Kombucha

[metqa]

M'kay, LAURIE! I need your help!

I'm installing the spigot and they sent me two soft rubber washers. the diagram shows how the washer is on the outside pointing in, but I don't know if the second washer is supposed to be on the inside before the nut or if it is an extra. I think I already know the answer since the washer is soft rubber but the nut is hard plastic like the nozzle. What do you think? Do you have an inside washer or just the nut against the glass wall?

[LaurieRobo]

Sorry this may be too late not usually on at night...

but yes mine has a washer inside and outside... make sure to test for leaks with water and let it sit for a bit before you actually put your tea in there, better safe than sorry.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

Sorry this may be too late not usually on at night...

but yes mine has a washer inside and outside... make sure to test for leaks with water and let it sit for a bit before you actually put your tea in there, better safe than sorry.

Bahahah, Yeah, I asked the company too, but I was impatient. First I put both in , then I took On out, then I waffled then I left it with just one. they said to use two. But the tea is already in there and it didn't leak for a while so, I will just add the second washer after vacation. Silly me.

they should have mentioned it on the bag about both washers. The diagram shows only one then the jar then the nut. I thought "Oh how sweet an extra washer (for me to lose and never find again ) I wonder if I could hold the spigot on tightly from the outside and quickly unscrew the nut, and put the second washer back on and re-tighten before losing too much tea! I have 4 jars going now Unbelievable. After I pulled off a scoby for Brittonne, I realized that I could further separate the mother you gave me from my first and second scoby, So I kept the mother and first baby in the original container and the second scoby in the two gallon, Then I made tea for my Give-Away Scoby but I overfilled it. Poured half into the second pickle jar and decideded to put the first scoby in with the extra tea. Hence I've got about 2 1/2 gallons going in 4 different jars. I'm waiting till Happy herbalist gets there stuff back in stock cause I really wanted the 8 oz single serve flip top bottles too.

I can't believe I have 6 Wine Bottle size Bottles. I have no concept of volume it seems.

[DiamondDeb]

I have no counter space at all so I think I may need to wait a while on trying to make my own. Looks like it can take up a bit of space.

I opened a bottle of Guava Goddess kombucha today & for the first time ever it was not fizzy... I drank it anyway... I'm not gonna die am I??? It was kind of like a flat soda... But still good.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by DiamondDeb

I have no counter space at all so I think I may need to wait a while on trying to make my own. Looks like it can take up a bit of space.

I opened a bottle of Guava Goddess kombucha today & for the first time ever it was not fizzy... I drank it anyway... I'm not gonna die am I??? It was kind of like a flat soda... But still good.

Heh, Don't use my over enthusiasm be a guide to 'normalcy' concerning brewing. You only really need a place to keep a gallon size jar for a week undisturbed and some clear counter space to use while prepping. I just happen to have a whole shelf dedicated and I don't really need 4 large brews going at once. Seriously a large 1 gallon glass cookie jar from walmart is less than 10 inch across ( I know cause my two gallon jar is exactly 10 inches and my walmart jar is much smaller.)

Once my continuous brewer is up and brewing, I'm going to retire the gallon jar to be a scoby hotel, and the pickle jars will move on to either hold prepared tea or salt pickles , in a different location.

If you have one square foot of space to spare, you can do it.


(of course there's the matter of bottles and refrigerator space for the finished bucha, . . . but I'm gonna shut up now!)

[DiamondDeb]

Originally Posted by metqa

Heh, Don't use my over enthusiasm be a guide to 'normalcy' concerning brewing. You only really need a place to keep a gallon size jar for a week undisturbed and some clear counter space to use while prepping. I just happen to have a whole shelf dedicated and I don't really need 4 large brews going at once. Seriously a large 1 gallon glass cookie jar from walmart is less than 10 inch across ( I know cause my two gallon jar is exactly 10 inches and my walmart jar is much smaller.)

Once my continuous brewer is up and brewing, I'm going to retire the gallon jar to be a scoby hotel, and the pickle jars will move on to either hold prepared tea or salt pickles , in a different location.

If you have one square foot of space to spare, you can do it.


(of course there's the matter of bottles and refrigerator space for the finished bucha, . . . but I'm gonna shut up now!)

I honestly don't have a square foot of counter space to spare. Wonder if I could keep it on top of the fridge? That's the only place I could put it...or on top of the microwave. I live alone so I can find room for bottles in the fridge once it's made.

I have to use the top of my stove for prep. I really need a house next year...

[metqa]

Originally Posted by DiamondDeb

I honestly don't have a square foot of counter space to spare. Wonder if I could keep it on top of the fridge? That's the only place I could put it...or on top of the microwave. I live alone so I can find room for bottles in the fridge once it's made.

I have to use the top of my stove for prep. I really need a house next year...

I wonder, the fridge might be good. Doesn't it stay warmer on top of a fridge too. That might be great for the winter months.

[cowboymom]

On top of the fridge is a classic kombucha location! We did ours on top of our water heater b/c it was the only consistantly warm spot in our house last winter!

We stopped brewing it over the summer b/c we were too busy but it's time to start it up again. I believe in the stuff, we haven't had a cold here in two years. It cured my SIL's irritable stomach problems. I always grab some when I'm tired or run down...

we made ours in a big fishbowl with a coffee filter over the neck! lol then strained it into an ice tea pitcher with a spigot at the bottom...

good stuff. I think it's time to wake up the shroom!

[metqa]

I've got indigestion and terrible heartburn since yesterday night, and of course the first thing I want is some strong vinegary kombucha. But I can't have any cause I was driving cross town. Finally get to my office and eat a little ham and greens and a digestive enzyme capsule and water, but it doesn't get any better. Many murphy's law anecdotes later I'm at home rolling sweet homeopathic pills under my tongue for indigestion. But I still feel crappy. Finally I get to my fridge and the last of a small bottle of K tea pre-holiday, and take a few ounces. It may seem psycho somatic but my stomach (where the heartburn is) feels better instantly. and my indigestion has let up not much but noticiably, as much as the homeopathic.

I know that people take ACV for gerd, I recommended it for years, but it has also been years since I've had heartburn. The Hard Kombucha seemedto give me the same benefit but better tasting than ACV. Now I just have to work on this headache.

ETA: All of my new tea jars have thin scobys growing on top just from a few days ago. Yahoo.

[cowboymom]

when I have heartburn pickle juice (salt and vinegar) cures it... when I was pregnant we had jars and jars of dry pickles in the fridge! I've read somewhere it has to do with the chemical make-up of your stomach.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by cowboymom

when I have heartburn pickle juice (salt and vinegar) cures it... when I was pregnant we had jars and jars of dry pickles in the fridge! I've read somewhere it has to do with the chemical make-up of your stomach.

That explains a lot about pregnant cravings. yeah, when digestion occurs the stomach is supposed to secrete enough HCL to decrease the pH, and this decrease in pH signals the esophageal sphincter to tighten up. Sometimes signals get crossed or the stomach gets over filled, or a virus disrupts things and the sphincter either unlearns this action or pressure from a full stomach squirts it backwards irritating the tissue. People mistakenly take antacids which lower the pH, which signals the sphincter that it's okay to relax, and the problem is increased. Vinegar is an acid that's diluted enough to eat but strong enough to change the stomach pH. I can see how vinegar pickles could give some relief. I know ACV and Kombucha does. But if you have an ulcer it burns going down, until it heals. Carbonation can put uncomfortable pressure on the sphincter, at least for me. Luckily I haven't had that much success with carbonation in my Kombucha yet! (I also don't plan on having chronic heartburn again though)

I don't know how salt affects the system, but now I have something to look up. I want to start some salted veggie pickles soon.

Hey Cowboymom, how do you "store" your kombucha scoby when not actively brewing? Any special tips?

[Susan81]

I love kombucha! I buy it at Whole Foods all the time near the salad bar and bakery area. My friends actually make it at home fresh but they have a large jar of it and it's kinda weird to see the large bacteria in the jar so I'm happy just to buy it in different flavors at the store.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by Susan81

I love kombucha! I buy it at Whole Foods all the time near the salad bar and bakery area. My friends actually make it at home fresh but they have a large jar of it and it's kinda weird to see the large bacteria in the jar so I'm happy just to buy it in different flavors at the store.

The commercial stuff uses the same scoby,as a matter of fact, if you take the commercial stuff and add sugar tea to it, it will grow the same scary looking scoby. That's how some people get their original scobys.

Hey, why don't you pay your friend to filter and flavor the homemade Kombucha for you? It would be cheaper for sure and you could support your friend's kombucha growing habit!

[cowboymom]

we just put ours in the fridge with a big jug of tea... we're going to brew our first new batch tonight! I need to look into adding juices this year, I got tired of the usual stuff. We made ours with green tea...

[metqa]

I know it's not very busy around here, but I've got a question for Laurie or any continuous brewers around here.

I've got a gallon of tea in a 2 1/2 gallon glass brewer. The scoby has grown lovely-ly I have my original 1 gallon jar brewing as well as two half 2L jars from the give away a scoby project. I don't want to draw off from the continuous brew yet since I have so many other jars to deal with right now. Can I just add some fresh tea to the continuous without drawing any off?

That would take it up to about 2 gallons total before I ever touch the tea inside.

Also I think I'm gonna make one of the little jars into my scoby hotel. maybe keep it in the fridge like cowboymom did, that way I can always have the Give away scoby's ready for giving away or for epic-fail-tea-rescue. Right now I have two mini give away scobys and one regular 1 gallon width scoby and my Monster Continuous scoby.

Oh BTW Laurie, I only have one washer on but it doesn't seem to leak any and as I contemplated, sticking my hand in to unscrew the nut whilst holding the spigot in, adding the second washer and screwing the nut back on before any tea leaked out, the Squirrel Nut Zippers song "If It Ain't Broke,Don't Fix It!" came on and slapped me in the face (What are the odds! )
I suppose if it t'aint leaking then it's doing just fine with the one washer after all.

[LaurieRobo]

LOL - yup if it ain't broke don't fix it.... it cost me 1500 bucks, last time I took my car in....yah but it was RUNNING fine LOL...

Yes you can just add fresh tea... make sure that you have room on top though for your growing scobys.... I would draw a cup or so from the brew and pour it on top of you batch.

You can also drink right from your brewer at this point to - I do when I'm too lazy to open a bottle

[metqa]

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

LOL - yup if it ain't broke don't fix it.... it cost me 1500 bucks, last time I took my car in....yah but it was RUNNING fine LOL...

Yes you can just add fresh tea... make sure that you have room on top though for your growing scobys.... I would draw a cup or so from the brew and pour it on top of you batch.

You can also drink right from your brewer at this point to - I do when I'm too lazy to open a bottle

Tell me about it. BF spent $600 for new rotors and new Master Cylinder. They wouldn't let him leave with the car cause they said it was too dangerous to drive. We just thought he needed new pads!

Kombuch!, Will Do! Right now the continuous is right below half way so it's got plenty of room before the glass curves inward. thanks for the tip to pour some on top.

I suppose I ought to go a head and taste it, y'know just to be sure Of course as soon as BF saw the spigot his hand was out to push the button! NOoooooo!

[metqa]

Laurie, My Kombucha Kween!

Um, okay, so Happy Herbalist says that to do a second ferment, where you leave no air for the bacteria to thrive and the yeast eat more sugar and make more carbonation, that I should have an air lock. Umm, . . . . . . do you use an air lock? Have you ever had any bottles explode? (I mean explode not while you are trying to open pineapple yumminess) They said the air lock lets you know when it's finished cause you can watch less bubbles rising, or If I put a balloon on the jar and seal it the balloon will inflate with CO2 and stop expanding. that seems like a lot of work!

What do you do? I've never really had a carbonated Kombucha, I always left air in the bottles and they got sour (but that's the way I like it) I want to experiment with getting a less sour more fizzy kombucha so I don't scare people away with my Vinegar-bucha that I personally prefer.

ETA: Oh BTW, if anyone wants to start Kombucha, I've got two happy baby scoby's who are about to go to sleep in the scoby hotel. They are waiting for happy homes to adopt them. Just give a shout.

[metqa]

If you are still awake Come to CHAT!!!!

[metqa]

Oh Bother!

My new one litter bottles that I bought 6 of, . . . . Don't fit into my refrigerator!

[LaurieRobo]

LOL - sorry I don't get online much over the weekends or at night only at work... ssssh... don't tell..

I don't use and airlock, nor do I fill the bottles. I leave about 1 1/2 inches from the top so that there is expansion room... I have never (not yet knock on wood) had a bottle actually break and explode. I keep the bottles in a box in the basement w/ a cover so if there was an issue at least it would be contained.

I have been successful so far and don't plan on changing. I have noticed if the bottles are chilled vs. room temp - the carbonation explosion factor is less. Not less fizzy, but less apt to over flow if you don't open slowly.

[metqa]

Hey, Everybody. How's it Kickin'?

Just checkin' in on Folks.

Hey SASHIMIMARK!!!! Where ya at? Want to know if you got a brew successfully going and how you solved the temperature tribulation.

Hey Laurie! can you believe it? I think I have too much kombucha! I have three 1 L bottles on the shelf and my CB is ripe. I calculated that the 3 quarts of tea that I make will almost fill the last 3 liter size bottles so I'm gonna pour some off and let them 2nd ferment. I may add flavors to these for a first try. I've got some cranberry concentrate from the HFS, and some fresh cranberries too. I've got ginger on my shopping list so I may try that second. Oh yeah, I've been getting more carbonation lately. I think the scoby has finally gotten comfortable with me.

Cowboy Mom How goes your new batch. Did your stored scoby perk right up?

Susan So are you enabling your friends kombucha habits? One of my buddys was saying how he'd heard of kombucha but didn't like the idea of things floating about in it. (he won't drink OJ with pulp, makes him ) I thought I'd let him try some K by straining out the yeast strands he saw. I'm sure your friends would do that for you if you showed an interest. I'm trying to get my friends to like it, so I can get rid of some excess brew!


Cindy Have you decided whether to brew. Let us know!

Hey Diamond! How's that fridgetop tea going for ya?

Hey Lauren Jacksmixedtape, did you start brewing, sorry I cant remember?

Brittone _ I'm so glad your brew is off and Brewin'

Hottie, How's your new scoby growing?

Oyvey, Hummingbird, LauraArizona, Lauren (Jacksmixed) Ms Seattle, Wen, and everyone else. . .
BIGHUGS

My last two batches of sweettea, I've been water decaffeinating the bags with a 30 second hot water predip before adding it to they sugar water to steep. Since I've been feeding the continuous brewer with this I haven't drunk any to experience the difference. (there will still be a little caffeine)



Just came to shout out to everyone And to keep the offer for baby scobys open.

Ja Matta! Later!

[brittone2]

Originally Posted by metqa

Hey, Everybody. How's it Kickin'?

Just checkin' in on Folks.

Hey SASHIMIMARK!!!! Where ya at? Want to know if you got a brew successfully going and how you solved the temperature tribulation.

Hey Laurie! can you believe it? I think I have too much kombucha! I have three 1 L bottles on the shelf and my CB is ripe. I calculated that the 3 quarts of tea that I make will almost fill the last 3 liter size bottles so I'm gonna pour some off and let them 2nd ferment. I may add flavors to these for a first try. I've got some cranberry concentrate from the HFS, and some fresh cranberries too. I've got ginger on my shopping list so I may try that second. Oh yeah, I've been getting more carbonation lately. I think the scoby has finally gotten comfortable with me.

Cowboy Mom How goes your new batch. Did your stored scoby perk right up?

Susan So are you enabling your friends kombucha habits? One of my buddys was saying how he'd heard of kombucha but didn't like the idea of things floating about in it. (he won't drink OJ with pulp, makes him ) I thought I'd let him try some K by straining out the yeast strands he saw. I'm sure your friends would do that for you if you showed an interest. I'm trying to get my friends to like it, so I can get rid of some excess brew!


Cindy Have you decided whether to brew. Let us know!

Hey Diamond! How's that fridgetop tea going for ya?

Hey Lauren Jacksmixedtape, did you start brewing, sorry I cant remember?

Brittone _ I'm so glad your brew is off and Brewin'

Hottie, How's your new scoby growing?

Oyvey, Hummingbird, LauraArizona, Lauren (Jacksmixed) Ms Seattle, Wen, and everyone else. . .
BIGHUGS

My last two batches of sweettea, I've been water decaffeinating the bags with a 30 second hot water predip before adding it to they sugar water to steep. Since I've been feeding the continuous brewer with this I haven't drunk any to experience the difference. (there will still be a little caffeine)



Just came to shout out to everyone And to keep the offer for baby scobys open.

Ja Matta! Later!

We finished batch one and we're onto batch two
So. Happy.

Thanks for the scoby

[relentless]

I just tried my first synergy the other day. got the cranberry one cuz i read this here thread. i loved it. i have no room in my current place to start my own so i think i'll work my way through the synergy flavors one per week, then make my own later on.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by relentless

I just tried my first synergy the other day. got the cranberry one cuz i read this here thread. i loved it. i have no room in my current place to start my own so i think i'll work my way through the synergy flavors one per week, then make my own later on.

You're gonna love it. Let us know when you want to start. We'll hook you up with a scoby!

I liked the green one, the one with seaweed or greens juice or whatever. It's unsweetened and has a different taste with each sip. Totally awesome. I need to figure out how to make that flavor at home.

[cowboymom]

Our stored scoby didn't do anything! We need to get another one going....

[CindyLouWho]

I am addicted to GT Dave's kombucha. I love cranberry, mango, guava, and raspberry the most. I've never tried making my own. For as often as I drink it, I really should.

[metqa]

Hey Laura, How's your K-Vinegar coming along?

My continuous Brewer Kombucha went to far and became really tart and vinegary. I'm thinking of pouring most of it off and making vinegar with it too. Any tips?

My Cranberry Kombucha came out great. Even BF admitted that he liked it. I forgot that his first experience with Kombucha was the old really vinegary stuff Like I learned to like it. I think he may enjoy drinking it. We finished off the liter size bottle in less than a day!

I haven't been keeping up cause of the holidays. I knew this would happen so I fed the scoby with lots of tea before vacation and still got a lot of vinegar. That's fine cause I wanted to try a vinegar anyway.

I'm going to pour off a good bit and add the fresh sweet tea to restart it. I should have all the old and new vitamins now since this one went so long without drawing off.

Does anybody else have their contibrewers on the wooden stands? I'm trying to get my old boss to give me his wooden stand since his water casket busted over a year ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about me again though. they cost like $40. Maybe if I offer him money for it, he might remember that he doesn't need it

It was fun popping the swing top cork off my brew. and it made a lot of mist in the neck but was chilled so it didn't spew like the last bottle I added cranberry concentrate and a handful of halved cranberries. the Kombucha pulled the tartness out of the cranberries and they were light in color and tasted only sweet. Like cherries. I guess they got fermented a bit.

Anyway. Pop in and give me some tips on how to process this into vinegar or store it or what!
Happy New Year!

[DiamondDeb]

Originally Posted by CindyLouWho

I am addicted to GT Dave's kombucha. I love cranberry, mango, guava, and raspberry the most. I've never tried making my own. For as often as I drink it, I really should.

Same here. I love it. Raspberry & Cranberry are my favorites.

I want to make my own but I need to be more organized before I try it.

[Trisha29040]

I'm thinking about trying this. If anyone has an extra SCOBY PM me. I will pay for shipping and handling. Thanks.