BillyGHusk

Recipes 

So I bottled my first 3 bottles of Kombucha today. I have a gallon going that I am going to pull some off and bottle on an ongoing basis.

Some of the reading I have been doing has said that a lot of the beneficial amino acids and other beneficial nutrients aren't produced until the third week of fermentation. But by then it is usually so sour most people can't/won't drink it. So if you pull out what you are going to drink and just add back to the main ferment-er you can get those other nutrients.

This link provides a more detailed synopsis of what I stated above.

http://www.happyherbalist.com/continuous_brewing.htm

Anyway, I pulled off 3 bottles(12oz) worth. I had put 10-15 thawed Blue Berries in each bottle first. Added the Kumbucha and capped.

I have 36 oz of sweet tea mix cooling in the fridge, later tonight I will add it back to my main gallon. In a week or so I will pull some more out and repeat the process.

Man I am so thrilled with this as I hate spending $3+ for a bottle of this stuff. Especially considering how easy this is and how good the homemade stuff is.

I welcome any thoughts!!

Thanks,
Tim

TxBrew

Recipes 

Have you tried it yet?

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BillyGHusk

Recipes 

Indeed I have!

I tried one bottle after it had been bottled for 2-3 days. It was slightly carbed, and had a amazing blueish color from the BB's. It was slightly tart and sour, with a hint of sweet and BB flavor. It was actually just what I was hoping it would be!

I let the other 2 bottles ferment for 2-3 more days in the cupboard, then threw them in the fridge. I was going to be out of town for a week and didn't want them to ferment that whole time. I had one last night, not much more carbed and slightly more sour/tart but still just a good as any Kombucha I have bought and actually better than some.

This really is so easy to brew.

I will also say for those that are thinking of trying Kombucha for the first time, it tastes MUCH better than it smells. I don't find the smell all that bad, but my wife can't get past it. It smells really vinegary, but only has a hint of that taste, assuming it hasn't been fermented too long.

Tim

FromZwolle

Recipes 

i do love my kombucha, but i've never had commercial stuff. how does the taste differ from homebrewed?

BillyGHusk

Recipes 

The commercial one's I've had that I don't like have been too sour/tart and I have had bad luck with "national" brands being overcarbed.

I mean I started my home brew with the dregs from a commercial bottle.

The flavor differences come from the type of tea, amount and type of sugar, and how long you let it ferment before you bottle/drink. As well as how you flavor it(if you choose to) I will be bottling some more this week and going to try some ginger as well as BB's again.

Tim

BillyGHusk

Recipes 

I laid up three more bottles this week, forgot the ginger at the store, so I used a healthy amount of thawed raspberries. Though I do like the health benefits from Blue Berries.

Tim

Emerald

Recipes 

BillyGHusk

Recipes 

I can make that happen, should be bottling 3 more bottles this Sat. or so.


Tim

MsB

Recipes 

I am currently drinking from my first bottled batch of KT. I had about 6 ounces left over so I put it in a bottle with a little home made strawberry jam and corked it. I let it sit in my fermenting box (just a cardboard box that I throw a towel over to store my bottles while they ferment) for 2 days, and then I put it in the refrigerator so that I could drink it cold before breakfast. It was really carbonated (which I like) and the taste was super. I even ate the bits of strawberries from the brew.