Kombucha- anybody making it?

[MontanaChickDoc]

I'm addicted! But it's too expensive in the stores...does anyone have tips or tricks? Where did you buy or get your culture?

 

[TroyerSis]

I'm addicted! But it's too expensive in the stores...does anyone have tips or tricks? Where did you buy or get your culture?

We've always gotten ours from kombucha lovin' friends

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

ok seeing you all talk about this, I saw a small bottle at the store and bought it, it was "ginger kombucha" so does that make a difference, I like ginger but it was really strong and I'm not sure I'd ever buy it again, it was all natural oh and it was carbonated, is that part of the normal final product?

I find that the flavor and level of carbonation varies by brand - and doesn't compare to homebrewed, IMO. My KT isn't super carbonated (I'd call it "lightly" carbonated) because I don't add sugar at bottling or use sugary fruit juice to flavor mine. Commercially-produced kombucha tends toward the highly carbonated side.

Ginger is probably one of the more spicy flavorings, so you might enjoy another, milder, flavor like fruit.

 

[pnwoldie]

I've really come to appreciate the uniqueness of the scoby...my "scotel" contains several scobies that are huge.  The scotel itself is a 2-gallon glass crock, so the scobies have grown from 1-gal sized to 2-gal sized, and over an inch thick.  It's been fascinating watching them grow, but at some point, I have to pull some out and "recycle" them. When they get this thick, it's really tough to cut them, so I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the really large ones.  They may just end up in my compost pile. 

My hens love scobies. I cut them into small pieces with scissors so everybody gets their share and they can easily swallow it. It provides probiotics.

 

[WPFarmstead]

What is/are scobies?

They're big squishy, almost rubbery feeling things that are a colony of yeasts and bacteria. Similar to a "mother" in vinegar or wine. It can float or sink, but it usually floats. You add sugary tea to it and get Kombucha or if you wait too long, vinegar.

 

[pnwoldie]

Here's what it SHOULD look like with the nice healthy scoby and dangling yeast thingies

 

[pnwoldie]

I read about using a seedling mat to maintain the warmth for fermenting. anybody even use "warmers"? the plug in type. I have several of them some evan have "high med and low" one even has a lid a big domed lid...
unfortunateley my oven doesnt have a light switch that stays on without opening the door at least the one upstairs in the kitchen.. for making yogurt etc.
thanks all gotta go and check on my kombucha starting batch goodnite

My house gets down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night. We like the bracing cold. I use the heaters from Kombucha Kamp. They are designed to stand on end around the jar, not under it. The problem with the heating mats, or any kind of heat from the bottom is that it encourages the yeast over the bacteria, which is the opposite of what you want. I like the 7" tall one but it isn't available any more except in the expensive Ferment Friend heater. The manual 4" essential heating strip is $50. You don't need a thermostat. The only way I've found that works is to move the strip closer to or further away from the jar until you get the temperature you want. Those temperature strips are also essential so you know what's going on. They will only stick down once -- can't move them to another surface once they are applied.

Actually you can spend quite a bit of money on tools and still be ahead, considering what the stuff costs in the store. And it's like anything else, it just doesn't compare. Tastes artificial and too sweet. I drink it every day with chia seeds stirred in. And I'm still kicking and getting fiestier by the day.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

My house gets down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night. We like the bracing cold.  I use the heaters from Kombucha Kamp.  They are designed to stand on end around the jar, not under it.  The problem with the heating mats, or any kind of heat from the bottom is that it encourages the yeast over the bacteria, which is the opposite of what you want.   I like the 7" tall one but it isn't available any more except in the expensive Ferment Friend heater.  The manual 4" essential heating strip is $50.  You don't need a thermostat.  The only way I've found that works is to move the strip closer to or further away from the jar until you get the temperature you want.  Those temperature strips are also essential so you know what's going on.  They will only stick down once -- can't move them to another surface once they are applied.  

Actually you can spend quite a bit of money on tools and still be ahead, considering what the stuff costs in the store.  And it's like anything else, it just doesn't compare.  Tastes artificial and too sweet.  I drink it every day with chia seeds stirred in.  And I'm still kicking and getting fiestier by the day.

I keep my thermostat at 65...not quite as low as yours, but still cool enough that warm clothing is needed (and, occasionally, a scarf). My kombucha's flavor has actually improved with the cooler temps - the fermentation has slowed, so a 14-day first ferment (1F) produces a lovely cider-like beverage with a hint of sweetness. It's so good, I'm actually reluctant to flavor with fresh fruit for 2F! In the summer, it was pretty warm indoors and the KT usually had quite a tang to it; though not unpleasant, there was no detectable residual sweetness.

After making my own KT for several years, the stuff available in stores no longer suits my palate. I generally find it way too vinegary and overly carbonated, plus I like controlling the ingredients from start to finish. IMO, there's nothing better than using fresh, chemical-free ingredients gleaned from your own backyard (when possible).

Up to this point, I've been happy making it in gallon jars but later today, I'm picking up a ceramic crock with a spigot so I can start continuous brewing.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Right now, since I brew in 2 one-gallon barrel jars, I remove the scoby each time to pour off the entire batch into bottles; with continuous brewing, I'll just pour off the amount I desire through the spigot and pour in new sweet tea (amount equal to what was removed), without touching the scoby or washing the jar out. I've heard that the KT is supposed to be better (we'll see) and there's less risk of contamination of the scoby.

If your KT is too sweet, you could try letting it go longer...it will also take longer if it's cool in your house. How much sugar are you using? More important than even the scoby is the finished KT you use to inoculate each batch - you want it nice and strong, and I use a cup per gallon. You can use multiple scobies, but the key will really be the previous batch's KT that you're adding to the new batch.

I use black, green, white, oolong, jasmine (green), and pu erh teas in my KT. Oolong is semi-fermented and pu erh is fermented. A scoby does best with at least some black tea, but you can make KT entirely with green (I'd recharge it with black periodically). You can even make it with yerba mate, but I would "recharge" it periodically, too. I'd just avoid any flavored tea (like Earl Grey, for example) because the oils can harm the scoby and possibly inhibit fermentation. Orange pekoe should be fine because that refers to the grade of tea - it's just black tea, despite the name.

 

[pnwoldie]

More mold tips:
Sanitation : rinse jars, bowls, hands with vinegar while preparing the tea
Detergent/bleach: any trace of these will kill the microbes. Not trying to kill everything.
Temperature: try for mid 70s when using a weak scoby/starting brew
Acidity: if you are trying to build a scoby from scratch, add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to keep the acidity up.
Covering: keep the top covered with a clean but not bleached cloth napkin or similar material fastened down with a rubber band. Fruit flies can get in through cheesecloth. A different problem, but not one you want.
Sugar: boil the sugar in the water before adding the tea. Keep a cover on it while is it cools

It looks like your scoby was starting to go. Try again, it would be good if you could find somebody to set you up with a scoby and some starter. Maybe Craigslist? Where are you?