the_wendy_house Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Hi there, My It Starts With Food book only arrived today and I'm aware that, with Christmas looming, doing my full whole30 inclusive of Christmas day is looking pretty unlikely SO I am starting now but am just "practicing" between now and the end of December and will start properly in January. Boring back story aside, I have read a lot about Kombucha on the forum but am a bit confused about it. Having never heard of it before, google has given me a good idea of what it is, but all the stuff on sale to either make or buy it mentions the use of sugar and (while I've only had time to skim ISWF so far) I'm pretty sure sugar is a no, no. Can anyone advise whether it is allowed as is or whether you have to make a special whole30 sugar-free version in order for it to be ok to consume? Thank you! -Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Sugar's necessary in the prep of kombuca, to give the bacteria something to eat/thrive on, and it's mostly used up in the fermentation stage. As long as you buy the bottles that haven't added extra sugar in afterwards, you're okay. The difference in the labeling is like 1-2g of sugar/serving vs 15-20g. Easy to spot I don't drink it, but some of the other folks here can give you their fave brands/flavors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinSpin Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Kombucha is most assuredly allowed--but with 2-4 grams of sugar per serving. Kombucha is a fermented tea, and needs the sugar to feed the scooby during the fermentation--think of it like making sourdough bread--and depending on how long it is fermented, will also determine how much sugar is left in the final product. A lot of us here brew are own and often wax poetic on 'booch. A good one to try to just see if you like it is GT gingerade. Just don't drink a lot in once sitting if you are not used to it. Start out with a few ounces and work from there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 GT Gingerade is awesome! After you love it, we'll teach you how to make it. Renee..have you tried it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I haven't. I'm a bad paleo person. I struggle with fermented foods that aren't yogurt. I know it's delicious, i know it's good for you...I just won't go out of my way to eat/buy/make it. It's one of my faults Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny M Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I think people love it or hate it. I was hooked on my first taste but be warned...introducing a lot of probiotic material to your stomach without building up a tolerance can wreck havoc on your digestion system. Like spinspin alluded to the first couple bottles I drank didn't stay in my body very long if you catch my drift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_wendy_house Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Thanks all! I'm not sure it's so popular in the UK (where I'm at) but I've found a couple sites that sell it so I can have a try first and then you can teach me how to make it myself. That and the intriguing sounding GT Ginerade! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Hi, I'd never heard of it until I started W30 and yes, it does seem a lot more difficult to find over here. I eventually ordered it from http://www.gokombucha.com/ and I must say i loved it. I've now found a shop that's finally started stocking it and I'm gathering stuff to start making my own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmaSthlm Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I agree with the above: be careful in the beginning. I loved Kombucha the first time I tried it and had far too much. I was sick for a week afterwards, really sick. But the doctor had heard about "the kombucha sickness", and just told me to wait - and then start again SLOWLY. Now, I am fine with drinking one or two bottles of Kombucha a day. And yes, I still love it, but it is much more expensive and difficult to find here in Sweden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I haven't. I'm a bad paleo person. I struggle with fermented foods that aren't yogurt. I know it's delicious, i know it's good for you...I just won't go out of my way to eat/buy/make it. It's one of my faults LOL..I hated it at first...seriously hated it. I sent my friend JHMOMI an email and said WTH did you talk me into trying. By the end of the bottle, I was in love. It turned into an almost adult beverage for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 If it's a fermented tea, does that mean it's caffeinated? I'd like to try it, but caffeine and I are not meant to be together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Sorry Amy, i hadn't thought of that. The ones I buy are made with either green tea or red pu-erh tea but both of those contain caffeine. I believe people have made it with rooibosch tea which contains no caffeine but I haven't tried making it yet. Once I get started i'll let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 You could totally use a decaf tea - I don't think it's important to the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny M Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I've read conflicting things about how much caffeine is left after the fermentation but I think there's about 1/3-1/2 left on average. The rest breaks down in the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanniemae Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I agree with the above: be careful in the beginning. I loved Kombucha the first time I tried it and had far too much. I was sick for a week afterwards, really sick. But the doctor had heard about "the kombucha sickness", and just told me to wait - and then start again SLOWLY. Now, I am fine with drinking one or two bottles of Kombucha a day. And yes, I still love it, but it is much more expensive and difficult to find here in Sweden. Hi Emma, Can you tell me more about the kombucha sickness that you experienced? I recently started drinking my homebrew (after being a regular drinker of GT's brand). Is it head cold or digestive related? I'm curious because I feel groggy in the head and wonder if its related. Thanks, Stephanie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanniemae Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 If it's a fermented tea, does that mean it's caffeinated? I'd like to try it, but caffeine and I are not meant to be together. Amy, There is a small amount of caffeine in the store brands, nothing like regular tea tho. If you make your own, there are ways to decrease the caffeine even more, such as cold brewing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Stephanie - There's a good chance that Emma had some tummy troubles and maybe some overall yuckiness. Since kombucha is a strong probiotic, it changes your gut bacteria. If you do that really quickly it can through things out of balance and make you pretty miserable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Thanks for the caffeine info - if I get into home brewing I will use an herbal tea - I used my googler and found a source, hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanniemae Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Homebrew can be really easy once you get into the swing of things! Not sure herbal will work tho. From what I've read, only teas from the "tea plant." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny M Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 make sure you do some research on which teas work best. I think there's some flexibility but some work better than others. Also don't use flavored teas or those with oils - they can kill your scoby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaine Ross Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Also, ginger and lemon are anti-microbial (which means they will kill your scoby.) A hard lesson to learn! :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silk Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Johnny M -- you posted in the other kombucha thread about double fermenting and using lavender flowers. I've never done double fermenting -- can you explain it to me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny M Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Sure...you basically make the kombucha during the first main fermentation. Your kombucha will be a little bubbly when it's done with that initial fermentation because a byproduct of the process is carbon dioxide but you brew the tea in an open container so most of it escapes into the air. Second fermentation is when you bottle the kombucha in airtight containers and leave at room temperature for a few days (mine sits 3-5). The fermentation will continue creating carbon dioxide only in the sealed bottles it can't escape so it carbonates your kombucha. Adding some pureed fruit (I've heard strawberries work particularly well) when you bottle the kombucha can help create even more carbonation because the bacteria has a new fresh source of sugar to create more with. It's good to play around and see what works best for your brew and your tastes. You can also alternatively add about 10-20% of some fruit juice per bottle of kombucha to flavor and aid the second ferment. Some people find it necessary to burp their bottles (open them every day or so) during the second ferment because the bottles can build up quite a bit of pressure and explode everywhere when you open them. I don't recommend this regularly (because of chemical leaching from plastic) but it can be useful to bottle it in plastic bottles while getting the hang of it because you can feel how much pressure is building inside the bottles without opening them. Lately I've been so impatient I've been pouring the kombucha from my large gallon jugs directly into a glass and drinking it warm and plain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silk Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Thanks for the tips, Johnny! I'm not as interested in fruitiness as I am interested in adding lavender, like you mentioned in one of your posts. I've got some lavender in my garden. Hey, maybe some rose buds too, or rose water. Would rose water be ok? Would I just add herbs to the first ferment and be done with it, or do a second ferment with some fruit and add that stuff then? As long as I'm asking you questions, do you have a favorite tea that you use? I've been using the Keemum black that I get in bulk at Rainbow, but I'm ready to experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny M Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 You have to add whatever your adding to the second ferment, not the first. You can make your scoby sick otherwise. There's no scoby in the second ferment! I got lavender and elderberries at Rainbow and I boiled them and made a concentrated liquid. The liquid alone was kinda gross but added to the kombucha and fermented for 4 days and the bottle was pretty delicious. I haven't really figured out the right amounts to use yet but i'm working on it. As far as tea, I've only been brewing a month or so and have only used a huge box of organic black tea I got at rainbow. I haven't experimented with others yet. I'm going to try some white and green teas mixed with the black soon. I saw rose petals at rainbow as well as rose water and orange water and thought about trying them. They also have some interesting juices in the juice isle...things like honeydew juice! I'll keep you posted on my experiments! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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