Earl Grey Tea and the SCOBY

[Jillee]

Hey guys, I'm new to brewing Kombucha and I managed to get a scoby from my friend. She has been brewing her kombucha with Earl grey tea for months. I got home with my scoby and started the method of the recipe she gave me, which says to use "organic black tea" - I then did a bit of research and found heaps of info about NOT using earl grey as the bergamot oils can damage the scoby. So I have a new scoby which came from one which has been fermenting in earl grey, do you think my scoby is alright to use?

I proceeded anyway and have used organic black ceylon tea. Just finished then. But I'm a little concerned.

Any info on this would be great! Thanks heaps

 

[snarf]

Yes, earl grey is generally not recommended. However, if it worked for your friend, then it should probably also be fine for you. Just let it sit, don't worry too much and see how it goes...

 

[bsb]

If you're new to brewing kombucha, maybe just make sure you have a spare scoby. Most of the time my new batches make a new scoby than I can just peel off of the other scoby, so I get a new scoby after every batch. I have more than I really need so I can afford to do experiments with them like what you're doing now with the earl grey.

I've heard the same about bergamot oil. I don't know about bergamot in particular but many plants have anti-bacterial properties, that could kill the good bacteria in your brew. If there isn't much bergamot oil maybe it won't make much difference.