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CaseyP

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Everything posted by CaseyP

  1. @Natalie Suzanne Yea, for sure don't use honey as it has antibacterial properties and will kill the culture. I think I've used coconut sugar and it worked okay but usually use a blend of regular sugar and "natural" cane sugar. It doesn't really matter because YOU don't end up eating it …. the scoby does!! I think it also works best with at least some of the tea being regular black tea because of the of tannins in it that seem to be needed for the process. I haven't tried it without. Have fun!
  2. Mmmmmmm . Sounds good. I did a quart jar with about 1/2 cup sliced peaches which turned out great. I'll try the apples and cinnamon on my next batch
  3. I've never had much fizz either and haven't ever been very impressed with the 2nd ferment process, except i think I'm going to have a nice lemon ginger this time. They were sampling a kombucha brand at Costco the other day (the guy asked me if I'd ever heard of kombucha) and it had a good flavor but seemed rather week. I was glad I'm bottling my own - especially at $3 a bottle! I've also really like my ginger bug soda and hope to get some more going this wknd.
  4. I've never had much fizz either and haven't ever been very impressed with the 2nd ferment process, except i think I'm going to have a nice lemon ginger this time. They were sampling a kombucha brand at Costco the other day (the guy asked me if I'd ever heard of kombucha) and it had a good flavor but seemed rather week. I was glad I'm bottling my own - especially at $3 a bottle! I've also really like my ginger bug soda and hope to get some going this wend.
  5. I'd bet you 99% chance it will work... tho there may be somthing to having the unflavored. As for using regular tea that is unflavored, i just finished a nice batch made with a blackberry flavored tea. It does have to have regular tea, but some herbal flavorings should be fine... just not the honey and other additives someone mentioned earlier.
  6. I've been trying out some other fermented drink recipes just for fun. The first is a probiotic lemonade found here http://wellnessmama.com/2883/probiotic-lemonade/. Then, something I've never heard of before but suddenly am hearing about all over the place, a "Ginger bug" that you make from fresh ginger root and then add to juices or herb teas and ferment some more for root beer effect. This is the recipe I followed tho just discovered wellness mama has one too http://nourishedkitchen.com/ginger-bug/ The lemonade calls for fresh liquid whey that you drain off of yogurt for the probiotic starter but you can also use some kombucha mother or the ginger bug to avoid the dairy. (I thought I read that on the original lemonade link but can't find it now.) I did one batch with whey and one with kombucha and both were good but can definitely say it's better after 6 or 7 days rather than the recommended 2-3. I haven't finished with the ginger bug fermenting yet but hope to get some sodas going this week. I also have a batch of kombucha ready to bottle so I'm gonna be good for probiotics for a while! (I seem to let the kombucha linger too long and keep ending up with really vinegar tasting kombucha.)
  7. I don't even start testing mine till close to 14 days. I do think smaller batches would be ready sooner. A 1.5 gal would surely take at least 2 weeks if not longer.
  8. Yes! I've done it several times. Just take a bottle of plain raw store bought kombucha and add it to a batch of sweetened tea. It takes an extra week or so to be ready but it will grow a scoby and then you're set. Look at a few of bottles in the store and pick the one with the most slime/gunk at the bottom. I'm always letting things sit around I'm looking right now as the a glass of homemade kombucha that's been sitting out on the table for several days and it has a nice scobys forming on the top.
  9. Ps love the stickers.... i make alot of my own body oils, toothpaste, creams etc so i may get some for that as well - and that seemed like a really good price!
  10. Cathy- thanks for all the info on the terms.... guess I've been doing all that without knowing the fancy terms! Ive only tried the bottling with fruit etc (F2) once and wasnt very impressed, except i think it did make it more fizzy which was fun. I made my current batch with blackberry flavored black tea. Cant wait to try it. i thought the scobys should last at room temp also but that is where they molded. I had given them a little fresh tea to keep them happy till i could make a whole batch but it must have been too long. On the other hand i have kept my "hotel" in the refrigerator for over a year. Guess everyone has different experiences. Climate might have something to do with it.
  11. Hi. Great to find this thread. Ive been brewing kombucha off and on for several years, though im not familiar with much of the terminology you're using.... F1 and F2 and hotels.... tho i imagine i can figure it out I had to throw a bunch out today because i stored them too long on the counter before getting new tea put in and they went moldy. Fortunately i had quite a few Scobys in the fridge so i disinfected the jars and started over. I agree that a half gallon container wont be enough! Ive been making about a gallon and a half and run out before the next batch is ready. My goal is to get enough brewing jars to have 2 or 3 staggered batches going. I love it!! I had to run some scobys down the disposal today and i cringed and felt sorry for them, and guilty
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