First attempt Kombucha

[rebel]

Hi Guys

First time making Kombucha, I have some health conditions, the store bought Kombucha seems to be helping with some of those conditions.

I've used 2.2L Large BPA Free water jugs (I know glass is best).

I've used the following method. My errors in brackets.

Used 4 litres of distilled water,
1 litre of water boiled,
Added 4 tea bags,
1/4 cup of brown sugar, (maybe not enough sugar)
1 heaped teaspoonful of cinnamon, (maybe waited until it cooled down)
Allow to cool,
Added remaining 3 litres of water,
Add 400ml of shop bought Kumbucha,
Added 2 large diced apples, (maybe too much apple)

Left about 5cm space at top. Covered with paper towel. And started praying.

Any thoughts? All comments appreciated, be kind.

When do I let the 'gas out'? (not even 24 hours yet)

Many thanks








Many Thanks

 

[umfana]

I've not tried making 'Buch yet but have been reading a fair bit in prep for taking the plunge. Unless I am mistaken don't you need a scoby as well as the starter kombucha?

 

[rebel]

Hi umfana

Apparently not, I've Googled 'making Kumbucha with out Scoby', my understanding from what I've read is that you just need a 'starter Kumbucha'. I might be wrong. I've removed the apple pieces. I'll just wait and see what happens. Yesterday I read that if I wanted to add more sugar I could, even after the Fermentation process has started. Heat a bit of water then add sugar, let it cool, add.

Thanks for your response.

 

[umfana]

Ah that would make it much simpler.
Please report back on success.
:-)

 

[JFB]

We use
2.9l of boiling water
7 tea bags
100g sugar
Scoby

We simply make a sweet tea, add scoby plus some of the old bunc it was stored with.
Leave for a week covered wit a cloth then taste.
Then bottle it up with fruit and or ginger.
Leave for another week gassing on day two.
Was the shop brought buch unpasteurised?
Any sign of a baby scoby??

 

[damienair]

I have not done this yet. But I have been reading up on it. I plan to start in the next week or 2. My understanding is that you have to grow a Scoby first before you can make Kombucha. I have bought a bottle of unflavoured and unpasteurised Kombucha to give this a go. Recipe I have is as below:
2 x Cups of Water
2 x Tea Bags
Brew for 15 minutes
Mix in 1/2 x Cup of sugar
Leave to cool
Add in a bottle of Kombucha
Cover with a cloth and leave it in a warm, dark place like a hot press or airing cupboard for around 1 month.
After this period there should be a starter scoby which you remove along with a cup of the Kombucha and then you can use this to make your first batch.

This is just a starter recipe to make a scoby. Each time after this the batch improves and the scoby improves.

Damien

 

[JFB]

I have not done this yet. But I have been reading up on it. I plan to start in the next week or 2. My understanding is that you have to grow a Scoby first before you can make Kombucha. I have bought a bottle of unflavoured and unpasteurised Kombucha to give this a go. Recipe I have is as below:
2 x Cups of Water
2 x Tea Bags
Brew for 15 minutes
Mix in 1/2 x Cup of sugar
Leave to cool
Add in a bottle of Kombucha
Cover with a cloth and leave it in a warm, dark place like a hot press or airing cupboard for around 1 month.
After this period there should be a starter scoby which you remove along with a cup of the Kombucha and then you can use this to make your first batch.

This is just a starter recipe to make a scoby. Each time after this the batch improves and the scoby improves.

Damien

We bought our scoby from Maltmiller.
Knowing what I know now I'd do as you are.
We often get baby scoby's popping up in brews and bottles.
Seems easy enough to grow them on a little

 

[rebel]

We use
2.9l of boiling water
7 tea bags
100g sugar
Scoby

We simply make a sweet tea, add scoby plus some of the old bunc it was stored with.
Leave for a week covered wit a cloth then taste.
Then bottle it up with fruit and or ginger.
Leave for another week gassing on day two.
Was the shop brought buch unpasteurised?
Any sign of a baby scoby??

Hi JFB

The shop 'buch' was slightly flavoured has 7 calories, comes in a 700ml bottle. So the answer is 'no'. No scoby yet, it's been a week.

Thanks for responding.

 

[rebel]

I have not done this yet. But I have been reading up on it. I plan to start in the next week or 2. My understanding is that you have to grow a Scoby first before you can make Kombucha. I have bought a bottle of unflavoured and unpasteurised Kombucha to give this a go. Recipe I have is as below:
2 x Cups of Water
2 x Tea Bags
Brew for 15 minutes
Mix in 1/2 x Cup of sugar
Leave to cool
Add in a bottle of Kombucha
Cover with a cloth and leave it in a warm, dark place like a hot press or airing cupboard for around 1 month.
After this period there should be a starter scoby which you remove along with a cup of the Kombucha and then you can use this to make your first batch.

This is just a starter recipe to make a scoby. Each time after this the batch improves and the scoby improves.

Damien

I think you might be right, I'm not sure what I'll end up with. I was probably to eager to get going. I've tried to do everything in one go.

Thanks for responding.

 

[umfana]

This thread has kick started my interest again to make my own. Would save some £££ as my wife and I both have serious 'buch habits (that sounds wrong).

Ive just ordered a scoby from etsy. £3.50 is worth the gamble I think.

 

[moochbrewing]

Hello! First time poster here as I've recently moved back from Aus.

I've made a lot of kombucha and my standard recipe is similar to JFB and damienair. I have found that the quality of the tea has a big impact on flavour.

Recipe for 10 litres
70 g loose black tea (good quality, organic tea - I get mine from a local health food store)
500 g white sugar

Method
Steep the tea in 2 litres of 90C water for 15 minutes using a hop sock (Sainsburys fruit and veg bag)
Make 1:1 sugar syrup, i.e. 500 grams sugar to 500 ml of water (I find this easier than trying to dissolve the sugar into the tea)
Add 7 ish litres of soft tap water to a sanitised fermenter with 1 campden tablet (to remove Chlorine/chloramines)
Add ingredients to fermenter and top up to 10 litres (with 12 degree C ground water this should get the total volume to around 20C. Don't expose the scoby to temperatures over 30C - it will die)
Add scoby and around 500 ml of kombucha from previous batch (key here is to get a starting pH below 4.5, preferably below 4 to prevent mould growth with all that sugar. If you don't have enough liquid with your scoby to start off, buy some unpasteurised, unflavoured kombucha and add that to get the pH down)
Leave the fermenter in a dark place at room temp
Check taste and pH after 4-5 days (I like my beer and kombucha pretty sour so I stop at around 2.65. You can do this to taste also)
Transfer all but 500 ml and the scoby to keg and force carb

The finished product is delicious as is or watered down slightly and/or with fruit and/or with vodka added!

Hope this helps!

 

[rebel]

Hi Guys

Even if I left it for a few more weeks, I don't think anything further is going to happen regards the fermentation process. I've tasted it. Zero 'fizz', probably because lack of sugar (I used brown sugar) and lack of 'scoby'. Tastes strongly of cinnamon, not 'subtle'. It might be the store bought Kombucha. I've Learnt a lot.

In a couple of weeks I'll try a smaller amount, get all the correct 'ducks lined up'.

 

[damienair]

Hi Guys

Even if I left it for a few more weeks, I don't think anything further is going to happen regards the fermentation process. I've tasted it. Zero 'fizz', probably because lack of sugar (I used brown sugar) and lack of 'scoby'. Tastes strongly of cinnamon, not 'subtle'. It might be the store bought Kombucha. I've Learnt a lot.

In a couple of weeks I'll try a smaller amount, get all the correct 'ducks lined up'.

I don't think the fizz develops until after second fermentation in the bottles. If I was you I would mix up a sugar syrup, half water half sugar, heated up. Allow to cool and add it to your current mix. Cover it with a cloth and just put it away for a month and forget about it. I bet when you check it in a month you will have a scoby.
Then make a proper batch and use some fruit juice as the sugar for the second fermentation which will give the fizz.

 

[johncrobinson]

why drink the vile stuff.?????

Do you think you are going to live forever.????

There are MUCH better beverages out there
Although few others offer immortality.

 

[umfana]

This thread has kick started my interest again to make my own. Would save some £££ as my wife and I both have serious 'buch habits (that sounds wrong).

Ive just ordered a scoby from etsy. £3.50 is worth the gamble I think.

So far so good. 3 litres down. And more on the go. And not dead (yet).

I am having a real problem with bottle carbonation levels. Process control seems nigh impossible.

 

[Manxnorton]

really interesting read lads n lasses.
for what little experience i’ve done with Kombucha (i’ve made a STARTER TEA + scoby in the scoby hotel for next batch)
i think personally there’s a lot of UNKNOWN goes into making it.
for once have you got your own scoby (bought or not?)
types of fermentation (F1 & F1-innitial fermentation & bottling with fruit etc)
i think with any NEW brew is getting the quantities for initial Bach size.
suss this and plane sailing after that
as most know i suffer with any form of numbers (dates, times, weights, measures, formula etc
so in the next few days i hope to brew larger bach (22l) including the starter tea.
it was said you don’t need a scoby (but it helps ) as the yeast is in the starter liquid.
also i’ll want to look at pressure fermentation using a 30l Fermzilla all rounder.
and the temps etc might arise.
learn as i go along.
F2 (bottling) i’ll use beer gun under pressure in the already fruit mix then store in ferm fridge, 3 -4 days lata chill the buch (i burb the bottles daily so i don’t get a explosion lol) pore over crush ice and taste.
there’s a lot of “when is the fermentation (F1) finished..for all a ph meter etc can help it’s the taste between sweet and tart to get the sweet spot.
easier said and done Brian lol
i look at this way if i’m not learning & enjoying myself and NOT TAKING PROPER SEROUS! i might aswell give up.
soz guys n girls another Brian’s novel
i look fwd to asking questions when i back home.
love you all and keep safe.
bri