Tea and honey

[Jabebee13]

Rambling about breakfast and lunch and tea. With honey. I am recovering from being hit by a car on a mountain bicycle. I do have chickens and guineas. I feel good enough to take care of them. I took pain pills once yesterday. I am in my 30s. Young 30s. No pain pills today. I'm going to make tea with honey. This is like the coffee thread. We can talk about types of tea. I'm going for plain green tea today.

 

[Sally PB]

If you can get a scoby from a friend, that's great. I made mine from store bought tea, following the directions in the first link below. You can order one online, but, well, what can I say? If I can make it myself, then I'd rather do that. Plus it's cheaper. It did take 4 weeks to grow one, though.

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-kombucha-scoby-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-202596

If you can get a scoby, skip to this for how to brew your own kombucha.

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-173858

https://www.kombuchakamp.com/
This website has everything you need to know about brewing too. Plus they sell all the stuff: scoby, special tea blends, equipment, books. I haven't bought anything from them, but they have a lot of information.

Here's what I had to buy: one bottle of unflavored kombucha. Actually, I think it was flavored; it was ginger flavor, but it was the only one on the shelf that was a clear color.

Here's what I ended up buying: two glass gallon jars. They're Ball, sold in the canning section, but "for decorative use only," and I think they were $15 each. Any large glass jar will work, like a big pickle jar. It really helps to be able to get your hand inside it to clean, though.

I also started buying organic cane sugar at Costco. Yes, you have to use sugar, but it's what feeds the scoby, so you're not drinking as much sugar as it looks like in the recipe.

I have come up with my own particular mix of teas that I use. That's the great thing about making your own! Totally customizable. The basis is Tetly, so not expensive at all. I think I can brew my own kombucha for less than $1 a bottle.

Oh, yup, one other thing. I think my biggest "expense" was the bottles. Save any kombucha (or other glass) bottles you have AND the caps. I was buying a fair amount, so I just saved them and asked anyone I knew who drank it to save me theirs. The caps from different brands are not interchangeable, even if it seems like they fit. I found this out when I took a couple bottles to a friend and they were lying down on the car seat. Half empty bottle, wet car seat. Oops. (Only I didn't say oops.) In a pinch, you could reuse pop bottles. I prefer to store things in glass, since it doesn't react with things, except hard surfaces when subjected to gravity.

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

I hear about kombucha all the time, what is it exactly?

Fermented tea, but not to the point where it's alcoholic. It grows a scobe. Look it up.
Or don't. It's kinda gross XD

 

[Freie Family Farm]

I'm both thrilled and terrified to look it up lol

 

[cheepteach]

a small market near here had several flavors of it to sell, and had a tap for free samples. One checkout girl I know sipped sample after sample then had to go home early!

 

[AntiqueB]

Every cold morning, I make a big pot of tea to sip all day. I usually mix green tea with either an herbal blend, or Earl Grey. I don't use any sweetener!

 

[Sally PB]

I can't afford to buy as much as I like to drink, so I brew my own out of economy. And, I have to say, I like mine a lot better than store bought now. It's not hard to learn or do, so if anyone's interested, I can find some links to follow for more info.

 

[AntiqueB]

I had parakeets growing up. One was so much fun, I have so many stories about him (Coco)! The other was the opposite, very dull and not friendly (Ashton). What are yours like, @Jabebee13?

 

[Freie Family Farm]

I had a mix of earl grey and raspberry hibiscus tea with a teaspoon of sugar and 2 spoonfuls of honey. It was so tasty

 

[Sally PB]

Big time kombucha tea drinker here! This time of year I also like hot herb teas. Think I'll go make a mug of tea now.