1st Brew - Yerba Mate

[FreezeBuffalo]

I started my first brew using only Yerba Mate and no black or green tea. I have read that this can work, and I have read that this cannot work without actual tea. I am on day 5 and there are greyish yeast blobs developing, and a vinegar/fermenting smell has began.
1. Can my first brew come out alright with this method?
2. If not, can I reuse the SCOBY that is in there with my new batch using a 50/50 ratio of Yerba Mate and black tea.
Thank you all so much.

 

[mChavez]

Any update on this one? Did it work?

From what I've read, a 50/50 mix or using dry malt instead of sugar should work, but I never tried it.

 

[BGBC]

I've included a small portion of Yerba Mate (1/4 of the total tea, or so) in my brews so far. From what I've read (not that I trust the accuracy of many of the sources out there), the cultures need the nutrients in the black tea.

Once you have a healthy culture, after a couple batches, it should be able to ferment 100% non-black tea (green, Yerba Mate, etc) without issue. I'm planning to pull some out of my main container and do a separate small batch of just green tea. Need to get some more Yerba Mate before trying a 100% YM batch.

Also interested to hear your experiences though. Let us know how this batch works out.

 

[zipper8650]

generally the scoby will grow stronger/quicker with a higher % of green tea in your brew. Good way to build it up to a good level if you want to go 100% black tea

 

[fuelish]

Interesting.....am a long-time consumer of (unfermented) yerba mate, this is interesting, to say the least

 

[FreezeBuffalo]

Sorry for the delay, I have been moving lately. Ok, here is what I did. I decided to scoop the scoby out of the 100% Yerba Mate and redid it with 2/3 green tea, and 1/3 yerba mate. It did not form a new SCOBY the first time, but it did come out good. I took 2 cups of that tea, along with the original SCOBY and did 1 gallon with very strong 100% green tea. This batch came out awesome. I allowed it to do its thing for 12 days, and I'm glad I did. It formed a very good new SCOBY and turned out great. I have since done 100% black tea, and have another batch of the green tea only going now. All have formed new SCOBY along the way.
I have been doing a 2nd ferment with the tea so far to get that fizz that I am accustomed to with tea from the store. I have used those sealable beer bottles and have used quart jars with wax paper under the lid, both do great.
I plan to experiment more with Yerba Mate and would love to read all of your experiences.

 

[FreezeBuffalo]

I've included a small portion of Yerba Mate (1/4 of the total tea, or so) in my brews so far. From what I've read (not that I trust the accuracy of many of the sources out there), the cultures need the nutrients in the black tea.

Once you have a healthy culture, after a couple batches, it should be able to ferment 100% non-black tea (green, Yerba Mate, etc) without issue. I'm planning to pull some out of my main container and do a separate small batch of just green tea. Need to get some more Yerba Mate before trying a 100% YM batch.

Also interested to hear your experiences though. Let us know how this batch works out.

I did use 100% green tea on my first batch, I made it quite strong and used whole leaf (dried). I also read that a black tea was necessary, but I am on batch 4 with 3 new SCOBY and the tea tastes great! When I did the green tea/yerba mate, it gave it a tangier taste to me, but I'm new, and it was my first batch. My 2nd batch was 100% black tea, and plan to taste it tomorrow, but the newest 100% green tea came out amazing.