Kombucha

[Hinotori]

I love kombucha. Hubby is not such a fan of it.

When fermenting it, I use half gallon jars because they are easy to deal with. Just run through the dishwasher to clean. I use coffee filters for airflow and cover just because we still had a ton of them from the old coffee pot. Cheap no pull hairbands secure them. Tight woven fabric works well, too. Need airflow but covered to keep out dust and such. There will be a bit of evaporation.

Ratio for half gallon is

Scoby
1 cup starter
1/2 cup sugar
4 tea bags (I actually use 6 but 4 is minimum)
Water

I broil two cups of water and disolve the sugar in it and then put tea in to steep. I like it stronger so I leave them in until it cools. You must let the tea cool before adding starter, rest of needed water, and the Scoby. Hot water will kill the Scoby and starter.

Let sit for 7 days or longer.

You can then put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid and do a secondary fermentation to get some more fizz.

Different teas make for different tastes.

Left to right. Green tea & matcha -- green tea -- black & green tea.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I've been wanting to try this. Also want to try kefir. Thanks for sharing, maybe one of these days I'll get around to trying it!

 

[lcertuche]

What does it taste like. I've been wanting to find a healthy beverage that my family would like instead of soda. They drink one or two 2-liter bottles daily. Yikes!

Also where do you get the starter/mother (whichever)? We all like tea. The rest whenever there is no soda in the house. I watch a show on Doug and Stacy's off grid blog where she showed making kabocha.

Unfortunately, my family doesn't care for fermented foods like I do.

 

[lcertuche]

@Hinotori do you need to use filtered or spring water?

 

[MoonShadows]

I used to buy Kombucha, but it got too expensive. I was going to try and make it, but kind of got scared off after reading articles about deadly bacteria if you don't make it just the right way. I already am a menace to myself; didn't want to end up killing myself off!

 

[lcertuche]

I usually have an iron stomach but I have been having stomach and intestinal issues for a couple of months and this might be the thing to do the trick. The next time I go to the big city I will go to the health food store and see if I can get a starter/mother or whatever it is called. I hear that it is pricey as well.

 

[Hinotori]

@Hinotori do you need to use filtered or spring water?

Chlorine free.

I use filtered water as we have too much iron in the well water

 

[Hinotori]

It doesn't taste like tea. It's a bit vinegary. I'm not sure how to describe it.

I do the one with the black and green tea as my normal kombucha. Hubby doesn't like it. The only one he will drink at all is the one with the matcha since it really changes the taste.

Yes it's horribly expensive to buy at the store.

Can order a Scoby off Amazon if needed. Use white vinegar instead of the starter if you don't have any. Don't drink that first batch.

Buy a cheap $12 ph test meter. Acidic is safe. That is why you must put starter or vinegar in each batch to keep the ph safe.

You can use extra starter. That doesn't hurt anything. I use well over a cup anymore as it helps it ferment a bit faster and gives me more flavor.

Test the kombucha for acidity before drinking if your worried about it. Mine ranges from 2.7 to 3.2 when it's done fermenting. If it's still in the 3 range I leave it for longer. If it's up in the 4 or 5 after the ferment time, I dump it and toss the Scoby. I'll start a different jar from healthy starter and a new scoby.

Some people eat their extra Scoby or feed it to their animals. I just peel off and toss the old ones when they get too thick. Leave the nice newer ones from the top.

 

[Britesea]

If it tastes too vinegary to please the folks, you can add up to 20% fruit juice (we like cherry) to change the taste. It isn't as sweet as soda but it does have a pleasant taste.

 

[lcertuche]

@Britesea I love the cherry juice idea. Can scoby (?) be split?