previous batch because I am starting from scratch, how can I get it started?

Can a recovering alcoholic drink this stuff since there is alcohol produced from the fermentation process?

[Zenngrl]

Originally Posted by vli1127

Two questions: If I don't have the mother "milk" or whatever it is called or the SCOBY from a previous batch because I am starting from scratch, how can I get it started?

Can a recovering alcoholic drink this stuff since there is alcohol produced from the fermentation process?

Yes, you can either use vinegar or a partial bottle of Kombucha, which you can get at Whole Foods or most Health Food Stores.

I've read that it actually helps some recovering alcoholics by both flushing out toxins and reducing the urge to drink.

[Kamalam]

Vicki, you need to decide if a smidgen of alcohol blows your sobriety... Some recovering alcoholics won't even use an alcohol based homeopathic. I've read that kombucha contains less than 1% of alcohol by volume, but some batches feel a little "happier" to me than others, lol.

So, depending on your chemistry, this may trigger something undesirable - or not. You know your body.

Another thing to consider is your liver - kombucha is a detoxifier. If you've got any liver issues from the past, keep in mind that your liver will process any of the toxins pulled out by the kombucha. Start slowly to see how things go... or avoid it if you feel your liver is compromised.

[BikerAng]

Wow, I don't know why I waited so long to go continuous!!!! Dang this stuff is super yummy! It's still a little bit sweet (I think it's been 2 days) but it's been cooler here. It is so much easier to test it in the sun tea jar. A thin scoby started to form on top, should I try not to disturb it when I pour new sweet tea on top, or am I supposed to stir it in? I can't remember! TIA!

[Kamalam]

Originally Posted by BikerAng

Wow, I don't know why I waited so long to go continuous!!!! Dang this stuff is super yummy! It's still a little bit sweet (I think it's been 2 days) but it's been cooler here. It is so much easier to test it in the sun tea jar. A thin scoby started to form on top, should I try not to disturb it when I pour new sweet tea on top, or am I supposed to stir it in? I can't remember! TIA!

What we do (after practically murdering our last scoby and learning the hard way, lol :blush is to pour the sweet tea on top, then pour a cup or so of the starter tea on top of that. You're essentially sandwiching your scoby between the starter tea below, fresh tea above, and above that, more starter tea.

In effect, you are "stirring" your brew and giving the scoby oxygen - since the scoby eventually creates a seal, this is the only way to mix things up and keep the scoby happy.

One of the other gals may have more info on the process, but that's what I got out of multiple questions and answers, plus reading up on the subject from the HH (Happy Herbalist) website. So far, it's worked beautifully!

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by BikerAng

Wow, I don't know why I waited so long to go continuous!!!! Dang this stuff is super yummy! It's still a little bit sweet (I think it's been 2 days) but it's been cooler here. It is so much easier to test it in the sun tea jar. A thin scoby started to form on top, should I try not to disturb it when I pour new sweet tea on top, or am I supposed to stir it in? I can't remember! TIA!

I'm so thrilled it's working for you! I'd highly suggest you not let your continuous brewer go beyond 3 days brewing. It goes fine, fine, fine, whoa sour. They say stir it in to get oxygen in there, the scoby will get ugly looking but will still work. I too had problem "stirring" my scoby and used the drain & dump method Kamalam describes. My brewer is 5 gallons, so I'd drain off a gallon or two and dump it back in on top several times. It would agitate it more than stir it but the seal would be better (seems yeast go a lil nuts without the sealing)

I still have one more batch to test. I added fresh tea to everything and I couldn't remember if one batch had 2 top scobys or only one (I thought it was just one) but it should form (if alive) in the brewer. I just finished the last dregs of my last bottle and caught something in my mouth pulled it out and checked it & thought it's just a baby scoby, popped it back in my mouth chewed and thought as I swallowed IT"S A SCOBY!! Why isn't the starter regenerating even if the scoby's are dead unless the starter is dead. I kept my KT bottles in the kitchen The last hotel batch was in a different spot in the kitchen (near the bottles though) than the rest. The cloth top was off a bit & I didn't know how long it had been like that and didn't want to chance it so just put it in a closed jar & set it aside (and it grew a new scoby back then months ago) I'm going to be away from the house next week, could we make arrangements to send the scoby when I get back (IF needed)? I don't want it sitting out in the sun.

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

So far, it's worked beautifully!

(from the woman who dumped it all and started over )

[Kamalam]

Hey Cindy are you going on vacation? I'm wondering if your house will get awfully hot while you're gone... should you put out little towels and umbrellas for your hotel scobys?

[Kamalam]

Originally Posted by cindy_cfids

(from the woman who dumped it all and started over )

That's what I was saying... learn from the person who did it all the wrong way! I never knew about "stirring" or mixing in the oxygen... never knew to NOT boil the water for such a long time (I growl every time about those "Dave" kt instructions...).

It really all went down hill when I separated the baby too soon... Never separate the child from the mother prematurely! I think I had a rebellion on my hands...

[cindy_cfids]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

Hey Cindy are you going on vacation? I'm wondering if your house will get awfully hot while you're gone... should you put out little towels and umbrellas for your hotel scobys?

You don't think they'd mind if I brought my "pets" with me do you . I'm going to go take care of my invalid stepmother, while stepsis goes on vacation. I hadn't even thought about a/c on or off. If it's all dead, will it much matter? I'll probably turn a/c up to 80F & let it run. I haven't had a scoby in the past 5 batches, but I've been bottling & drinking it??? AND plan to bottle the current batch lol. The very last batch, I added NOTHING to it, to make sure I wasn't masking anything and it tasted fine, I have been dumping the yeasts the past 2 batches and it wasn't as foamy as the previous batches but it fizzed ok. The previous batch I added cranberry juice, lemon juice and sugar and it was ready and foamy FAST. I have been testing the brews and they are sour, not really vinegary though. I'm so confused.