Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

it has been mentioned that too strong kombucha makes a great marinade :tu
no sunlight.. :think my kids stay far away from my jar. they think it looks too disgusting to be close to . they like to drink it though!

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

We're vegan so there's not much to marinade around here. :giggle

The only space I have in the kitchen is on top of the microwave and I was worried that the radiation would interrupt the growth process. (I realize how scary that is in light of the fact that we warm food in the contraption :bag)

Also, is it common for the scoby to grow on the bottom? I see pale sediment in the bottom but nothing visible on top. :think

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

tofu :shifty

i do not believe a scoby is supposed to grow on the bottom :think thats the yeasty stuff

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

a scoby can float around.

As for making it more carbonated...add a little sugar and let it sit out for a few days.

Oh and yes you can dilute with water or juice to drink.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

so, can i take the stuff in the fridge, and bring it back out ? :think

what day should I bottle and leave out for my second ferment ? i've read 5 days, and 2 weeks. We are leaving in a week for a 4ish day trip, and idk what to do then, either. :nails

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

You should be able to take it out of your fridge. That would have slowed down fermentation almost to a halt, and in my understanding, it should be able to start back up again in warmer room temperature.

As far as when to bottle for your second ferment, it's personal preference. If you were to bottle it at 5 days, it will still have sugar in it, and will be sweeter to the taste. The longer you leave it, the less sugar is remaining. Just experiment :) You'll find what you like best. You could even take some out at say day 7 and leave the rest in until day 12. Or whatever.

As far as when on vacation, no worries. You could either bottle it right before you leave, or time your new batch so that you are gone while it's on the go. What day is your kombucha on right now? Not the bottled stuff in the fridge, but the active one?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I started it on the 19th, so today is day 4. I'll try it tomorrow and see what it's like. :nails

So if I like it, I should bottle it, drop a few bits of fruit in each bottle, then leave it out for a few more days ?

Sorry if my questions are silly. I've read this whole thread, but it was a few weeks ago. :think

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Not silly at all!

You are correct. If you like it, go ahead and bottle it with fruit and leave it out for a few more days. 5 days is rather on the short side, so that would probably be your minimum length to leave it. If you could stand to have what you taste tomorrow be a little further, try to go a few more days. You'll get more benefits the longer it sits to consume more of the sugar and produce more of ... whatever is in kombucha, haha. Vitamins, bacteria, etc.

If you do bottle it tomorrow, you could start a new batch and have it bottled with another batch started by the time you leave, whether that's another 5 days or a couple more. :yes You could just go on your trip and not worry. The scoby will continue on, and you'll have bottles ready to put in the fridge as well as a new batch ready to BE bottled when you arrive back home :)

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Ack! This is SO weird! Usually I get a tiny layer of film/scoby on my individual jars, but this time, I thought I would have enough to fill my last jar but ended up a couple inches short. Look what strangeness happened-

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a...2023.54.50.jpg

The fruit floated to the top, and a scoby formed above the fruit in like perfect pancake shape, about 1cm thick. All my other jars from this batch were filled up to the top with 1/2" head space, and they look like they normally do with the thin slime. This one is incredible :D

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Oooo, that's nifty.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

This stuff is so cool. hahaha I made my brother try the stuff that was brewing on my counter. :shifty He said it was really good, so I tried it, and indeed it was! Still pretty sweet, but I decided that sweet is good for a Booch noob like me. :giggle

I bottled it into random bottles/jars I've been saving and dropped cherries in some, and blueberries in others. I'm excited!!

I took my scoby out during the process and investigated it. SO WEIRD.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

oooh excited for your next update!

---------- Post added at 10:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 PM ----------

:jawdrop this is like a POPCORN THREAD!!!!!!!! :nails

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

:popcorn :giggle

So far I've tried cherries in it :yum, blackberries (they were fresh and never really released juices), plain, apple juice (the sugar in the juice made it extra fizzy), blueberry juice and I currently have a juice blend in my batch that's on the 2nd ferment. The blueberry juice didn't have any extra sugar in it so my first bottle or two didn't really get fizzy, but the bottle I'm finishing today is quite fizzy.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I just started brewing again after about a month long hiatus. Ya'll are making me thirsty :blah

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

alright..heres one for ya..

my latest batch has an...off?..note :think

kind of like a sour milk type twang. i let it sit out a few more days than usual ( about 11 vs. my usual 6) since we've been running the air and it hasnt been as warm.

but..beforethis batch there was a lapse in my continuous brewing. i left my scoby in a cup of KT in a bowl with plastic wrap over top..sitting on the counter for a whole week :shifty. it smelled vinegar-y but otherwise fine :shrug so i used it to start a new batch. now it tastes wierd-ish. and it didnt get "that" smell. that good smell. still too sweet for sitting so long and sourish..not good sourish..bad sourish. you follow? :giggle

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Hmm, that is weird. Was there other food or something else fermenting near it?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

no :scratch

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I've got some stuff starting to form on the top of mine. I'm on day 6 of growing my scoby. :dance

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I am folowig this along and am curious. But we are TTC, can I still drink kombucha?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

yes you can.



off flavor... try adding a bit of sugar... and give it a few days and see if that doesn't change it.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

My SIL and her family stayed with us last night. This morning she asked me about my kombucha (saw the brewing jar and scoby). Her response? "It just reminds me of when food goes bad in my fridge and I throw it away." :giggle

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I got my mom hooked on KT and she's as anxious as I am for me to start producing it in large quantities. :lol

There is a hip spot near here that charges $4 A GLASS for their fresh KT. Oh how I wish I had the time to sell it fresh to my friends/fellow hippies for a discount. I'd still make a hefty profit.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I was just telling DH that I love making my own KT. Partially because I grew my own SCOBY and partially because every bottle I make is saving us $4.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Wow, I'd love it if we had restaurants around here that served things like Kombucha! That's awesome! What kind of place is it? Do they serve other stuff like that?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

It's actually a gas station in the hip/rich part of town. I haven't been (yet) but I've heard they also have amazing vegan tacos and other healthy food. I'm dying to try it.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Sooo...how much should I be drinking in a day ? :shifty I cracked my 3rd bottle tonight. It's soooooooo good.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

That's going to be me. :yum

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

gah! what a rig!

oh..re:my 'off tasting' batch.. my friend said it was probably bc i let my scoby sit covered in plastic wrap for a week..:shifty..not enough air = too much bacteria.
she said hopefully with the new batch,it will straighten itself out :nails the new batch already smells how its supposed to,and its still got till sunday/monday . so fingers crossed.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Almost 2 weeks growing my scoby. It's definitely there. :yes

It's really thin though so I added some sugar today hoping it will help it grow better, I might have shorted it on sugar in the beginning. I thought it would grow faster since our climate is so warm but :shrug3.

I'm getting more GT kombucha today and starting my other 3 batches. :dance

SCOBY AHOY! I think :giggle

http://img.tapatalk.com/3ff88d23-a9a7-5723.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/3ff88d23-a9b1-d5ad.jpg

There is a distinct film, and it's solid and gel like.

Is this it?! Now what? Lol. Do I brew a new batch of sugary tea and start the kombucha?

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Looks good! I'm no expert but I'd say start your next batch. :rockon

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

SWEET! :cheer

I'll grab a big glass gallon thingy asap and get that bad boy going! WOO!

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

Once the kombucha is finished and ready to drink can you store it in plastic?

I'd also heard that you can't let it come into contact with metal? True?

And on last one... :giggle Do you clean out your jugs between batches if you are continuously brewing one after another?


You gals have been so helpful. :D

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I am not sure I would store in plastic... :think would depend upon the plastic maybe. I have stored scoby's in old Nutiva jugs.

You aren't supposed to let it come in contact with metal. It eats it.

I do NOT clean out my jugs.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I wouldn't personally store it in plastic when it's done. :no And this is coming from a gal who *does* use tupperware and the like for food items. :shrug3

I also *heard* to not let it come in contact with metal too...IDK why though.

So much help I am on those questions! :shifty

I don't wash my big gallon jars between batches. I do wash my smaller bottles that I do my second ferment in. :)

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I often will put a metal lid on my jar..... and the air if there isn't anything between the lid and jar will eat the metal..that is w/o touching it.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

So canning jars would not be a good way to store it because of the metal lids ? I need to figure something out. I saved store bought kombucha bottles, but they aren't totally air tight, and my second batch in them was less fizzy than my first.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

I could be wrong, but I think the issue with the metal lids is that the KT is acidic and can corrode and rust your lids. Like Rachael said though, I don't fill my jars right up to the top, so there is space between the liquid and the lid. It doesn't touch it. However, I did switch to the plastic mason jar lids because they are more convenient for me, and I think they give a better seal.

I wouldn't store it in a plastic container though. It eats away at the plastic and will get that chemical residue into your drink.

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

We put raspberries in the last batch & it's yummy! Even though I don't care much for raspberries!

Re: kombucha 101 thread!
 

the mason jar lids are coated on the inside with some kind of ...uh..coating. :scratch so- theres no metal actually showing.