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CaseyP

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Posts 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. 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. 

  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 going this wend. 

  4. 10 hours ago, Crastney said:

    there is sediment, but the lovekombucha website says that that would be from the ginger juice.  The earlier link to culturing your own suggests to only use a live culture that is unflavoured.  no harm in trying anyway.  I've had far too much of it today (400ml?) and not enough water besides, so I'll keep what's left and try to culture it up.

    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.

  5. 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! :D 

    (I seem to let the kombucha linger too long and keep ending up with really vinegar tasting kombucha.)

  6. On Monday, September 19, 2016 at 1:08 PM, jenmidge said:

    My scobies finally arrived in the post last week. I am using two large scobies with a 1.5 gallon cb container. Today is day four. The recipe that came with my scobies recommended tasting daily from day 3. I tried it this morning and it tasted like sweet tea mixed with vinegar. Is this normal? Store bought booch doesn't taste like vinegar at all. It looks okay, there is a film covering the top of the brew which I assume is a baby scoby (?). Also, when I come to bottling from my CB and adding more tea, do I leave the two original scobies and the new film in or remove one or both original scobies and just leave the filmy substance?

    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.

  7. On Tuesday, September 06, 2016 at 4:13 PM, MrsStick said:

    Have any of you used a bottle of plain kombucha to make a SCOBY? I know it's possible but haven't done it before. I had a good colony going...but then had to move across the Pacific Ocean and wasn't about to try to take it with me. There's a farmer's market in town that has a kombucha brewer there and they do sell plain. Any tips?

    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.   

  8. 2 hours ago, Cathy125 said:

    Hi Casey,  I've read that Scooby's do not like the fridge at least for extended periods of time and give live very happily at just room temp either in

    a cloth covered jar ( in which you will need to feed fresh sweet tea on occasion to keep from drying out) or with a plastic lid.

    F1 = First Fermentation or the actual brew cycle   F2 = Second Fermentation done during the bottling with the addition of fruits / teas / herbs .

    The hotel is just the vessel that you keep all of the extra scoobys in awaiting a good home either in your own vessel should you lose one to mold etc  :( or you want

    to start another vessel OR you want to give one away ( w/ a fair amount of starter tea)

     

    Like I said -  Very novice at this so if anyone disagrees with anything I post - Pls. let me know as I am learning this too.

    Oh - and look at these cool sticker that you can put on your bottles  to identify the flavors / dates & would be great for brew vessels  to keep track on the date started etc)

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FD6ATQ0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    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.

  9. 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.

    7 hours ago, jmcbn said:

    and in the meantime my youngest son is keeping them as pets :lol:

    I love it!! I had to run some scobys down the disposal today and i cringed and felt sorry for them, and guilty:(:o

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