|
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
Anonymoose69
Moose
Registered: 12/03/13
Posts: 29
|
Kombucha (1st attempt)
#19312102 - 12/22/13 02:22 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
I bought a GT Kombucha bottle and used it as a starter put in the mother and most of the bottle in a larger 1L bottle, with cooled sugar and tea mixture (I might have messed up on the amount of sugar, but it tasted pretty sweet, I think it was a good amount).

This is probably about a week and a half of brewing at around 72-74f just wondering if this looks like a normal start of a baby or mother scoby, maybe just yeast overgrowth, it smells like what I Think Kombucha is supposed to smell like and I actually tried it, it was more bubbly a few days earlier before the growth, it tasted pretty good but more yeasty now, which I kind of like.
|
ChinChiller



Registered: 07/03/10
Posts: 3,270
|
|
I know someone who buys a shitload of it and is probably paying way to much for what you could make better at home, she just worries she is going to fuck it up and poison herself or something. Ive grown some shrooms before, do you think kombucha is easier or harder? Is it easy to spot contaminates? Do you think she would be able to do it easily if I set up everything to get it brewing?
|
Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 1 month, 19 days
|
|
Kombucha isn't that picky, your amount of sugar is probably fine. I use 1 cup for a gallon batch. Don't worry if you don't form too much of a scoby on the first few batches, give it a taste and it should be fairly acidic after 2 weeks, that's how you'll know it's done. If it is, I'd just use the whole liter as started tea for a gallon batch.
Errolscool, kombucha is much easier than growing any type of mushroom. If you use enough starter tea (I always go 25%) and let your batches brew long enough (I go two weeks), the high acidity will keep away any possible contamination. If you do get contamination, you'll see it - it will probably be mold floating right on the top.
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
|
Anonymoose69
Moose
Registered: 12/03/13
Posts: 29
|
|
Pretty easy so far, from what I've read it's easy and not so contaminate prone. I'm paranoid about contamination though, that's why I posted the pic, I think it's ok though... we'll see what develops. There's some tutorials out there online. It's easier than mushrooms I believe. Get her to take a look at these sites, or help her out and start some on your own.
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/make-kombucha
http://www.happyherbalist.com/kombuchapictures.aspx
Lots of troubleshooting info here: http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kombucha_balance/
|
Anonymoose69
Moose
Registered: 12/03/13
Posts: 29
|
|
So does my blob look normal?
|
Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 1 month, 19 days
|
|
Quote:
Anonymoose69 said: So does my blob look normal?
Hard to tell from the picture, the brownish blob in the middle is yeast, but I think I see some gelatinous scoby-like material over there on the right maybe. Wash your hands and touch it very lightly, is there a layer on top or is it just liquid?
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
|
Anonymoose69
Moose
Registered: 12/03/13
Posts: 29
|
Re: Kombucha (1st attempt) [Re: Forrester]
#19470565 - 01/25/14 03:13 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
It turned out alright, I think it was the begining stages of a scoby / kombucha mushroom. I think because it was my first batch and I used a less processed sugar (also maybe because the type of bottle it was in had a narrow opening with little air flow) it took a LONG time to grow a tiny scoby. (I think it was almost a month I let sit!) It turned out tasting like vinegar pretty much, too strong.
Luckily the next batch using some of the previous vinegar like stuff and the baby scoby (as well as the original one I got from the store bought stuff for good measure) the next batch grew a nice SCOBY and it was done in only a week, now with subsequent batches, it's growing even stronger.
For best luck it seems: You want a nice large opening like a jar, rather than a bottle (I use a double layer of coffee filter and elastic band over it to keep bugs and dust etc out.)
And use mostly white organic cane sugar (you can add some brown sugar too if desired) and use a very STRONG tea (it digests the tea so it ends up not even tasting that strongly of tea depending on how long you let it ferment).
|
liamtheloser
Advanced Idiot

Registered: 06/07/06
Posts: 1,453
|
|
I have a continuous kombucha decanter going. It's a ceramic crock that I just top off with tea every few days. It's great!
And your thoughts about using refined sugar are backwards. It actually grows better and tastes much better if you use sucanat or any un-refined natural sugar. I use a sugar that still has the molasses present, which a lot are not. I use something called muscovado, which is a totally natural sugar, replete with vitamins and minerals. I suggest looking into the perpetual style of kombucha maintenance, it's really easy and cheap to start. Basically the only cost is a ceramic crock with a bottom spigot, and then you just have to keep topping it off every few days otherwise it will get too sour. And if worst happens, it'll get really sour and you just dump out most of the kombucha and then refill with fresh tea then wait a few days.
Also, you can use overly sour kombucha as a soup base, much like over fermented kimchi is used as a soup base for soondubu sometimes.
--------------------
|
Aleon
The Power of Our Origins



Registered: 05/26/11
Posts: 1,127
Loc: Everywhere
|
|
I dont really think kombucha belongs in a fungi forum; its a SCOBY (at least thats the best description of it.) Too many mis-informed people call this or treat this like a mushroom.
-------------------- Mushroom medicines available at: www.swordandshieldwellness.com
|
Mrcloudy
Stranger than you.



Registered: 10/01/13
Posts: 2,889
Loc: Northeast US
Last seen: 4 months, 13 days
|
Re: Kombucha (1st attempt) [Re: Aleon]
#19471359 - 01/25/14 10:30 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Atleast part of the fermentation is coming from yeast, which is a fungi.
--------------------
10 different Ganoderma species from across the USA AMU MrCloudys guide to North American GanodermaUpdated A rough guide to North American Ganoderma species, with an emphasis on the laccate species.
|
Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 1 month, 19 days
|
|
Quote:
liamtheloser said: And your thoughts about using refined sugar are backwards. It actually grows better and tastes much better if you use sucanat or any un-refined natural sugar.
I've read from more than one source that it does better with white refined too. Not sure why or if it's even true, there's a lot of mis-information when it comes to kombucha.
Anonymoose69, I'm fairly sure you actually don't even need the scoby, that the tea you use from the previous batch has all the culture you need in it. So don't get all hung up on whether yours forms a thick one or not, I don't really think it matters.
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
|
Aleon
The Power of Our Origins



Registered: 05/26/11
Posts: 1,127
Loc: Everywhere
|
Re: Kombucha (1st attempt) [Re: Mrcloudy]
#19471474 - 01/25/14 10:58 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Mrcloudy said: Atleast part of the fermentation is coming from yeast, which is a fungi.
The title of this section is gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Neither of which kombucha fits into.
-------------------- Mushroom medicines available at: www.swordandshieldwellness.com
|
liamtheloser
Advanced Idiot

Registered: 06/07/06
Posts: 1,453
|
Re: Kombucha (1st attempt) [Re: Forrester]
#19472120 - 01/25/14 01:16 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Forrester said:
Quote:
liamtheloser said: And your thoughts about using refined sugar are backwards. It actually grows better and tastes much better if you use sucanat or any un-refined natural sugar.
I've read from more than one source that it does better with white refined too. Not sure why or if it's even true, there's a lot of mis-information when it comes to kombucha.
Anonymoose69, I'm fairly sure you actually don't even need the scoby, that the tea you use from the previous batch has all the culture you need in it. So don't get all hung up on whether yours forms a thick one or not, I don't really think it matters.
Well there's a difference between faster and better. It ferments faster with refined sugar.
--------------------
|
|