Brewing kombucha

[Itse]

Kombucha is best covered in the Katering show.

https://youtu.be/8UZJRR8OHhY?t=4m8s

[Torture]

I've been making it for the past ~6-7 months. Really tasty and nice to have a fizzy drink that doesn't have loads of sugar in it. Makes a good alternative to pop.

Go to flavor combinations are cherry/vanilla (tastes a bit like vanilla coke), lemon ginger and hibiscus/vanilla. Did a strawberry rhubarb over the summer and that turned out really well too.

I've got a mason jar full of scobys, bought my first one on kijiji maybe I should be recouping that cost!

[calumniate]

Originally Posted by Torture

I've been making it for the past ~6-7 months. Really tasty and nice to have a fizzy drink that doesn't have loads of sugar in it. Makes a good alternative to pop.

Go to flavor combinations are cherry/vanilla (tastes a bit like vanilla coke), lemon ginger and hibiscus/vanilla. Did a strawberry rhubarb over the summer and that turned out really well too.

I've got a mason jar full of scobys, bought my first one on kijiji maybe I should be recouping that cost!

Wow, cherry vanilla? Thanks for the suggestion! Lemon ginger was going to be my next one.

[Barnes]

Well, it's been a week of SCOBY making. Started off slow cause it was so cold but found the laundry room was the warmest and has the most consistent in temperature in my house.

Things are looking good but I think I might start a second one with a different brand.

Warning: Image of symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.

Spoiler!

[calumniate]

Looking good!

[Barnes]

Well, today was bottle day. After a week I made new tea and added a cup of starter from the first batch. Let that brew for 2 weeks and used 2 cups of it plus the SCOBY to brew my first gallon batch for bottling.

Bottles are plain, ginger, and watermelon cucumber. The two Boston bottles were to be cream soda (blackstrap molasses and Mexican vanilla) but I didn't have enough KT so I'll try that next time.

Spoiler!

2nd batch is now brewing and I am thinking of ways to scale up production. I will keep going with the gallon size for a couple of more batches to try and nail down the consistency. Going to start recording pH and sugar content. First batch was all through taste.