Brewing kombucha

[calumniate]

Am pretty new to making kombucha, but got a kit as a gift and my first batch was a great success! Was wondering if anyone else was brewing this stuff, and what flavours to go with? My first was pomegranate.. May try a ginger lemonade next. I love how once you get going your bacterial culture keeps growing, so all you need is tea, sugar and a bit of juice to make weekly batches. Am also going to try making some cocktails :-)

[Robotic]

I've been thinking about doing this for some time now. Do you know where the kit was purchased? How does it taste in comparison to store bought kombucha?

[PepsiFree]

I too want more information, I'd never even thought about it.

I'd try it. I've only ever had store bought.

[calumniate]

Actually the kit I got comes from karma cultures, which has a store right here in Inglewood, though I've never been. I got the one gallon kit.. basically a glass jar, tea, sugar, and your first scoby. Strainers, ladles as well. The scoby will duplicate after every batch (about one week). Karma cultures sells them for $40 but as I go on with it, I may just start giving scobys away :-)
https://youtu.be/D3Axb37lMWI

Decent intro on it. Oh and robotic my first batch tasted better than my fav store bought.. a little more tea flavour in it. The possibilities are endless making it at home

[rubecube]

Also, for those who aren't in the know, gin and kombucha is a terrific cocktail.

[calumniate]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Also, for those who aren't in the know, gin and kombucha is a terrific cocktail.

Yes! Gin has been my goto with the store bought. Have just been drinking my first batch straight but will have to give it a go with gin. I think whiskey does well too.. I had made a whiskey and ginger kombucha before and it was really nice.

[troutman]

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/kom...istic-fallacy/

Kombucha is sweetened black tea fermented by a mixture of yeasts and bacteria that form what looks like a “mat” on the surface. Sometimes called a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), the “mushroom” or simply the “mother”, this “zoogleal mat” ferments the sugar, producing alcohol, vinegar, and other by-products. To get started, you need to obtain a starter mat – you can order them online, or ask someone that already grows their own.

Several researchers have examined the bacteria and yeast in the kombucha mat. Content can vary considerably, based on the geography, climate, and local bacteria and yeasts. Bacteria include Bacterium xylinum, Bacterium gluconium, Acetobacter hetogenum, Pichia fermentons. Sometimes antibiotic-producing bacteria like Penicillium species can be detected. And then there’s the toxic bacteria that has been detected, such as Bacillus anthracis – anthrax. Yeasts include Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Zygosaccharomyces bailii. Contamination with Aspergillus fungus has also been reported, as well as Candida. Yes, that fungus that’s poisoning us all (according to alternative medicine proponents). Various Candida species including C. albicans, C. kefyr, and C. krusei are also found in kombucha.

Despite the hundreds of thousands of posts on kombucha praising its medicinal and health effects, I was unable to identify a single clinical trial for any specific use.

Given this is usually a home-brew concoction, there is the significant risk of contamination. In contrast to the lack of benefit, there is good documentation of the potential for harms associated with kombucha.

The best that can be said about kombucha is that it probably won’t kill you. There are no documented health benefits, so unless you really like the taste, there’s no clear reason to consume it.

[calumniate]

Haha, probably safest to eat out of a can of Campbell's chunky soup then I guess. And avoid all things fermented. Might as well just give me a percocet for good measure.

[rubecube]

Oh I don't drink it for any perceived health benefit. It just makes a great, refreshing cocktail. Definitely more suitable for the summer.

[calumniate]

Same here. I'm brewing it for entertainment / taste / perhaps health benefits. But I can't stand these drive by fear articles. Want to look into the toxins of Mr clean while we're at it? Give me a frigging break. Yes, you have to take care while in the kitchen, that's a given. But you could write a troutman article on pretty much any food or kitchen process.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by calumniate

Same here. I'm brewing it for entertainment / taste / perhaps health benefits. But I can't stand these drive by fear articles. Want to look into the toxins of Mr clean while we're at it? Give me a frigging break. Yes, you have to take care while in the kitchen, that's a given. But you could write a troutman article on pretty much any food or kitchen process.

They act as a counter measure to the countless articles touting it as some sort of anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-ISIS miracle product.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by calumniate

But I can't stand these drive by fear articles. Want to look into the toxins of Mr clean while we're at it?

What are you even talking about? Drive by fear? Am I Mr. Clean?

[iLoveLamp]

Originally Posted by troutman

What are you even talking about? Drive by fear? Am I Mr. Clean?

Can you confirm that you aren't?

[MoneyGuy]

Can you buy a scoby somewhere? Is there any alcohol content in this when finished? I make wine and this is much easier.

[calumniate]

Originally Posted by troutman

What are you even talking about? Drive by fear? Am I Mr. Clean?

Sorry troutman. Calumniate had had a few drinks. My frustration boiled over from other misinformational articles.. not yours necessarily. Sorry!

Moneyguy here:
https://www.amazon.ca/Organic-Kombuc.../dp/B009ZW8RP4

Or here in Calgary, kit or just the scoby
https://shop.karmacultures.com/collections/all

I'm trying to set up my own 'scoby hotel', so I may have some to spare eventually! Lol. Alcohol should be around 0.5%. Could creep to 1% if you left a bottle in the hot sun or something like that

Finally, I found that London drugs carries 'uncle Lee's black tea', which works great as starting material. 100 pouches for five bucks! Careful, you don't want teas with infused oils in them (already screwed up getting a royal earl grey with bergamot oil. It won't work). Uncle Lee's is oil free

[troutman]

No worries.

I tried Kombucha a couple of times. I was curious how it was made. Kind of like home-made wine. After wine fermentation, all the yeast settles to the bottom of the bottle.

If people enjoy the taste of it, that is reason enough to drink it. You could get food poisoning from making a salad. With Kombucha it seems we should be extra careful in keeping things sanitary, when dealing with yeast and bacteria.

[Barnes]

I have been collecting glass swing top bottles for a bit and planning on trying to grow my own SCOBY. Maybe i will give it a shot today. Anyone grow their own SCOBY from a bottle of raw Kombucha?

[calumniate]

Originally Posted by Barnes

I have been collecting glass swing top bottles for a bit and planning on trying to grow my own SCOBY. Maybe i will give it a shot today. Anyone grow their own SCOBY from a bottle of raw Kombucha?

Yes you can.. I've never tried though. Just make sure it's straight Kombucha tea with no flavouring. It could work

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by calumniate

Yes you can.. I've never tried though. Just make sure it's straight Kombucha tea with no flavouring. It could work

Found some this afternoon. Raw and unpasteurized. Had lots of stringy bits on the bottom.

Sugary tea is steeping and cooling now, we'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll go into online SCOBY sales if this works out.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Found some this afternoon. Raw and unpasteurized. Had lots of stringy bits on the bottom.

Sugary tea is steeping and cooling now, we'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll go into online SCOBY sales if this works out.

Do mail order and I'll be your first customer.