Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

Just finished my first batch, and the kids have already drank a quart and working on their second :shifty They are calling it lemonade.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

just be careful -- sometimes in induces major stinky tooter rooters :shifty

and i still can't find my bucha info, dh had it last to show some co workers so i will try and remember to ask him about it tonight

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

:think Do you think it would/could cause smelly gas in a nurseling?

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

if you are drinking a lot of it then it could if the newborn is dealing with any yeast/thrush type issues.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

I drink one medium glass a day and I don't think he has any yeast problems. So many that's no it.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

Since you've been drinking kombucha for a while now, I wouldn't think it would be suddenly causing baby problems. :shrug3

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

I had to stop a few weeks before he was born because it gave me such bad heart burn. Then I started it again after he was born. So I was just wondering if that might be the cause of his smelly gas since he has had smelly gas since very early on.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

I really don't know. :hug Maybe poke someone like LisaM who seems to be very knowledgable about kombucha?

Using anything other than plain black tea, using generic tea, brewing in the same area as potatoes or other ferments, not adding at least 1/2 of finished kombucha with the fresh tea ...

Any of those apply?

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Sorry, I see you already replied. Use black tea. I know some ppl do ok using green but you're taking a risk. Plus the fermentation is more complete with black tea.

Black tea has more tannins. Green tea has more antioxidants. Kombucha SCOBYs like tannins.

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Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

Splitting a scoby.

What would make you want to do it and how would you?

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

if it gets too big/thick you want to splite it. You can split it any way.. cut in half or tear apart etc.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

So... my water kefir should be stored how far away? (potatoes and other foods are stored in pantry. 1 gallon kombucha and kefir on the fridge, fruit about 5 feet away on the microwave.

<trying to picture how far away it needs to be.>

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

I have yet to find plain black tea. The black tea I have also has Orange Pekoe, it's Lipton's black tea.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

Orange pekoe describes a particular grade of black tea. Black describes the processing of the leaves.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

Thank you!! I was so confused because every thing of black tea that I looked at had black and orange pekoe. Huge relief:)

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

If you let your SCOBYs get too thick, they won't make thick babies. That has been happening to me, I've been leaving them together for too long.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

Ok I'm going to do black. She gives me a SCOBY though, can I make a black tea batch with a Green Tea SCOBY?

Yes

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Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

When is thick, too thick?

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

haha no idea.. my thickest was about 4"

I'd say anything more than an inch.

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Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

I think mine is finished! It's tasty. I'm going to try it with the fruit puree. I'm planning on brewing up some tea tonight so I can start a fresh batch tomorrow.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

How big of a container do I need to start? 1 gallon sized? Bigger? DH is going to think I've gone off the deep end.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

I've only made one batch. I'm using 80 oz glass pickle jars.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

A one gallon glass jar is a great way to start, Jennifer. :yes

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

so I'm curious- what is the calorie count and sugar content of the final product? Is the sugar still sugar or does it get ummm "digested" into something else? :scratch

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

the scoby eats most of the sugar.

It depends, it will be slightly different every time. But there is some residual sugar. Most of the sugar is consumed by the SCOBY, especially if you do two ferments. The SCOBY uses the sugar to make all kinds of vitamins.

If having the least amount of sugar is important, ferment it until the pH is around 3, then bottle it for a second ferment.

To get an idea of calories and total carbs, look at a bottle of original GT's. I think it's 2g per serving.

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Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

Do mammas always have babies? My momma batch just finished, but didn't have a baby.

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

it sometimes isn't always easy to tell, the baby grows right on top of the mother scoby. did you try peeling it at all or seeing if there was a spot to peel it off?

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

Mine didn't make babies for most of the winter and now it's making more than I can keep up with.

There should always be a baby. Always. They can often be stuck to the mother but if there truly is no baby your culture is off. Bbl with a link with more info.

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Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

It maybe stuck then. I don't touch the thing, too ewed out by it :bag. It's in it's hotel now waiting for the second ferment to be done. When I start a new batch, I will touch it and see. *gag*

You should split them, not keep them together indefinitely.

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Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

are you saying the scoby needs to be split every time? I just tore mine down the middle last time so I could make 2 batches. Do I need to try to peel it too or should it be ok?

Not every time is necessary unless you get really thick babies, but every time is ok. If your mother is too thick it will "starve" and your new baby will be thin. Not the worst thing but a healthy kt cycle will produce decent babies each time.



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Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

only read the frirst 8 pages but i'm subbing. Karisa/Norma I'll have to get scobys from you :heart

Re: kombucha 101 thread! *another new question #63 and 64*
 

wait a sec. I just had a thought. I read a blog post on Crunchy Betty on water kefir....it sounds very similar to KT...what's the difference??

Also...I've seen it said that to start KT you need a piece of SCOBY *and* a cup or two of alreaedy brewed tea. Fine...but...who started this all? How did THEY start it? Surely there's a way to start it from scratch?

Like how you don't really need a package of sourdough starter (you just start with flour and water to start your own starter)...just thinking out loud ;)

They are both dynamic, self-sustainable ferments using SCOBYs. The strains are different therefore their food and culture timeframe is different, and they have somewhat different benefits. Most people prefer the taste of kombucha although water kefir can be quite delicious. If you have gut flora imbalance then a variety of ferments is is needed, every villain has it's weak spot- for every pathogenic microorganism there is a beneficial one that will kick it's butt. So, some ppl find more healing with one type of ferment than another.

If you just like the taste and health benefits but don't have any serious issues, choose whichever ferments you like the best.

There is quite the legend and folklore regarding how SCOBYs came into existence. I imagine that they started growing in the milk, tea, and fruit water and people discovered it was good and perpetuated the SCOBYs. They all have histories going back over 1,000 years, iirc, and the tradition is that they were a gift from God. :heart They all originated near the Caucus mountains or China, iirc. You can read about the history of kombucha and kefir on various sites. I like "Dom's Kefir In-site"


Theoretically you could try and cultivate a SCOBY from just fresh milk or fresh sweet tea, you'd probably end up with a lot of moldy tea and clabbered milk, though. Personally, I don't think the conditions in our world are healthy enough to do it, back then there was no air pollution aside from smoke, there was no plastic or glass, who knows how much of it had to do with the leather bag holding the milk or the wooden bowl holding the tea or the life-giving dirt that was clean and pure and basically everywhere ...


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