Kombucha

[dianan]

Well, thanks met, pepper and faithful for your info. I know what went wrong now and I'll try again in summer. Being a nurse, I'm a bit scientific, and at the same time spiritual. I'm in awe of biological creations, and I was freaked out by the "monster" that grew on my fridge. Faithful to Jesus, there are many of them on facebook. I'm not sure which one you are. I need 5 more posts and I can PM you. I do want to try kefir. At least if something goes wrong you get cheese and not botulism.

[dianan]

faithful, I have a page on facebook too, called "Christian Encouragement".
I co host it with a friend, Peter. Also, you can find me on fb as "Diana Savenye" my maiden name. Could you message me there, and then I can reply with my address? Thanks, and I'll cover the postage when you have time to send me kefir grains.

[iamfaithful]

Originally Posted by dianan

faithful, I have a page on facebook too, called "Christian Encouragement".
I co host it with a friend, Peter. Also, you can find me on fb as "Diana Savenye" my maiden name. Could you message me there, and then I can reply with my address? Thanks, and I'll cover the postage when you have time to send me kefir grains.

Interesting!!! When I joined FB I was and still am the only one with that Name although I see there are groups etc using that term. I could not locate you. However, I am the only one with the Name (legally). My pict has a little girl holding red flowers. Now you can find me.

[iamfaithful]

Metqa interesting how we percieve things. To me MK is a no brainer & KT requires more skill to get it right. I have been drinking some that is almost vinegar (blueberry) & have so mych stockpiled from when DS wanted some I haven't brewed for months! My brewer & hotel have SCOBYs that are getting fat!

[metqa]

Hmm, maybe it's because, to me, the amount of time between just right and "God Awful" is so much longer for KT than for MK. My MK can turn from just right to Cheese potential in an hour, it may take a few days to a week for my KT to turn from just right to drain cleaner strength.

I just fed my KT this morning.

[dianan]

faithful, I still can't find you on facebook. It's wierd you can't see diana savenye on facebook either. I'll have to pm you next week. thanks.

[iamfaithful]

ok

[porcupine73]

Happy Easter everyone! Don't forget to use kombucha instead of plain vinegar if dying Easter eggs!

My brewers have been humming along nicely. The lastest snafu was using Hain Foods sugar in them. It seems to have a bit too much molasses in it and the brews got a little bit bitter.

I'm starting an 'experiment' CB where I am going to try using a bit of honey and maple syrup to replace some of the sugar.

[metqa]

Good Luck!!

[kobold]

hi everyone, i am brand new to lcf. this is a cool thread, i must read it all! i really like kombucha, i started two gallons of white tea and one gallon of pu-erh two days ago (batch method). i have a few gallons bottled from older brews waiting in the kitchen. i infuse herbs and roots. life is good...

however, i always find myself tweaking the amount of ingredients downwards especially for brews that i just want to enjoy pure. originally i started with 30g of tea and 1 cup of sugar per 3 liters of water, now i am using 15g of tea w/ 0.8cups of sugar and it still feels too sweet... so 9-10 tbsps of sugar is my next brew.

i often think that robust acidity and sugars are masking the character of the tea leaves too much. i aim for a smoother, less dramatic taste. what are the lower limits that will still result in a healthy scoby and booch? how about playing with the yeast / bacteria balance? yes, this is pretty much a hedonistic quest at this point!

[porcupine73]

Hello and welcome! Part of the process is that the organisms break down the tea into organic acids, so it does not usually taste a whole lot like tea. If there isn't enough sugar, the yeast will start having trouble. In my experience what seems to be the strongest controller of the yeast/bacteria balance is the temperature. Much above 80F it seems like the yeast dominate too much, and much below 74F or so the bacteria seem to take over.

[kobold]

yesterday i mixed my finished white tea kombucha with dextrose and champagne yeast & put it under airlock for six weeks or so. anyone with experience? it's my first, wish me luck!

Originally Posted by porcupine73

Hello and welcome!

thank you porcupine :-)
15g of tea per gallon and 1tbsp of sugar/cup works well.

[iamfaithful]

On 5/4 I started two batch brews... one black & white....one black & green

The black & green is definitely ahead of the black & white in fermentation. Both are still too sweet and the B&G is already carbonating.

FYI ~ I placed them on a table under the eaves on my deck where only the morning sun is for a brief period. We had 80+ weather when I started but last week it cooled down some. I am thinking I will continue to brew outside this summer since KT likes 80+ conditions.

I cut a kraft bag from the store to surround the gallon jars to keep the sun/light out & it extends up about 1" over the jar. They have the normal cloth cover with a tight rubber band & a lightweight bath towel over them for added protection from dust etc.

This will be the best way for me to ferment now as the kids will be moving in on Friday! Jon, wifey, 3 grankids & the grandog! It will be a wonderful time having the pitter patter of little feet, the clunking of big feet, barking of a dog & all the other noises & sounds that comes with a healthy normal family.

BTW for those that have followed my renovation this was the soul purpose for all the work. Started last Oct & now it is finished. Never thought I could ever fix up this old house but with Jon's hard work, good financing available & a whole lot of painting & work on my end I AM FINISHED!

Will let you know how the KT goes outside. Wonder how long it will takes for ants to find it? I have a ginger bug out there too! That is the one that is REALLY SWEET! Cant wait for my first cold bottle of ginger beer this summer.

[becominglex]

Hi guys- just joined here but I have been making my own water kefir and kombucha for several months. Have extra kombucha scobies, actually. If you live near me (vancouver) I will give you one. Oh yeah... really simple, stupid question but... how do I add my signature (sorry, major brain fog)....

[becominglex]

Also, been brewing kombucha for a while now (need to feed my scobies more often)... what do you guys do with extra scobies? I have waaay too many and have offered them for free on freecycle and craig's list but usually people flake and don't come. Second question- if you are battling candida is kombucha tea okay to consume? Mine is tart but still tastes a little too sweet, even after a month, for comfort. Thanks.

[metqa]

Hey Lex, I wish I knew what to do with my extra scobys, I have like 5 inches of scoby. I was gonna dehydrate it and play with it like leather, I've heard of people drying it as a jerky treat for their pet dogs. Ive even heard of drying it and keeping it as a backup. Some sites sell dehydrated scobys to people. I can't imagine but i guess it works since even water kefir grains seem to survive drying.

There is some fructose in the finished tea. that's why it's still sweet tasting. I don't know how that affects candida though, but you can research fructose and candida.

I need to feed my scoby. thanks for posting and reminding me. I need to learn to not let it go so long. My house is warm and I'm tired of drinking vingercha!

[becominglex]

metga- thanks for your reply! I knew there was a little sugar left in the final drink (well, I end up drinking stuff that tastes like vinegar quite a bit- I have so many scobies, they love me but man...)... does anyone know if it is safe or even beneficial for humans to eat scobies? Re: the natural sugars in the drink and candida- it is impossible to cut ALL sugar, 100% from the diet (plus the brain needs a little bit of glucose to function)- do the probiotics in kombucha tea outweigh the negative aspects of the sugar? many candida sites are very extreme but forget that sugar can never, 100%, be eradicated and that candida is never 100% gone... for instance, some sites are okay with certain types of grain consumption like quinoa and spelt, others are no grains entirely, some say crab apples and even some berries (many berries have natural anti-fungal properties) are okay on an empty stomach, others are completely opposed to any fruit, even avocado. So I am more interested in other's experiences here, those with candidiasis and who also drink (or don't) water kefir and kombucha.

As for dehydrating them.... would I need a food dehydrator? I have about 8 scobies that are about 1 inch (or more) thick and about 5 inches across, circular.

[becominglex]

Thank you for the welcome, faithful! Very nice to be here! Ig to candida overgrowth after a bad leg infection which required intravenous antibiotics in the hospital... over the course of a month or so I began to feel disconnected from reality, spaced out, major brain fog, rashes, itchy skin, numbing of the skin, nausea, etc... I already had been diagnosed with panic disorder and my shrink merely upped my benzos which made me spacier. I knew about candida but only in a very general way (vaginal yeast infections and oral thrush- I have battled with oral thrush for a long time and have several "auto-immune" disorders which the allopathic community has diagnosed)... for a long time I thought I had brain damage from hitting my head when I was hit by the bike and never thought my symptoms (which were apparently all anxiety related or psychosomatic, except for the thrush and undeniable infections, which were apparently nothing).... spent a long time drinking because I was depressed and only recently have come to see how these "new" symptoms are candida (the proof is in the pudding- major die off with coconut oil and caprylic acid, symptoms resolve a little bit when I feed the candida carbs and sugar but not enough to make going off this journey worth it). I recently became a vegan (or almost vegan) but am not super strict about it- in that I would consider using milk kefir (I have also heard that coconut milk and almond milk can be used to make milk kefir)- I am on a very limited budget so I will look around for milk kefir grains here first. Thank you so much! You are awesome! I am so excited to get well and even when I get major die-off I feel happy that that junk is dying off and that helps make extreme itchiness, nausea, vomiting, etc worth it. Lots of tea, water and rest too. I am so excited to get healthy (I have always been prone to being hyper, that IS true anxiety so if I ramble please just skip over whatever bores you).

Very nice to be here. Very nice to meet you.

[iamfaithful]

Why not hop over to the kefir thread and read up a bit... it is in my signature.

I understand the money issue... most of us "gift" grains & only ask return postage. I know the postage will be less if it is sent within Canada. I can ask my FB friend if she is close to Vancover.

Almond & coconut milk will work for MKG but they have to return to milk or they will eventually become weak. I dont know of anyone that had dieoff from using MK. The process with it is that it literally crowds out the bad gut bacteria. Kefir unlike the transient yogurt sets up housekeeping in your gut and doesnt leave, yogurt micro organisms exit the body. I would not worry about finding the more expensive nut/coconut milk and would treat myself to whole milk kefir (raw if locally available). Milk kefir also is a wonderful facial.

Since I started my journey a year ago with ferments I have regained my health, energy and brain fog. One thing that I believe has really helped with the brain fog is VCO, whole milk in my kefir and real butter all of which have healthy fats for the brain.

[becominglex]

Thanks again. Yes, please ask your friend if she lives close to Vancouver. The milk kefir grains really interest me.

[metqa]

NEVER REFRIGERATE OR DEHYDRATE A SCOBY IF YOU EVER PLAN ON USING IT TO BREW LATER.

Now see that's what I thought, but darnit, folks are paying money for dehydrated scobies. I feel bad for them and wanna tell them "I've got tonnes of 'em, wet and healthy, for free!"

[iamfaithful]

Yep! It is a shame we can only send them to our FB friends now...

I still have the SCOBY you sent to me. It is the basis of all my cultures!

Hugs!

[becominglex]

At what point would you guys think your KT has the most probiotics and least amount of sugar (I don't care so much about the taste at this point.... I really want the probiotics)- I know that when it tastes vinegary most of the sugar is gone, but do the probiotics die off quickly without some glucose to munch on? Anyone know? Also, does anyone know what sorts of probiotics (by name) are in most kombucha SCOBIES?

[becominglex]

I feel badly for people shelling out big bucks for dehydrated SCOBIES and also for bottled Kombucha tea (like 3 or 4 bucks for one little bottle) at Whole Foods? *shakes head sadly*

[becominglex]

Originally Posted by kobold

hi everyone, i am brand new to lcf. this is a cool thread, i must read it all! i really like kombucha, i started two gallons of white tea and one gallon of pu-erh two days ago (batch method). i have a few gallons bottled from older brews waiting in the kitchen. i infuse herbs and roots. life is good...

however, i always find myself tweaking the amount of ingredients downwards especially for brews that i just want to enjoy pure. originally i started with 30g of tea and 1 cup of sugar per 3 liters of water, now i am using 15g of tea w/ 0.8cups of sugar and it still feels too sweet... so 9-10 tbsps of sugar is my next brew.

i often think that robust acidity and sugars are masking the character of the tea leaves too much. i aim for a smoother, less dramatic taste. what are the lower limits that will still result in a healthy scoby and booch? how about playing with the yeast / bacteria balance? yes, this is pretty much a hedonistic quest at this point!

Hi Kobol, nice to meet you! I am new here too!

[metqa]

Are you talking about probiotics or the healthful byproducts of them? the bacteria and yeast are always there in all ages of the brew, but the the metabolites, the healthy byproducts of their digestion varies with age. Young Kombucha has a different acid and amino profile than old kombucha. Old Kombucha has some pretty awesome stuff, but would be too strong to drink. That's why continuous brew has been recommended for those who want the full range of benefits, cause you are constantly adding new starter to old brew instead of pouring it all off and starting all new.

I don't know if this is what you were asking about.

If the brew is left a long time without feeding, some of the yeast could die off and change the balance of the culture, but I think it takes a long long time, as I've restarted a sleeping after months of time off.

Happy Herbalist Quotes
Advantage of the Continuous Brewing Method is that the optimum health benefit of all the nutrients are readily available. There is no need to do weekly cleaning, no need to remove or worry about the kombucha mushroom, and mold is far less likely to form. Since you are simply maintaining a consistent established ferment, your brew is far less likely to be influenced by wild or airborne bacteria and yeasts. In kombucha fermenting, as in beer, wine or vinegar, the initial phrase, is the most critical and the most likely time a batch may go off in a unwanted direction.

Only Continuous Brewing of the kombucha allows the formation of the vast array of the many nutrients and acids that are constantly being produced and broken down throughout the active ferment time. Kombucha Researcher Mike Roussin indicated that at 80o F and 7 days the ferment has the greatest variety of health benefits. (vitamins, oxylic acid, etc) However, he also noted that the longer the ferment was allowed to proceed the more beneficial acids will have a chance to form. Some of these acids don't even appear until 14-21 days in the typical process. These acids are largely responsible for the detoxifying nature of Kombucha Tea and are the catalysts we seek in kombucha mushroom tea. Glucose content maximizes around the 8th or 9th day. This implies that gluconic acid production could not peak until after that point. Gluconic acid is the biggest single contributor to the detox effect. Where the typical Single Stage Method, in the hands of a brew master, may be able to develop a high level of a single nutrient or two, the Continuous Brew will always produce the widest range of all the nutrients possible.

A longer brewing cycle, say 20-30 days, may deplete the total fermentable sugar or reduce the caffeine content, but the taste (unless finely filtered or diluted) is pretty much undrinkable. Even lower temperatures and longer brewing times do not translate into greater benefits. see our Time & Temperature article for the effects of temperature on a ferment.

One common question is if I put fresh sugar in - wouldn't' I be drinking a lot of sugar?
If you are a diabetic be aware that there is sugar left in the brew. This may be tested by a Hydrometer or a Residual Sugar test Kit. Unlike a Single Stage ferment where every batch has to be tested due to the dynamics of a continuous ferment your brew will be more predictable and reliable and therefore less testing would be required. First off, since you control and establish the degree of the ferment you are aware of the amount of sugar available. When you draw off your kombucha mushroom tea to drink you don't add the fresh sugar and tea feeder solution until after you draw off what it is you'll be drinking. When you add this fresh sugar it is only at the amount you have removed. Typically this is from 10-20%. Secondly you are giving the ferment 24 hours to process (ferment) this sugar. In the Continuous Brewing Method you have a large amount of hungry yeasts and bacteria just waiting to pounce on a small amount of sugar. Unlike a Single Stage Ferment, where there is a "lag time" and the yeasts have to become accustomed to their new environment, the Continuous Brewing Yeasts are ready to go and waste no time.

[iamfaithful]

Metqa thanks for posting this. Jon is living here with his family and drank a liter of my ginger KT I had just bottled. I think his KT habit is going to grow so I have 3 batch brewers going right now as at the rate he is going I will be out of KT by the time these are ready. I guess I will have to break out my CB and feed it a gallon... I am doing my brewing outdoors this year as there is no room in the house since adding 5 people and a dog. It is going well... I wrap the containers in brown Kraft paper to keep out the light and put a towel over the whole set up. Since I will put my CB out there I will have to figure out how to not move it and syphon the KT into a container all done out doors ~ I am bringing my batches inside to fool with them.

I had forgotten the benefits of the CB until you posted it... restoring the grey matter helps..... I think tomorrow I will see how large the SCOBYs are that are resting in my CB (2 are in there & last check one was 1.5" thick! Might need to compost it soon..... I just sent a very thick one from the middle to my Sis in Idaho... hers molded over the winter as it was so cold there... My starter tea leaked out.... but she had over a cup to get her started... Good thing the USPS told me to write on the package....LIVE GRAINS PACKED IN.......(what ever the medium, milk, fermented tea, sugar water etc..) the shipment was not delayed but was bagged cause it got kinda soggy.

BTW I recently ground up a lot of SCOBY pieces in a blender added some extra water & poured them around my vegies in the garden. It has really made a difference in how the plants are fluorishing! Good use for extras!

Will let you know how the outside brewing is working for me... My new love is lots of ginger in the bottle for a 2F.

[metqa]

Thanks for the fertilizer tip. I 'll try that. I wouldn't have thought of it cause I think of the KT and therefore the scoby as being acidic, but I guess removed from the liquid, it's mostly cellulose and culture bacteria and yeast, a great way to add something living to the soil!

[iamfaithful]

Works for house plants as well

And MKG do the same thing.... a few well placed in moist soil especially for house plants.

[iamfaithful]

Had a funny thing happen today. I have been fermenting some ginger outside on my deck. I was making some ginger beer for the summer & had my 3F of the ginger going to use for more starter. I left it out for several days without checking it (weather here is 90+day & 70s at night).

Today when I went to strain the liquid to add fresh ginger, lemon & cream of tarter to actually make the ginger beer... I found a good size SCOBY-like firm gell floating on the top. Hmmm So I just broke it up & mixed it back into the fermented ginger & placed it in the fridge for the next ferment. Will be interesting to see what happens when I use this next time.... Hummmmmmmm

Fermented ginger is so refreshing! Must be good for the body!!!