Kombucha

[porcupine73]

Originally Posted by iamfaithful

Don't worry unless you are invaided by fruit flies like I am!

Thanks faithful! I have seen a few around, but it was more when I was making sauerkraut. I haven't seen them near the KT.

Hm...a kombucha brewing challenge using fruit juices? Sounds interesting! I might give it a try. I think my next 'project' is going to be trying some of the advanced kefir techniques I have seen on Dom's site, specifically around second fermentation to reduce lactose. I'd also like to try making a batch of his 'kefirchi', (kimchi using kefir grains instead of whey).

I have seen some organic juices in glass bottles in the 'health' section of the supermarket that I have used in past for brewing small batches of wine. They work as long as they contain absolutely no preservatives. Usually they have been pasteurized.

[iamfaithful]

Originally Posted by j4Christ

I believe it was white grape juice cocktail. I couldn't find any 100% grape juice. So, yes, HFCS, but hopefully my gal ate it all up!! What do you think? Is it still a healthy brew?

Yes! Welches is almost always 100% & I think they have it in bottles if not frozen. I am going to town wed morning so I will look. If it is nit concentrated don't kow what the mix would be. (Thought I saw 100% frozen @ our WM. We'll see. Never thought of HFCS bet that is why it took so long.

Don't know how long your SCOBY will be viable, Metqa said something about it only being good for so many brews. I am sure she will pipe in... So keep checking...

[iamfaithful]

Originally Posted by porcupine73

Thanks faithful! I have seen a few around, but it was more when I was making sauerkraut. I haven't seen them near the KT.

Hm...a kombucha brewing challenge using fruit juices? Sounds interesting! I might give it a try. I think my next 'project' is going to be trying some of the advanced kefir techniques I have seen on Dom's site, specifically around second fermentation to reduce lactose. I'd also like to try making a batch of his 'kefirchi', (kimchi using kefir grains instead of whey).

I have seen some organic juices in glass bottles in the 'health' section of the supermarket that I have used in past for brewing small batches of wine. They work as long as they contain absolutely no preservatives. Usually they have been pasteurized.

Let us know about the high tech kefiring. I have to stick to simple things but love an adventure even if I don't take it. Jump onto the kefir thread so we can follow your progress on that & the kefir whey project.

If you make the kimchi does it call for the Korean pepper? It makes it so good! Did you add any to yours? Wish I could eat some right now! Since I have been nightshade free, the muscle spasms are better.

Bragged about you today to a friend. She was impressed with your adventures & how you help me find & interpret things that are hard for me to find or understand. Thank you for being you!

[porcupine73]

That's great thanks faithful! I'll have to look back to see if Dom's keferchi it calls for Korean pepper. I did add some to my kimchi and it made it taste quite a bit better, especially after it had been in there for a few days. I think I didn't leave my kimchi at room temp long enough to really fully 'digest'. It seems to be getting a little bit better in the fridge. I put it in a small fridge set just above 40F since there is about 12 quarts in there.

The continuous kefir process doesn't look too involved. Dom says some things such as B vitamins are really increased during the second fermentation. Dom also mentions an interesting experiment involving doing a second ferment on WK but adding Korean gingseng or a couple other herbs.

[metqa]

Is continuous kefir just adding new kefir to old? cause that's what I'm doing. It's hard for me to drink up all the kefir that is created, but I can't lower the milk amount or it goes too strong. So i always have some leftover. i've been adding the freshly fermented milk kefir to the older kefir I brewed from the day or two ago. I think I like that because there are less variations in flavor from batch to batch because it's all together, and it's fizzier the longer it sits, but because the old stuff is already fizzy, it seems I don't have to wait as long for a good fizzy kefir.

I guess at this point instead of a three stage process:
1) drain kefir, add fresh milk 2) 2nd day ferment the kefir 3) wait a day to drink it

it's more a two and a half step process

1) pour off daily portion from ready jar 2) add drained kefir to ready jar, and add fresh milk to grains

I need to weigh my grains, I'm sure they've grown, but I don't know how much. But it sure looks like a lot more than it used to be.

[iamfaithful]

Sounds continuous to me but dom leaves his out- wonder what the temp is in Australia... Porcupine would know & he is prolly doing an airlock top for his. Such an experimenter that young man!

[metqa]

Dom probably drinks his a lot faster than I do, so there wouldn't be as much leftover so even leaving it out would probably be a quicker turnover of fresh kefir than mine.

I left my finished jar out at first, but I couldn't drink it fast enough so into the fridge. I don't drink even a cup of kefir each day, but I add a pint to the grains, so I'm constantly increasing my finished kefir supply.

Unfortunatley its going the opposite direction for kombucha, I drink it faster than I replenish it! I'd better quit joking and go feed my scoby.

[iamfaithful]

I got a can of Welches 100% pure no sugar added White Grape Juice @ WM today. Put it in a gallon jar with several thin qt size SCOBYs that have been growing since August & added the prox 2 cups starter thay came from my own brew. We will wait a month & see what happens. It is cool in there & only my CB has the heater_ so we will see. Might nuzzle it up to CB I'd I can to get the warmth.

[porcupine73]

That is basically the continuous process, leaving some of the existing kefir in the jar and adding the new milk. Dom says that helps lower the ph of the milk right away to make it even less likely for undesirable stuff to start growing. He says agitating the milk at least every 8 hrs helps prevent any mold or things from taking hold too.

I would think Australia temps are highly variable like the U.s.; it might be over 100F in Death Valley while it is -40F in Minnesota maybe.

The grape juice kombucha sounds good! I haven't tried putting some berries mine for second ferment. I'm not getting much additional fizz during my second ferment, but I think that's because pretty much all the sugar is gone when I get to that point.

[iamfaithful]

Add a little sugar when you bottle maybe 1/4 tsp/16oz & you will get your fizz! Or a little sweet juice conceentrate like apple or cherry-citrus not so good. Frozen berries maybe 4 big 6 small. I need to do the cranberries..i have some frozen from last year.

Porcupine can you lookup something & post on kefir? Someone asked me if the bacteria etc is the same for both milk & water kefir. I can't navagate Doms techy stuff enough to figure it out. Thanks- you are so smart!!j

[porcupine73]

Hi faithful! Thanks for the caution on the citrus. I want to try the berries. The second ferment is still fizzy, it seems to be coming out of the continuous brewer pretty fizzy, it just doesn't seem to be adding fizz during second ferment. But maybe the berries or a little sugar would make more fizzzzzzzz!

Yes I know Dom does talk about the similarities between WKG and MKG, in fact I think he does say they are the same, but I will verify and post in the kefir thread!

[metqa]

I had my cranberry Kombucha today ( hot water on the cap) and It was tasty. Mild but flavorful, slightly effervescent, and tasty. I didn't add any extra sugar. but I think i might like my more sour than normal people!

Heading over to the kefir thread to see what's up! ...

[porcupine73]

Hm the cranberry sounds good! I like it sour too. If I can taste much of any sweetness all I can think about is that I am consuming the sugar.

[iamfaithful]

OOPS! Bottled 6 today & completely forgot AGAIN about the cranberries! Will pit a sticky note on fridge! Thanks!

[iamfaithful]

Ok, don't remember the date I started this bit here is what is going on. Went back 9/28/11

The next day I had 2nd thoughts about all those babies in the WGJ so when I harvested my CB I took out Metqa's SCOBY & trimmed it to fit the brewer (she is in there with the layers of her offspring). I had to take about an inch off all the way around. I cut it into strups, put 3 or 4 strips in WGJ & the rest down under in the Hotel.

Yesterday there were the white speckles of a healthy baby & today it is a completely white film. Will report again in a few days

[porcupine73]

Nice! It is amazing how the babies start. I had a small plastic cup I had been using to bleed the continuous brewers an ounce or two before filling just to flush out the tap, and it was sitting on the counter and started growing a small baby!

I keep forgetting to try the berries too!

Were you able to locate a replacement tap for your continuous brewer? Was the other one just too big around to fit?

[metqa]

I think I'm going to dehydrate my extra scobies into leather and make something with them. I've got tooooooooooo many and I can't use my oven cause that's where I've been hiding them. I had to take them out of the continuous cause there was no room for the liquid!! I dried one once and was gonna make a coin purse, but somehow I lost it. I think BF may have thrown it out while helping me clean!

if they are too thick to turn to leather, I'll make them into dog chew sticks for my mothers dog. He's a chewer!

I fed six cups of fresh tea to my brewer yesterday, so it'll be a while before I can draw off of it again. Once I see it growing a new baby, I'll pull out the huge 2 inch mother that's in there. i guess I could cut up the mother and store her in a smaller jar.

[iamfaithful]

Originally Posted by porcupine73

Nice! It is amazing how the babies start. I had a small plastic cup I had been using to bleed the continuous brewers an ounce or two before filling just to flush out the tap, and it was sitting on the counter and started growing a small baby!

I keep forgetting to try the berries too!

Were you able to locate a replacement tap for your continuous brewer? Was the other one just too big around to fit?

It was too big around but thanks for sending it was a nice try-will return in your box. The other one had something clogged in it & it would not let the handle move or the KT come out.

How do you flush yours? I tool a baloon & blew it up, attached with spigot closed then opened it & squeezed the baloon forcing air inside. Closed spigot when the air was still in baloon. The CB was full. Worked til last time when it quit operating. Now I have a bag over the inside of the spigot.

Evidently it couldn't get the mass out but a sharp skewer did.

Metqa, this phone didn't let me se who was posting & I wondered why Porcupine would make a purse! Made me switch to another program

Notro liked the chews when I gave them to him, but when mom & dad did-NaDa! Good luck!

I did trim your SCOBY & felt like I was doing a bad thing! But when I saw what the strips were doing, it was a very good thing!

Does anyone but me use an Rx Hotel? I have bits & pieces-big & small- of SCOBYs in it & it grows one! When I have a cut, bite or anything else, I grab a piece, slap it on & cover. Usually 2 days & it is almost completely healed! The spider bite convinced me this is a good Rx for almost anything!

Metqa, before you dehydrate them, why not grind some up & put in a jar ( you may need to add a tad of KT ). It can be used for facials, a skin rub Ywash off after 10 mins or so) spread on sunburn or just burns & as a rub to soften your feet-gain you will want to wash off after a while. So many uses for that jar... Give them away as gifts to people with kids! They will thank you when they see how fast it promotes healing!

[metqa]

Not a bad idea, Faithful. I'd better do that soon so I can get to autumn baking!

I saw on TED Talks a fashion designer who grew scobys to make into fake leather jackets. It was funny and cool to watch but I wanted to say, I've already done it but smaller scale. I think it's fun to play with Scoby leather, but I've never done anything real or worth showing and then it disappears in my clutter!

I think I'll start a Rx Hotel too. I already have lingering kombucha smells when I pull the mothers out, might as well benefit from it healing wise.

I'll try cutting strips for dog chews cause the full 12 round pattie might be a bit overwhelming to look at.

For Facials, it's be just like those fructose fruit skin peels right? That might be fun. Okay, You've convinced me. I'm gonna procrastinate on all my real work and play with Kombucha scobys today. I'll grade my classwork and tests between experiments.

[porcupine73]

Wow I didn't know the scoby's were so durable when dried! I wouldn't make a purse but I could make one of those european satchel man-purses.

I haven't had my continuous brewer spigots get clogged at all (yet), but they've only been operating for a couple weeks. What I mean is I flush mine full open for a second before I draw to fill the bottle, just to flush out the tap a little.

I am starting to see a few fruit flies around. Not around the brewers when I am working with milk or water kefir like straining it or drinking it sometimes I will see one.

[metqa]

My spigot has never clogged, but I open it every couple of days for an ounce or so.I've had it for a few years now. Whenever I add sugar tea, I open the tap full to fill a measuring cup with Kombucha to pour back in the top, so it gets run through at least that often as well.

A skewer cleans out any yeast that gets stuck in there, but that's a rarity. I was more concerned about flies trying to crawl up the spigot so I put a mesh drawstring bag over it as well well as quadruple folded flour sack with rubberband on top. No matter who or how many are flying about, there is no way to get inside.

[porcupine73]

Hopefully the spigots stay running clean!

Has anyone tried putting an aquarium pump in their continuous brewer to keep it circulating? haha maybe that is going too far.

I was drinking one of my swing top bottles of kombucha earlier and it had a little baby in the top. It was too late, it was already down my throat when I noticed.

HOW much kombucha is safe to drink per day? Something I saw said overconsumption can leach trace minerals from the body.

[metqa]

Yeah, I'm sure. I'd not worry about drinking too much, you'd probably end up overcaffienated and buzzing off the roof tops from the hallucinagnic amino acids before you drank "too" much. Wait, maybe that's already too much. Rephrase that.

2 oz for starters till your body gets used to it, and then increase as long as you don't have any undesirable results. I just made that up.

Leave off air pumps and gadgets man! Who knows what kinda imbalances you'll create from oxygenating that stuff, it might just crawl out of the can and smother you in the night!!!!

FEED ME, SEYMOUR!!!! Porcupines' Little Brewer of Horror!!

but seriously, the air pump idea sounds neat, do it and if you survive let us know how the brew tastes. They say not to boil the water too long because it will drive off the oxygen, so it may be worth a try. or you could use Penta Water but that stuff is expensive.

[iamfaithful]

OK ya'll having too much fun while I slept! Welcome to the 3rd tour of KT duty, Porcupine!

Metqa, I was back in post 1401 Is that the brewer that cracked? It is surely nice!

my spigot is about 1 1/2" off the bottom & gets clogged ALL THE TIME! I put a spice bag on the inside this time & it was no easy feat to tie it off with only 1 arthritic hand, grand kidscould get their tiny hands in easily but hey weren't here.

seems to be keeping the crud out! When it gets in mine it grows a SCOBY & blocks the flow-last time the spigot handle!

Toodles! Off to paint! Will post my CM experiment on coconut link later today.

[metqa]

OOOH, I'll bet your spigot is getting clogged cause it's up higher , closer to the scoby. The yeast strands in my brewer start at the scoby and dangle down. As i drain it, the scoby moves down. If I keep draining, the yeasty bits are pushed down by the scoby and end up coming out of the spigot. Since I rarely drain so much it doesn't happen often.

I finally understand what you mean by putting a bag on the "inside" of the spigot. that's very clever, to keep the yeasty bits from ever entering the spigot!

Yes, this is the same one, that got the crack. it hasn't cracked more but I haven't moved it since the crack. I'm sure shear stress from lifting it will destroy it the rest of the way, but I'm still using it and trying to come to terms with not having it in the future. A long goodbye so to speak. I'll probably do just as well with my Sun Tea Jar, since I don't drink that much anyway, but it's nice having a gallon of tea just ready to guzzle, y'know!

[iamfaithful]

Originally Posted by metqa

OOOH, I'll bet your spigot is getting clogged cause it's up higher , closer to the scoby. The yeast strands in my brewer start at the scoby and dangle down. As i drain it, the scoby moves down. If I keep draining, the yeasty bits are pushed down by the scoby and end up coming out of the spigot. Since I rarely drain so much it doesn't happen often.

I finally understand what you mean by putting a bag on the "inside" of the spigot. that's very clever, to keep the yeasty bits from ever entering the spigot!

Yes, this is the same one, that got the crack. it hasn't cracked more but I haven't moved it since the crack. I'm sure shear stress from lifting it will destroy it the rest of the way, but I'm still using it and trying to come to terms with not having it in the future. A long goodbye so to speak. I'll probably do just as well with my Sun Tea Jar, since I don't drink that much anyway, but it's nice having a gallon of tea just ready to guzzle, y'know!

Porcupine is an engineer! Take a pict of the crack sometime when you have the top off & post-he may come up with a to fix it ~ wish we had cheer leaders & a light bulb! Happy for so many though!

The yeasty bits get sucked in from the bottom even though (7-8") it is far away. So far so good! I thought you put your bag on the inside. I take a wet wash cloth to the spigot & put it inside to get any drops that might remain outside. Still have FF but not so many. I will post a picture of my FF trap on FB.

When son & family move I will have access to 3 computers & high speed internet. When they move out in 3-5 years I will be able to afford to keep them. Will be nice!

[porcupine73]

How long do you guys let your second ferment go on the KT? I've been doing about 3 days and it seems to make it nice and dry. But I have had a few that still tasted noticeably sweet.

The water crocks I got, the tap is close to the bottom. I haven't noticed any yeasty bits or anything coming through or blocking them, yet at least!

I think I might try to inoculate my GT's continuous brewer with some of the brew from the continuous brewer that has metqa's scoby in it. The continuous brewer with metqa's scoby seems to taste a lot better than the GT's. The GT's doesn't seem to be processing the sugar as quickly either. But it does have a good size scoby in it.

[metqa]

about a few days to a week depending on how soon I want it. After about 3 days I chill it. but it's really not on schedule , just when I think about it. Inexact for me , sorry I'm not much help.

[iamfaithful]

I am not much help either! Mine is maybe 4 days then into the fridge...try to just chil one at a time for a longer 2nd ferment.

BUT I have 10 Ltr + 12 16/oz bottles stored up for about a month or more now. They are my emergency supply from when I did the batch flavoring-have to look back to my FB post to see how old they are. One day I will try them-saw somehwere way back on thread someone left it for months & it was terrific. So while you experiment with flavors- I will do the long ferment thing! I have 12 more 16oz swing tops to fill soon. Will have to batch these!

SCOBY TASTES DIFFERENT FROM GT SCOBY-

OK Metqa you have very valuable SCOBYs- savor them as priceless-hope you didn't dehydrate them! If they are in your way will send you $$ to send some to me. Here is the reason why & why the KT tasts different/ better.

GT & all KT brewers had to change their formulation in 2010. Hanna tells me when they did that a lot of ppl were having trouble with the SCOBY they produced not having enough bacteria in it. This is why the one lady I mentione that had a green fuzzy SCOBY when she made hers from the green chlorella GT.

Metqa yours have been around since way before that & are made with the old formula! So please don't destroy them unless you have alteady. My CB is doing better since I got yours

& I will eventually splitmy baby & remove all my prior scobies to my Rx Hotel as they are great for medical usage.

Let me know if you want those guys off your hands & I will send you $$.

Now you know the story! I just want to be sure ALL my SCOBYs are from before the government take over!

[porcupine73]

Hm wow that is interesting information! I will definitely be mixing in the brew then to hopefully convert both brewers to the superior metqa scoby!