Keep in mind that the first fermentation won't give you a lot of fizz; fizziness develops in the second fermentation, when you seal the bottles.
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Keep in mind that the first fermentation won't give you a lot of fizz; fizziness develops in the second fermentation, when you seal the bottles.
I already see carbonation developing, my last batches took 2-3 days to start fizzing. I don't know if its from the extra sugars or the better SCOBY but I sure hope this one turns out good.
Tasted the unflavored ones with the honey and sugar, the honey has a much better flavor. It completely covered the bitter tannin flavors. The sugar one hardly had any extra sweetness.
@DeeAnna don't let it get too sour before you bottle, it not only gets it fizz then but also continues to sour, just slower.
Thats why I decided to bottle mine before it really got sour. With my stomach issues, I want to try and keep the acids down.
Tasted the unflavored ones with the honey and sugar, the honey has a much better flavor. It completely covered the bitter tannin flavors. The sugar one hardly had any extra sweetness.
@DeeAnna don't let it get too sour before you bottle, it not only gets it fizz then but also continues to sour, just slower.
Thats why I decided to bottle mine before it really got sour. With my stomach issues, I want to try and keep the acids down.
@Misschief -- Based on what you have shared here, I realize the fizz from the first ferment won't last. I just was taking it as a sign that the fermentation was healthy and vigorous.
@Obsidian -- I promise won't let it go too far into vinegar-y-ness. I think it's interesting that the flavor changes so distinctly.
My lacto ferments continue to evolve in the fridge too. I ferment my sauerkraut for a week or two at room temp, and it has a fairly sharp acidic flavor at that point. Now that it's been in the fridge for about a year, it's still sour, but the flavor is much mellower. It's to die for on a grilled brat.
@Obsidian -- I promise won't let it go too far into vinegar-y-ness. I think it's interesting that the flavor changes so distinctly.
My lacto ferments continue to evolve in the fridge too. I ferment my sauerkraut for a week or two at room temp, and it has a fairly sharp acidic flavor at that point. Now that it's been in the fridge for about a year, it's still sour, but the flavor is much mellower. It's to die for on a grilled brat.
So, I checked my two week old kombucha after yesterday's market. Surprisingly, it wasn't at all sour; it had a nice light tang to it without being mouth-puckering. I was prepared to use it for starter tea and discard the rest but I bottled it and flavoured it with frozen raspberries. I think it will be a good one.
A
amd
I walked past my 2 month old kombucha, tapped the glass... it snarled at me so I continued on. My mom's booch is doing fabulous though, she is really enjoying brewing it and drinking it. She says it helps her arthritis and her stomach issues.
jentlesoaps
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I do brew Kombucha. I think I have an over abundance of scobys in a big gallon jar right now that I need to cut up and feed to my ducks, LOL. I used to make mine with the continuous process in a big crock designed for water and it worked really well until harvest season and the fruit flies showed up. Make sure your container is sealed well or they will jump right in with the scoby and ruin your lovely kombucha. Protected well I've got scoby that get up to 4 inches thick and are the size of dinner plates. It's an amazing colony (scoby). My soapy friend Crystal Starr Glen makes soap with kombucha often. She's also on YouTube with me. I've also tried using it and sometimes substitute kombucha in recipes that I like to use ACV.
Mara
Member
Hi Jentlesoaps,there's no need to discard your scobies! There are many uses for them, they are actually very healthy to eat too. My favourite is scoby -jello. Mixed with a little kombucha it can be blended smooth and then added to a storebought jello or prepare your own with gelatine. It has a lovely effervescent texture to it and is a cure-all kind of food. My friend cures her stomach ailments with it.
A
amd
Well... she's not really discarding them. She's feeding them to her ducks. Ducks need scoby love too! I'm actually taking some over to my crazy chicken lady to see what her chickens think of them.
Mara
Member
Yes, chickens like them too, and I feed some to the dogs, because they love it as a treat and it's so good for them, but they don't get all of it, I make sure to keep enough for my jello! lol
ulrurunaturals
Well-Known Member
The longer you let it brew to more sour "acidic" it gets. I use a recipie of 1 cup of sugar per gallon w 6 tea bags. I use pu er tea I get from a local Asian market uncle Lee's 5.00 for 100 tea bags. also I started my first SCOBY from a bottle of GTS Kombucha and never looked back ever since also you need to make sure you reserve 2 cups of brewed Kombucha per gallon that you want to make.
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ulrurunaturals
Well-Known Member
A
amd
I've made kombucha soap, just sub in the water for booch and use my regular oils. I soap with a low SF to begin with, so any reaction with the lye and booch that would create a higher SF isn't an issue for me.
ulrurunaturals
Well-Known Member
A
amd
I would be hesitant to use SCOBY - it doesn't grind very well in my experience (maybe you have a better method for grinding). Large chunks could leave your soap open to spoilage, much like large fruit/veggie chunks will do. While SCOBY shouldn't mold, I have had a batch grow mold, so I know it is possible when exposed to contaminants. Adding the SCOBY to soap is changing the environment, so all bets are off it would grow mold or not. I prefer to not invite nasties into my soap, so I would use actual kombucha instead of the SCOBY.
ulrurunaturals
Well-Known Member
A
amd
100% olive oil will need a long cure. I usually cure mine for a year.
ulrurunaturals
Well-Known Member
Yes I have some I poured in March. Just water etc. Once they are properly cured they'll last forever. I started w olive oil as my first soap.
Angela Zeigler
Member
I've been making kombucha off and on for about 5 or 6 years. I started with milk kefir and progressed from that. I also ferment water kefir but don't have alot of success with that. However it's a much bigger hit with the rest of my family. They prefer the sweetness to it. I hold off in the summer because I get have alot of failed (forgotten) batches and stick with only making it over the colder months. My venture started very much like my soaping story did. I caught wind of it and couldn't learn enough about it fast enough. Bought everything I could get my hands on and buried myself in books etc. I was driving home from work one morning and on the radio they was talking about probiotics and fermented foods being the solution to the new super bug. After having a very terrifying experience with my son and the H1N1 bug (was sick for a year and in the ER 5 times before I insisted they tested him for it! He was positive. Missed half a school year and was down to under 60# and was skin and bones) I had to learn everything!
I tried Kombucha for the very first time today. My sister-in-law has been making it on a regular basis for 2 or 3 years now and it was hers that I tried. To be honest, I was reluctant to take a sip after first smelling it, but after she downed a cup of it and pronounced it very good, I bravely took a sip of it and was very pleasantly surprised. It was as fizzy as soda pop and had a mildly sweet, pleasant taste that I'm hard-pressed to describe, but I liked it so much that she sent me home with four 16oz bottles of it. lol
IrishLass
IrishLass
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