Is kombucha good for you?

[ABVIBUSRM]

I have seen this stuff in homebrew shops for years ..never was interested in it but now i started getting interested..my question is how does it taste and is it good for you? Can someone please give me the run down?

 

[hunter_le five]

Have you ever had a sour beer? The flavor kind of reminds me of that. Tart, acidic, slightly sour, lightly sweet or unsweet tea. I can't get enough of the stuff, but I suppose it might be one of those love-it-or-hate-it things.

Yes, it is considered healthy for you, though the extent of the purported health benefits is subject to debate. The biggest thing is the probiotic organisms (bacteria and yeast) that help your digestive system. Kind of like yogurt or other fermented foods. Not much to debate there. I've heard a bunch of other health claims that have less scientific evidence behind them. At any rate, I don't think there's anyone who can reasonably make the claim that it's "bad" for you.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

Have you ever had a sour beer? The flavor kind of reminds me of that. Tart, acidic, slightly sour, lightly sweet or unsweet tea. I can't get enough of the stuff, but I suppose it might be one of those love-it-or-hate-it things.

Yes, it is considered healthy for you, though the extent of the purported health benefits is subject to debate. The biggest thing is the probiotic organisms (bacteria and yeast) that help your digestive system. Kind of like yogurt or other fermented foods. Not much to debate there. I've heard a bunch of other health claims that have less scientific evidence behind them. At any rate, I don't think there's anyone who can reasonably make the claim that it's "bad" for you.

i love sour beers!!! ok cool im gonna start making some Kombucha..thanks

 

[hunter_le five]

i love sour beers!!!

Then I suspect you'll enjoy kombucha immensely.

There's a company nearby that makes a hopped kombucha. It's become my at-work beer substitute.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

Then I suspect you'll enjoy kombucha immensely.

There's a company nearby that makes a hopped kombucha. It's become my at-work beer substitute.

Whats the percentage of alcohol in kombucha? or is it non alcoholic?

 

[hunter_le five]

I'm not sure about home-brewed kombucha (I'm getting ready to make my first batch myself), but commercial examples are typically <0.5% abv

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

I'm not sure about home-brewed kombucha (I'm getting ready to make my first batch myself), but commercial examples are typically <0.5% abv

Thanks alot for the information

 

[hunter_le five]

Had my Scoby growing about a month now and it's formed a nice thick puck. Put it in a fresh batch of sweet tea last night, planning in letting it go a week and bottling.

My initial thought was to throw away the starter tea I used to grow the Scoby, as everything I've read indicates that anything brewed a month would be unpalatable. I decided to bottle it anyway.

It's strong. Tart and fairly vinegary. But not bad tasting. Don't see any reason to dump it.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1417972448.026493.jpg

 

[zipper8650]

you can also use it to wipe out containers, Ph should be enough to kill any potential mold

 

[TxBrew]

I home brew kombucha, it's very easy; sugar, tea and SCOBY, then add your flavoring agents.

I'm not sure all the proven science on it's benefits but I like the taste, even my children do, and I feel it helps with digestion. I've had other people hate the taste, but in some cases I feel it was more mental with the sediment being in the bottom.

You can flavor however you want, my latest batch is blueberry ginger. So taste wise it's very much up to your own devices.

 

[skunkfunk]

I home brew kombucha, it's very easy; sugar, tea and SCOBY, then add your flavoring agents.

I'm not sure all the proven science on it's benefits but I like the taste, even my children do, and I feel it helps with digestion. I've had other people hate the taste, but in some cases I feel it was more mental with the sediment being in the bottom.

You can flavor however you want, my latest batch is blueberry ginger. So taste wise it's very much up to your own devices.

The SCOBY, it just looks so gross...

 

[hunter_le five]

I home brew kombucha, it's very easy; sugar, tea and SCOBY, then add your flavoring agents.

I'm not sure all the proven science on it's benefits but I like the taste, even my children do, and I feel it helps with digestion. I've had other people hate the taste, but in some cases I feel it was more mental with the sediment being in the bottom.

You can flavor however you want, my latest batch is blueberry ginger. So taste wise it's very much up to your own devices.

Nice. Haven't tried doing any flavorings yet. I really like the hopped and ginger-infused flavors that Buddhas Brew makes, so I may have to try replicating them in the future.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418353509.326860.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1418353520.169563.jpg

Scoby finally got so big it sank, might need to peel off some layers for the next batch.

 

[TxBrew]

I've been doing the spout option too in tandem with some bottling but I need to source one with a real metal spigot.

What amount of your SCOBY are you putting into your new batch? Just a small chunk or the bulk of it?

 

[hunter_le five]

I've been doing the spout option too in tandem with some bottling but I need to source one with a real metal spigot.

What amount of your SCOBY are you putting into your new batch? Just a small chunk or the bulk of it?

The spigot on mine is plastic that is coated in some sort of glossy metallic coloring. I originally wanted an urn with a metal spigot, but was unable to source one locally. I've read conflicting things on whether metal or plastic is appropriate for the spigot. Pretty much everything I've read says neither is appropriate for the fermenter body.

I ended up just peeling a few of the looser layers off the top and putting the rest (the bulk of it) in the new batch. It sank pretty much immediately. I'm still new to this so I'm not sure how much Scoby is needed. Ive read conflicting things on that subject.

I'm beginning to realize there are at least as many conflicting opinions about kombucha as there are about beer brewing...

 

[TxBrew]

Yep, it's kind of an art with all artists saying different things. I usually half my SCOBY in transfer for bottling purposes but with the spigot I just leave it in there and peel off the questionable parts as it goes.

Someone told me Target is selling them now with metal spigots so was going to look over the weekend: http://www.target.com/p/artland-oas...pid=15625892&gclid=CJn69rqJy8ICFSYSMwodTz8A6A

 

[hunter_le five]

Tasted my first bottled batch this morning at breakfast. Pretty tasty, but sweeter than I was expecting. This batch was fermented 8 days, I think I'll let #2 go 10 days before bottling and see how that turns out.

 

[nasty_rabbit]

On topic, off topic, not sure. But what is the caffeine level in "booch" made with standard caffeinated tea? Caffeinated tea does not bother me but my daughter wanted to know because it keeps her up and she was concerned about drinking it in the evening.

 

[orangehero]

Yep, it's kind of an art with all artists saying different things. I usually half my SCOBY in transfer for bottling purposes but with the spigot I just leave it in there and peel off the questionable parts as it goes.

Someone told me Target is selling them now with metal spigots so was going to look over the weekend: http://www.target.com/p/artland-oas...pid=15625892&gclid=CJn69rqJy8ICFSYSMwodTz8A6A

You can order the same stainless spigots from ebay or amazon if you want to swap the plastic one out on a more attractive jar. "stainless spigot beverage dispenser"

I have one with a plastic one, but it's only chrome plated on the outside.

 

[maffew222]

But what is the caffeine level in "booch" made with standard caffeinated tea?

This is definitely just my educated guess, but I can't see any reason the caffeine would ferment out, so I would think it is likely near the same as when it went in. You can use green tea, or a decaffeinated black tea, but I would recommend using an organic one if you can. I've had some pretty slow ferments with non-organic teas, likely from pesticides or something.