BertusBrew
Well-Known Member
The only kombucha I have ever had was GT's and I want to start making my own. Where do I start? I have no clue.
Noob help
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PistolaPete
Well-Known Member
It's quite easy. Get a scoby from someone in your area or order one from off the web and go from there. I did most of my research from just searching around the internet. In the end it was way easier than I thought it would be. You just make tea with sugar and add the scoby and then drink it a few days later and/or bottle it. Then repeat procedure.
kyt
Well-Known Member
Get on Facebook and apply to the Kombucha Nation group.
You can get a free culture from there, if you pay for shipping.
Usually ~$7 USPS Flat-rate
Additionally, read through this thread and Kombucha Nation posts.
You can get a free culture from there, if you pay for shipping.
Usually ~$7 USPS Flat-rate
Additionally, read through this thread and Kombucha Nation posts.
FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
I'm thinking of getting started also... I've been enjoying GT's too, and would like to try my hand at it.
Can you pitch the dregs from a GT's bottle and build up a scoby from that? Kind of like you can pitch the yeast dregs from a beer into a starter and build up more yeast from that? Or is the only way to have a full-fledged/sized mother scoby to start... (I'll check out the above recommendations either way) thanks!
Can you pitch the dregs from a GT's bottle and build up a scoby from that? Kind of like you can pitch the yeast dregs from a beer into a starter and build up more yeast from that? Or is the only way to have a full-fledged/sized mother scoby to start... (I'll check out the above recommendations either way) thanks!
kyt
Well-Known Member
Yes you can use GTs as a starter, but you'll need more of it than just 1cup/gallon of tea. Also, you'll have to let it sit longer than usual to build up enough strength. Wait until the pellicle grows to a thickness of 1/8-1/4", then you should be good to go. It may take a couple weeks.
FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies. I don't see a sticky on this forum like on most of the homebrew ones for the basics on each subject... Wondering if anyone has a link to a thread on here or another website that explain the basics on how to get started. I've picking up a bit of info here and there by reading a few threads, but hoping there's a good beginner recipe/protocol/explanation out there...
kyt
Well-Known Member
Yes, unfortunately for us this is the bastard board. We get no attention or love, that I've noticed, from anyone with the ability to sticky threads. Hell I don't even know who the board mods are, if there is any.
Unlike the other boards though, this one seems to be more self sufficient, if you will. I messaged TxBrew about adding a section to Recipes for kombucha, but I have yet to receive a response.
I'll get you a few links shortly.
Standby.
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Unlike the other boards though, this one seems to be more self sufficient, if you will. I messaged TxBrew about adding a section to Recipes for kombucha, but I have yet to receive a response.
I'll get you a few links shortly.
Standby.
posted via Home Brew mobile app
kyt
Well-Known Member
This is a decent-ish primer for people that don't know anything. Once you know better, you'll not go back. And do not buy cultures from the site, the are expensive and under perform (from experience).
http://www.kombuchakamp.com/secrets-chapter-1
Just change the number at the end of the link for the other chapters, the site is poorly designed.
This is a pretty long list of things that's could be in your kombucha tea: http://kefir.wikidot.com/kombucha
This page is helpful for understanding balance and troubleshooting: http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kombucha_balance/
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http://www.kombuchakamp.com/secrets-chapter-1
Just change the number at the end of the link for the other chapters, the site is poorly designed.
This is a pretty long list of things that's could be in your kombucha tea: http://kefir.wikidot.com/kombucha
This page is helpful for understanding balance and troubleshooting: http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kombucha_balance/
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FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
Thanks, kyt - I appreciate it! I'll check them out...
DrewschBag
Well-Known Member
I started pretty recently myself. I used half a gt bottle in a quart mason jar, then used that quart in a gallon. I kept the scoby through my first batch and now discard it after every batch. There's debate over the need for scobies, the ferment kicks off slower without it, but I don't drink it fast enough yet to weigh the odds.
kyt
Well-Known Member
I have found no discernible difference in fermentation times with or without the SCOBY.
Though this could be due to the way I handle the liquid and the amount of starter I use (1/3 total volume).
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Though this could be due to the way I handle the liquid and the amount of starter I use (1/3 total volume).
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FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
Here's how my SCOBY starter is coming along. This is about 2.5 weeks in. I used a whole bottle of GT original and the dregs from a GT citrus, and about 24 oz tea (1/2 black, 1/2 green, plus sugar). It's in a 40 oz jar to grow, but I plan on using a one gallon wide-mouth jar for KT fermentation.
Still thin, but it covers the surface now. Was thinking of letting it go a full month... Thoughts?
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kyt
Well-Known Member
40oz is a great amount to use. That's just a little over 1L. I use 1L of 1-week old starter for a 3L total volume batch.
I say use it now, waiting may cause you to lose yeast.
In your gallon jar (3.785L), don't fill it all the way up. I marked all my gallon jars at 1L and 3L. I'll fill starter to the 1L line, and then top off with new tea to the 3L line. If you fill a gallon jar more than 3L you'll risk the SCOBY climbing out, or it foaming sticky ferment all over the place.
I say use it now, waiting may cause you to lose yeast.
In your gallon jar (3.785L), don't fill it all the way up. I marked all my gallon jars at 1L and 3L. I'll fill starter to the 1L line, and then top off with new tea to the 3L line. If you fill a gallon jar more than 3L you'll risk the SCOBY climbing out, or it foaming sticky ferment all over the place.
FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
So just to clarify...
You're saying I should go ahead and use this now - the SCOBY and 1 L of the liquid that it's in, and then add 2 L of new tea and sugar to top up to 3 L total in the 1 gal jar?
What is a good recipe for the new tea? For this starter, I used 2 black and 2 green tea bags, and 1/2 cup (I think - maybe 3/4? Don't remember... Should have written it down!) sugar... But that was for 1 qt (or L, basically), of which I used 24 oz...
And thanks for the advice! I like the idea of marking the 1 and 3 L marks on the jar...
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You're saying I should go ahead and use this now - the SCOBY and 1 L of the liquid that it's in, and then add 2 L of new tea and sugar to top up to 3 L total in the 1 gal jar?
What is a good recipe for the new tea? For this starter, I used 2 black and 2 green tea bags, and 1/2 cup (I think - maybe 3/4? Don't remember... Should have written it down!) sugar... But that was for 1 qt (or L, basically), of which I used 24 oz...
And thanks for the advice! I like the idea of marking the 1 and 3 L marks on the jar...
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kyt
Well-Known Member
Yup should be right about perfect. If you want to be extra sure, check the pH. If it's at least right around 3.0, you're good to go. Mine is usually between 3.2-3.0 when I start a new batch. Takes about 7 days, or every quarter moon phase.
For the new tea, it's personal preference. I use 1 organic green, and 1 organic black tea bag per 1L of water. I also use 50g of Domino cane sugar per 1L.
So if I have 5 jars running, with 3L in each, I can harvest 15L every 7-8 days (quarter moon phase).
I pour each jar out into my bottling bucket, retaining the scoby in the jar, so they are only handled if I happen to need to clean the jar (about once a month). From the 15L in the bottling bucket, I'll refill each jar to the 1L line.
15L - 5L = 10L of KT
I'll mix ~50g of sugar into this 10L for priming, unless I'm going to use fruit or some other fermentable.
Use this calculator to determine how much sugar to add to carbonate, I suggest starting with 2.0 volumes, and adjust up or down from there:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/
For the new tea, since I'll be replacing 10L, I'll pour a gallon of distilled water in a pot to boil while I'm harvesting and bottling the last batch. Typically what I'll do is once the water starts to boil (~100°C) I turn the burner off, and put the bags in the pot.
10L means 10 green and 10 black bags = 20 bags total.
I put the 10 black in first, and set the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer is up I take all the black out, and put the 10 green bags in, set the timer for 30 minutes. I'm usually done doing whatever I'm doing with the harvested batch by then. When the time is up, set the burner to HIGH, take out the green bags, and pour in the 500g of sugar, plus a tablespoon of lemon juice. The citric acid plus the heat help break the sucrose apart, reduces stress on the yeast and makes it ferment out sooner. Once the solution starts to boil, and the sugar is completely dissolved, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. It needs to cool before you can use it. If I'm in a hurry I'll make an ice bath in the sink, but sometimes I just let it sit out, or you could put it in the fridge (make sure you sit it on a trivet so it doesn't melt or shatter your shelves).
When the tea is cool (<30°C), I'll pour it in the bottling bucket, on top of any remaining KT that I didn't use. Which is usually about a liter worth, sometimes less, sometimes more. This is why I don't make the full 10L worth. My bucket has markings on the side, so I'll top-up to the 10L line with room temperature distilled water. Then fill each jar back to the 3L line.
Is that helpful?
FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
Very - thanks!
What do you use for your bottling bucket? I have a 5 gal one for homebrewing, but I'm thinking I'd want a separate (and smaller) one for the Booch, to keep the bugs separate from the yeast-only beer bucket. I know I could clean it well, but with plastic I hear that it gets small micro-scratches that like to harbor bacteria easily...
I use that priming calc for my beer, too - very handy!
Cheers
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kyt
Well-Known Member
Just a standard 6.5gal Ale Pail with the spigot. It's the same one I use for my beers, and I need to stop being cheap and get a separate bucket. Maybe one day
It's just to help dissolve the sugar and invert it, so I only get it to 100°C and then remove it from the heat. If I wanted to make an invert syrup, I'd make it separate from the tea, which I have done before. And if I were to heat the sugar first, then add the first black tea, I'd lose sugar to the tea bags. I'm not particularly interested in sparging tea bags. I Don't have time for that nonsense lol
kyt
Well-Known Member
Inverting isn't necessary at all, it just reduces some of the stress put on the yeast.
FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
Well I went on a trip after I posted that last pic, so my SCOBY kept growing, here's a pic of it now, about 3.5 weeks old:
Hopefully it won't be too far out of balance (too little yeast, as you mentioned, or too low of pH) now. On that note, which pH strips do you use? I have the ColorpHast ones for brewing, but the 4-7 ones, which obviously don't go low enough for this... Do you use the 1-7 (or is it 0-7?) ones?
I like that ratio. But I'm not going to do such a large batch yet. I plan on just doing the 3L (or quarts, which is close enough at this volume) in the one gallon jar. So do you think I should still let the tea steep for 30 min each? It'll only be 2L I'm boiling/adding, so only 2 black and 2 green bags... So I was thinking maybe 10 min each? Also, would you do less lemon juice too... Maybe just a tsp or even 1/2 tsp for 2L? Thanks!
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kyt
Well-Known Member
I don't use strips, I bought one of these: Extech PH110
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_sugar_syrup#Inverting_sugar
You'll notice I'm using 15ml for .5 kilo of sugar, but I'm not doing a 20min boil either. To cleave sucrose the yeast use invertase enzymes, but I don't biologically produce those, so the alternative is a function of acid+heat+time. Heat over time will do it on it's own, albeit slowly. The citric acid helps facilitate the conversion. If you were wanting to make invert sugar syrup, or candy syrup, you'd probably want to be more accurate with the acid.
Hello I'm totally new to home brewing kombucha. I recently tried growing a scoby from a bottle of gt. I attached pictures of what it looks like after about two to three weeks. Does this look good? Should I let it grow more, or can I just start brewing? Thank you.
Eta not sure why the second picture is upside down
Eta not sure why the second picture is upside down
kyt
Well-Known Member
Check the pH to know when to use the starter. When I started out, mine only sat for 1 week.
The purpose of the starter is to lower the pH of the new brew to levels that inhibit molds and spoilage organism growth, and inoculate the new liquid of course. Pellicle thickness is virtually irrelevant. Since you started with GTs it was ready to go right then, depending on the volume you were planning on using. One whole bottle of GTs is enough to start a whole gallon of new tea.
Recommended minimum volume of starter is 1 cup starter to a gallon of tea.
GTs bottles are 16 oz/2 cups.
You could have been drinking your second batch by now.
The purpose of the starter is to lower the pH of the new brew to levels that inhibit molds and spoilage organism growth, and inoculate the new liquid of course. Pellicle thickness is virtually irrelevant. Since you started with GTs it was ready to go right then, depending on the volume you were planning on using. One whole bottle of GTs is enough to start a whole gallon of new tea.
Recommended minimum volume of starter is 1 cup starter to a gallon of tea.
GTs bottles are 16 oz/2 cups.
You could have been drinking your second batch by now.
Arrg thank you! I started before I even knew this forum existed and all the bloggers claimed it would take weeks to months to begin. Imagine my surprise when after a few days I had a thick scoby on top. So tomorrow I will purchase some more starter and just begin from there. Thanks!
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kyt
Well-Known Member
Yea, I can't imagine how tart those people's KT ends up, turns my stomach thinking about it. I'm drinking some right now that was 10-day and it's almost too tart for me, and I drink 1oz of Bragg's every morning. After sitting for a month I'd end up with yeasty vinegar. That might make a good hair rinse or marinade, but not any kind of beverage I'd find refreshing.
And just because your's has sat for too long doesn't mean you can't use it. You'll probably need to add a cup of newer KT to it to get your viable yeast count back up. Sitting for that long in such acidic solution, you may not have enough yeast left for a complete fermentation.
FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
I transferred my SCOBY into my 1 gal jar (Anchor Hocking glass) five days ago, using your above recipe, kyt (2 L of new tea and 1 L of the fermented tea that I grew the SCOBY in. Here's the new SCOBY that grew on top... Looks pretty healthy to me:
And I sampled some today (just used a new plastic straw with my finger on it to siphon - figured that'd be sterile enough?)... Tastes pretty good as is! So I'm thinking of bottling tomorrow (already have tonight planned to rack some ciders, though if it goes quick enough I may try the booch now too)...
What kind of bottles do you use? I saved some GTs bottles, so I could use those, or I have some swing-top style 750 ml bottles, or of course the 12oz standard beer bottles with normal caps.
I've heard people saying you need to burp the bottles periodically to avoid bottle bombs... Is this true? I assume so, because it's not like beer where you know it's done fermenting and all the fermentable sugars are gone/fermented, and you can use the calc and bottle, knowing you'll get a measured amount of CO2 to carb, but not more. There are still fermentables in solution, right, amd yeast and bacteria too (they don't all stay in the SCOBY only, right, but some permeate the liquid?)... So they'd keep fermenting in the bottle, wouldn't they? Or do they stop, having been removed from contact with the SCOBY?
Thanks for clearing this up... Just don't want to screw up my first batch if I can help it!
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And I sampled some today (just used a new plastic straw with my finger on it to siphon - figured that'd be sterile enough?)... Tastes pretty good as is! So I'm thinking of bottling tomorrow (already have tonight planned to rack some ciders, though if it goes quick enough I may try the booch now too)...
What kind of bottles do you use? I saved some GTs bottles, so I could use those, or I have some swing-top style 750 ml bottles, or of course the 12oz standard beer bottles with normal caps.
I've heard people saying you need to burp the bottles periodically to avoid bottle bombs... Is this true? I assume so, because it's not like beer where you know it's done fermenting and all the fermentable sugars are gone/fermented, and you can use the calc and bottle, knowing you'll get a measured amount of CO2 to carb, but not more. There are still fermentables in solution, right, amd yeast and bacteria too (they don't all stay in the SCOBY only, right, but some permeate the liquid?)... So they'd keep fermenting in the bottle, wouldn't they? Or do they stop, having been removed from contact with the SCOBY?
Thanks for clearing this up... Just don't want to screw up my first batch if I can help it!
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FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
Well, after searching around the Interwebz some more, apparently the 2F is okay to leave capped, just as long as you are aware of you're added fermentables and keep an eye on things. I was just worried because I leave for a trip tomorrow, and didn't want them exploding on me while I was gone. So I put the bottles in a big pot with a cover (just in case), and will only leave at room temp until I leave tomorrow, at which time I'll throw them in the fridge. When I return, I'll try one, and if not carbed enough, taking them out of the cold and back to room temp should restart fermentation, no?
I didn't want to take the time to use my bottling bucket for just two quarts, so I just poured through a funnel into 4 16 oz GTs bottles. I had some spillage, but not much. I think the bottling bucket would be cleaner, though. I'll start looking for a smaller (2 gal, maybe?) one to use for this (don't want to use my 6.5 gal one I use for beer).
I kept one bottle as-is, no flavor added for the 2F, but did add 1/2 tsp for carbonating (should be ~2 Vol CO2). The second bottle I did strawberry (1 whole, sliced) lemonade (1/2 tsp fresh squeezed juice). The third I did cranberry (6 whole, halved) ginger (~1 tsp, sliced fresh). And the last one I did "mojito" - fresh mint leaves (~1 tsp, chopped) and lime juice (1/2 tsp, fresh squeezed).
Please let me know how that sounds, and I'll let y'all know how they turn out!
Now I've got the two SCOBYs still in the gal jar - the new, wide one, and my older, narrower one I grew up. Should I pull out the old one, and toss it? Or time for a SCOBY hotel?
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Thank you thank you! I have finally figured it out I think. Now I realized that I started my scoby with flavored starter! I didn't even realize. So I'm going to purchase actual flavor free and begin again. Maybe between now and then I can read some of the posts here to make no more mistakes!
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kyt
Well-Known Member
Burping is only necessary in situations where you add a lot of fermentables or the batch wasn't even close to being done. Beer bottles are designed to be carbonated in, they can withstand quite a bit of pressure. I use swing tops for bottles I'm going to take with me, and plastic 2L soda bottles to keep in the fridge.
Yes there are tons of yeasts still in suspension, they will continue to ferment until either there is nothing fermentable left, or you kill them. Cold crashing will drastically retard the amount in suspension and slow them way way down. The "SCOBY" has nothing to do with it.
SPOILER ALERT
The SCOBY is a lie.
Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. Once you chill them, a lot to sleep. Just put the bottles in a cooler and store someplace cool, like a basement. This will slow them down a little. I've left strawberry KT out on the kitchen floor near a heat vent for a week, and didn't have any trouble with it. But as always YMMV.
Sounds good to me.
In my opinion, a SCOBY hotel is virtually useless. I say toss it, or make something out of it. Some people like to dry it and eat it, or make chew toys for their animals. There is even a lady that grows giant pellicles in a bathtub to make clothes out of.
Most people start their KT careers with a bottle or less of kombucha, whoever thought you'd need a whole gallon of deteriorating cellulose taking up space in their home, was obviously drunk.
FatsSchindee
Well-Known Member
Most people start their KT careers with a bottle or less of kombucha, whoever thought you'd need a whole gallon of deteriorating cellulose taking up space in their home, was obviously drunk.
ha... Good point. My wife already is giving me enough **** about "that disgusting slimy thing" in the jar... Don't need a whole other jar full of them taking up space either, I guess!Thx again for all the good info
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