Kombucha Brewers

[amd]

@DeeAnna you are very right about the balances of bacteria and yeast, and the flavors. Thank you for sharing that with all of us, it's a helpful reminder for troubleshooting our brews. As for kombucha in soap, I compare it to beer soap - it does have a better lather. Otherwise I have seen no differences in the soap itself. Back to brewing, what are you using for sugar? I was struggling to get carbonation until I switched to raw sugar.

@earlene ask your sister to bottle some kombucha for you to try and ask her to put it in the fridge right away. This should reduce / prevent carbonation as well as reduce the continued fermentation process that creates the alcohol flavor. Most brewers will bottle from the big batch, and then leave it to sit at room temp for several days. This seals off the air which prevents the bacteria from doing their thing (turning alcohol into acid) , but allows the yeast to continue doing their thing (turning sugar into alcohol). By putting it in the fridge it is too cold for the yeast to continue doing their thing at a high rate (they will to some extent, but at a much slower less active rate) and this should reduce some of the alcohol you're tasting.

 

[DeeAnna]

Thanks for your thoughts about kombucha in soap. More lather? What's not to like about that!

I've been using plain white sugar so far. I'm not overly stuck on carbonation, but I am having fun playing around with flavors. I used some seedless red raspberry jam I made last year to flavor my last batch. That was pretty yummy. Elderberry is on my list to try.

I still consider myself a novice and am still figuring out what tastes good to me -- I think my preferences are changing from more sweet to more tart as I get more experience drinking kombucha.

 

[Sixfooter]

I've still got my first batch doing its thing, maybe next week it will be ready. Going to split the batch and make a Lime/Ginger and Blueberry/Ginger

 

[amd]

Ooooh, both of those sound awesome @Sixfooter I've done blackberry ginger which is one of my favorites.

 

[soapmaker]

I am very curious about this. Please explain why you like to use kombucha in soap. Do you use the scoby or just the tea? How does it improve the soap?

@earlene -- I read a newsletter with kombucha brewing tips the other day. One of the things mentioned is that the ratio of the bacteria to yeast during fermentation can make a difference in the taste. The yeast converts sugars to alcohol and the bacteria convert the alcohol to acetic acid (basically vinegar). You want the proportions of the organisms to be in balance -- too much bacteria makes a sour drink and too much yeast raises the alcohol content. From what I gather (kombucha newbie here), it's hard to have zero alcohol in kombucha, but the % can be pretty low.

As far as carbonation, my kombucha is flat to only very slightly fizzy. Not remotely as fizzy as soda pop. (I'm still learning about how to add fizz with a second fermentation, and I still don't have that figured out.) I think some commercial brands may add artificial CO2 carbonation (like how soda pop is carbonated) to their kombucha to boost the fizz.

Is there room for another newbie on here? I just read the full 9 pages and I'm interested! So that tip is very good, but how do I know if the ratio of bacteria to yeast during fermentation is correct? Is there a good link to read of the basics of kombucha or should I just google. Never know who's right about what you read so an experienced person giving a link would be helpful. Also I have the question of how you know if the bacteria is friendly or if some nasties got in? I used to make milk kefir and I'd get digestive upsets every time. I first thought it was me just getting used to the good bacteria but then one time I got really sick and knew it was from drinking kefir so threw it all out.
ETA Also I'm concerned about how much sugar is in it. The store bought buch that I drink says 15g of sugar per serving. That's as bad as ice cream! But it doesn't taste sweet, it's tangy and my DH thinks it tastes like vinegar.

 

[ulrurunaturals]

Is there room for another newbie on here? I just read the full 9 pages and I'm interested! So that tip is very good, but how do I know if the ratio of bacteria to yeast during fermentation is correct? Is there a good link to read of the basics of kombucha or should I just google. Never know who's right about what you read so an experienced person giving a link would be helpful. Also I have the question of how you know if the bacteria is friendly or if some nasties got in? I used to make milk kefir and I'd get digestive upsets every time. I first thought it was me just getting used to the good bacteria but then one time I got really sick and knew it was from drinking kefir so threw it all out.
ETA Also I'm concerned about how much sugar is in it. The store bought buch that I drink says 15g of sugar per serving. That's as bad as ice cream! But it doesn't taste sweet, it's tangy and my DH thinks it tastes like vinegar.

I think it's wise to research and find out fo yourself. So that way you know you what works for you.

 

[Mara]

Is there room for another newbie on here? I just read the full 9 pages and I'm interested! So that tip is very good, but how do I know if the ratio of bacteria to yeast during fermentation is correct? Is there a good link to read of the basics of kombucha or should I just google. Never know who's right about what you read so an experienced person giving a link would be helpful. Also I have the question of how you know if the bacteria is friendly or if some nasties got in? I used to make milk kefir and I'd get digestive upsets every time. I first thought it was me just getting used to the good bacteria but then one time I got really sick and knew it was from drinking kefir so threw it all out.
ETA Also I'm concerned about how much sugar is in it. The store bought buch that I drink says 15g of sugar per serving. That's as bad as ice cream! But it doesn't taste sweet, it's tangy and my DH thinks it tastes like vinegar.

Hi Soapmaker,

For brewing a safe and tasty kombucha I would always recommend to trust your senses.
Good quality kombucha should smell fresh and clean and should taste tangy and only slightly sweetish.
If it smells in any way unpleasant, sweaty or musty like old socks or even like old cabbage it is not safe to use. It should have a smell similar to yogurt with a hint of apple cider vinegar.
You can tell the balance between yeast and bacteria by the appearance of the brew.
It is the yeast that is responsible for the fizz and you can see it as brown stringy goo and a powdery deposit at the bottom. It can become dominant in hot weather, but usually only in a continuous brew. If you start each batch new, it's more a problem to get enough yeast to get some fizz. So it needs to be warm enough. You can see yest is controlled by temperature.

To prevent the growth of bad bacteria the trick is to add enough finished kombucha to a new batch as a starter. That way it stays clean and pure. You can add as much as you like, the more you add, the faster it will be finished. You can even keep adding sweetened tea every few days to brew more kombucha in less time.

For each liter (or quart) of tea you need a minimum of 50g sugar. If you use any less than that the culture will starve. I found the ideal amount for a low sugar brew to be 60g per litre. (about 2 ounces per quart).
Most of the sugar gets converted into acids and scoby-fiber, there is not more sugar left than the sweetness you can taste. Storing the finished kombucha in a bottle in a cool place will mature the brew and make it less sweet without getting too sour. It also gets fizzier by building pressure in the closed bottle.
If you want to add some vigor to your kombucha try brewing it with raspberry leaf tea. The kombucha loves those nutrients and it lends a taste like apple cider.
I got most of my knowledge about kombucha brewing from the book 'Kombucha the Miracle Fungus' by Harald W. Tietze, which I highly recommend to any serious kombucha brewer: http://www.wise-mens-web.com/book-kombucha.html

Hope this helps! Enjoy the brewing!

Mara

 

[soapmaker]

Much appreciated Mara, thank you. My interest is just now aroused so it will be a while till I start. I want to read more.

 

[amd]

Is there room for another newbie on here? I just read the full 9 pages and I'm interested! So that tip is very good, but how do I know if the ratio of bacteria to yeast during fermentation is correct? Is there a good link to read of the basics of kombucha or should I just google. Never know who's right about what you read so an experienced person giving a link would be helpful. Also I have the question of how you know if the bacteria is friendly or if some nasties got in? I used to make milk kefir and I'd get digestive upsets every time. I first thought it was me just getting used to the good bacteria but then one time I got really sick and knew it was from drinking kefir so threw it all out.
ETA Also I'm concerned about how much sugar is in it. The store bought buch that I drink says 15g of sugar per serving. That's as bad as ice cream! But it doesn't taste sweet, it's tangy and my DH thinks it tastes like vinegar.

If the bacteria / yeast ratio is off, you'll be able to taste. If it's high in bacteria it will sour more quickly, have a strong vinegar smell, or even a sulfur smell (also a sign of possible bad bacteria), and won't carbonate very well. Note: not carbonating in itself is not a sign of high bacteria, but in combination with the other attributes mentioned. High yeast is visible - you'll see alot of yeast strands or "silt" - and your booch will taste bitter rather than sour. High bacteria can be treated by fermenting at a higher temp or for less time. High yeast is as simple as cleaning the yeast out of your container and SCOBY.

I can't recommend The Big Book of Kombucha enough. (I think the kindle version is under $10)

 

[soapmaker]

I really appreciate this amd. I think my milk kefir did taste bitter at one point. I just watched a video on you tube today. I thought it was very informative but I will definitely consider the book because I'm sure the video didn't cover everything that could go wrong. There is also the medical evaluation on line that says kombucha does more harm than good. Can't quite believe this.

 

[demirhanunlu]

There is also the medical evaluation on line that says kombucha does more harm than good. Can't quite believe this.

What do you think about what this means?

 

[soapmaker]

What do you think about what this means?

I didn't read the article because I would have had to create an account to access it. I'm supposing they may mean for certain people with compromised immune systems or perhaps home brewers inadvertently introducing bad bacteria.

 

[beckster51]

I haven't read this particular article. There is medical controversy regarding probiotics/ferments. There is an indication that in some people, altering the microbiome can be harmful to them. Since there is as of yet no way to truly analyze a person's microbiome for harmful/helpful bacteria, it's just a crapshoot as to whether or not it will help or hurt you. All you can do is try it and see how you feel. As with most things, it is probably a case of all things in moderation until we know more about how to evaluate this. We are all individuals with unique needs. As a person with lots of GI problems, I have found that eating and drinking ferments is helpful to me in moderation. Too much, and I get symptoms; not enough, and I get symptoms.

 

[demirhanunlu]

I haven't read this particular article. There is medical controversy regarding probiotics/ferments. There is an indication that in some people, altering the microbiome can be harmful to them. Since there is as of yet no way to truly analyze a person's microbiome for harmful/helpful bacteria, it's just a crapshoot as to whether or not it will help or hurt you. All you can do is try it and see how you feel. As with most things, it is probably a case of all things in moderation until we know more about how to evaluate this. We are all individuals with unique needs. As a person with lots of GI problems, I have found that eating and drinking ferments is helpful to me in moderation. Too much, and I get symptoms; not enough, and I get symptoms.

Such a nice comment

 

[soapmaker]

Exactly Beckster51! I have gotten much help from probiotics but overdoing it causes the same thing I was trying to get rid of!

 

[soapmaker]

My scoby is growing nicely now. It has been two weeks and I look at it every couple days to see what's happening. It looked like it was 1/4" + and this morning when I looked at it the scoby had sunk to the bottom. Is this normal? I'm still waiting for my "Big Book of Kombuch" to arrive.

 

[amd]

Yes, that's normal. Mine will typically be at the bottom or middle when I brew a new batch and then move to the top after a few days. I have heard of other people's SCOBY moving away from the top during the brew cycle and they have attributed it to temperature. If it doesn't go back to the top in a few days, it will be ok. A new SCOBY will likely start to form at the top, so you may notice a filmy (I liken it to an odd oily look) appearance so don't panic and think it's gone bad. Give it a few days to a week and you'll see the new SCOBY clearly forming. If you don't have a temp strip on your container, the ones they sell for fish tanks (it's an adhesive strip that stick to the outside of your brew vessel) is extremely helpful for watching brewing temps and if it is temp causing your SCOBY to move.

 

[soapmaker]

A new SCOBY will likely start to form at the top, so you may notice a filmy (I liken it to an odd oily look) appearance

Yes, that is how mine started 2 weeks ago in sweet black tea and kombucha from the store. It grew nicely between 70 & 75 degrees in that time and as I said is now 1/4"+. But just this morning it sank. I tasted the brew and it tastes like vinegar but I wasn't planning to use that for anything but to grow the scoby. I was tempted to start a "real brew" but thought I'd better wait till it grew bigger. Thoughts?

 

[amd]

If it already tastes like vinegar, I would start the new batch now. You'll be using part of the current batch in your new batch, so the more sour it is, the higher the bacteria ratio will be in your new brew and the more quickly it will sour. Not always a good thing. I think 1/4" is plenty big enough to start your new batch with. FWIW, my first SCOBY was probably 1/8" when I did my first batch and have never judged if a batch was ready based on SCOBY thickness. I know brewers who don't even use a SCOBY, they just add the starter tea to their new batch and let a new SCOBY form.

 

[soapmaker]

I know brewers who don't even use a SCOBY, they just add the starter tea to their new batch and let a new SCOBY form.

Well, that's what I did to get my SCOBY. It looks good with yeast strands also, but in two weeks time, I couldn't enjoy drinking the brew. It's very strong.