Kombucha

[Hanuman]

I brewed Kombucha several years ago but though I'll just start brewing again and since there is no thread on this topic I will inaugurate it with some picture and a recipe of my own.

4 liter of water + 1 liter starter + scobi
34gr of oolong tea. Can also use black + green tea.
300g sugar

View of the very organized and tidy store room with things that have no business being together in the store room, starting with the Kombucha:


The juice:


Starter kombucha + scobi at the back in bag. Unfortunately we can see it.


Tea I used:


If all goes well PH should reach a solid 2.6/2.8 in a few days considering the temperatures around here.

 

[AlecF]

Surely add some shrimps?

 

[Hanuman]

Surely add some shrimps?

They would get devoured by the bacteria and yeast 🤣

 

[Wookii]

I have to admit to never having heard of Kombucha.

So is it basically alcoholic tea?

Is this just so you can legitimately get drunk at breakfast? 😂

 

[Hanuman]

I have to admit to never having heard of Kombucha.

So is it basically alcoholic tea?

Is this so you can just so you can legitimately get drunk at breakfast? 😂

Well it's fermented tea, so technically it does contain alcohol but to such degree that you'd need a good 30 liters before starting to feel anything.
One drinks it mostly for its probiotic properties. It also self-carbonates so if one day your Co2 tank goes empty, use kombucha for the tank. 🥳

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

I’ve bought it in the shops a few times and it’s quite nice, but expensive. I drink Kefir every day and bought some grains to make my own but it was too sour and unlike the shop bought I’ve been drinking it was fizzy (which I didn’t like either) rather than flat.
I may have to look into making Kombucha. Just wondering if the health benefits approach that of Kefir?

 

[Witcher]

and bought some grains to make my own but it was too sour

like with many fermentation processes where lactic acid is present, the pH is lowering with time. I've noticed that within 3 days or so (assuming environment temperature is high enough) the acidity of kefir is rather mild (and also the amount of fizziness caused by released co2), but after that time it rises up quite dramatically. Maybe you can try those "fresher" ones.

 

[Hanuman]

I’ve bought it in the shops a few times and it’s quite nice, but expensive. I drink Kefir every day and bought some grains to make my own but it was too sour and unlike the shop bought I’ve been drinking it was fizzy (which I didn’t like either) rather than flat.
I may have to look into making Kombucha. Just wondering if the health benefits approach that of Kefir?

It's really easy to make Kombucha and no reason why you'd need to pay loads of money for it. All you need is tea, sugar, a vessel and a starter (basically kombucha with a scobi).
As for the health benefit, I think it's all debatable but overall they both have slightly different benefits. Here is a quick vid that list benefits from both:

 

[Hanuman]

If I have to be honest I don't do kombucha because of all the so called properties. I mean obviously it has some, but I do it because I enjoy the process of making things and getting a result. I like to experiment. Great thing with Kombucha is that the possibilities are endless in terms of taste. You can mix it with whatever fruit, or use different teas. It's really more for the fun.

 

[Hanuman]

Ladies and gentlement, here goes the first brew of the year.

 

[Hanuman]

Batch number two is underway. Recipe was modified:
4 liter of water + 1.1 liter starter + scobi
17gr of green tea + 17gr of black tea
240g sugar

I've a got 3rd jar at the bottom which I will start in 2 weeks time so that I have a constant supply of kombucha.

 

[JoshP12]

I hate to do it … everyone is right!

Gut microbiome will have non-zero effect on overall health … it may affect nutrient acquisition!! Hehe - duck.

When compared to relative impact to other things such as energy balance (energy in vs out … calorie deficit/surplus), perhaps it is the ratios of the planted tank - hehe. But it will squeeze out optimization, certainly.

Protein intake increases metabolism … like N and P and growth rates with plants! Amino acids!

I’ll stop … love the kombucha thread!

 

[Hanuman]

Yet another batch: