Comments on: Kombucha Tea – Part 2: 15 Tips For Making It Correctly

By: Reginald

Reginald — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:11:39 +0000

I like the comment about how it seems that you’ll need to buy a new batch from “Betsy”, if you haven’t followed these very stringent guidelines.

I guess pretty much everyone who has ever made KT has made it wrong.

By: KitchenKop

KitchenKop — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:44:49 +0000

Danielle,
You probably read above that I no longer have my starter. Hopefully someone else nearby will see this, otherwise it would be worth it to just get a new one from Betsy.
Kelly

By: Danielle

Danielle — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:12:04 +0000

Hello. I’ve been drinking GT’s Kombucha & Synergy for 3 or 4 years now. I love it and could drink 2 or 3 a day if I could afford it. At this point I can’t afford one a day. I’ve always wanted to make my own kombucha but never had access to a starter. I live in Grand Rapids, MI. Does anyone know anyone with starter babies who might be willing to share?

By: Jeanmarie

Jeanmarie — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:24:01 +0000

Sarum, I highly recommend the gallon-size Burken jar with lid from Ikea, if you live near one. It’s as wide as it is deep, which is supposed to be good for the scoby. It can spread out and there’s more surface area exposed. Plus it’s very sturdy and more stable than a bowl would be. It also has a lid, so if you need to temporarily stow your scoby in the refrigerator, you just pop on the lid. I do that from time to time if I get too much kombucha and can’t keep up with drinking it fast enough. (This is happening now that I’m also make sodas from water kefir grains.) It doesn’t hurt the scoby at all to be refrigerated for a few days as the colder temperature slows down its metabolism and growth.
In my experience, scobies are very hardy as long as you don’t expose them to something that will hurt them, such as chlorinated water, or put them in a spot that’s too hot or in direct sunlight.

As to keeping out dust, I use a clean, folded kitchen towel across the top of the jar, secured by a giant rubber band (the kind you get to hold kitchen garbage bags in place). I then place another clean, folded towel on top of that to keep out flies and dust. No dust can get in unless you’re in a windy spot, which you obviously wouldn’t put your scoby jar in anyway.

By: KitchenKop

KitchenKop — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:41:35 +0000

Sarum,
I know I keep saying this, but I’m really no expert on Kombucha at all. However, I’m pretty sure that folding it over for storage, or when you’re brewing, is OK.
Sorry I’m not more confident in my advice for you!
Kelly

By: Sarum

Sarum — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:38:51 +0000

I’m in the dusty desert so I put my first batches (2) in 2 different cabinets. Just tasted my first one (over the fridge which I now read on the balancing site is a real bad idea.) It tastes great! It is so dusty here that I would never use the t-shirt I protected with for filtering and because of the dust and the sunlight (skylights) I am concerned about where to keep it. My only non-cabinet option subjects the brew to extreme temperature fluctuations whenever the doors are opened. Also because we have lots of critters I of course do not wish to place the ferment near a fish tank or cat litter box. However, I am concerned because I do not wish to make us ill with a bad ferment like that inconclusive Iowa ‘95 case the naysayers keep harping on.

Also thanks for the info. Now I know that I need to get some bowls instead of more glass jars however storing that size SCOBY in a “hotel” or in the refrigerator would take up a lot of space. So is it OK if part of the SCOBY is folded over on itself during storage? (Always trying to keep backup if I have an accident, for gifting and because the lady that gave me mine and I promised each other to always keep extra in case one of us needs it.) And lastly, if I have a bowl size SCOBY and only have a gallon container for brewing (which is much smaller in diameter) do I just push the extra down into the jar or tear it off somehow?

By: Update: Making Kombucha? Organic Tea vs. Lipton | CHEESESLAVE

Update: Making Kombucha? Organic Tea vs. Lipton | CHEESESLAVE — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:58:25 +0000

[...] I believe the advice to use Lipton came from an interview Kelly the Kitchen Kop did last year with Betsy Pryor of Laurel Farms. [...]

By: KitchenKop

KitchenKop — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:46:29 +0000

Readers, Ann Marie (Cheeseslave) has some good scoop on the Lipton tea issue that she’ll be posting soon, I’ll add a link to the post above as soon as it’s live.

Kelly

By: KitchenKop

KitchenKop — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:44:39 +0000

Hi Kryliss,
#1: sorry, no idea, but I doubt it would be a problem…
#2: sometimes I might get a whiff of the fermentation smell, but it’s not right out loud or anything. My son does complain of the “vinegar” smell once in a while.

Take care,
Kelly

By: Kryliss

Kryliss — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:40:15 +0000

My curiosity has been peeked as one would say. I’ve got a couple of questions about kombucha tea.

1) I usually take around 3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper a day, I usually mix it with vegetable juice. Cayenne pepper is another one of God’s wonderful medicinal creations. Any known side effects with drinking kombucha tea when taking cayenne pepper? I would think not but one can never be too sure.

2) is there a strong smell to kombucha when it’s fermenting? If so, this would probably limit where I would want to put it.

Thank you.