Kombucha - fermented tea

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Petrovitch

Kombucha - fermented tea

Post by Petrovitch » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:21 pm

Anyone ever heard of this or tried making it? It appears to be sweetened tea fermented not by yeast but by a colony of microorganism called a 'kombucha mushroom', sounds bl**dy horrible but apparently produces something quite tasty and interesting. I see that you can buy the colony and other assorted bits off the net - but I was wondering if anyone has come across this before? If you want to know I found this because a friend of mine is obsessed with the idea of making tea-booze...

Curious Brew

Post by Curious Brew » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:24 pm

:D

Curious Brew

Post by Curious Brew » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:25 pm

Weird double post thing going on here.

And I've not even been at the TC.
Last edited by Curious Brew on Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

grumpysod

Post by grumpysod » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:38 pm

How to Brew Tea

1. Boil the kettle
2. Stick a teabag or one teaspoon of loose tea (preferably Nambarrie or Punjana, if you can't get those use Yorkshire Tea) per person into the teapot
3. Pour boiling water into the teapot.
4, Boil on the stove for at least 5 minutes.
5. Serve in mugs (preferably with a chip/cracks) along with suitable dunking biccies

If you need saucers or a slice of lemon, then it's not real tea.

That aside, Kombucha is quite popular amongst the health freaks, it's very low in alcohol, so it's not a session drink :)
I tried it on holiday in Vancouver, at a health food store, but that was because it was a free sample - it's not something I'd pay for or waste time brewing as it has a unique taste.

Brewmonster

Post by Brewmonster » Tue Nov 20, 2007 11:37 pm

A serbian mate of mine swears by it as a hangover preventer and remedy. Those guys are hardcore drinkers, so hardcore in fact that they actually mix plum brandy with their beer. He reckons that without drinking kombucha before going on a bender he actually feels like hell the next day. He also said that when you drink it for the first time it makes your wee go a funny colour and stink because it actually pushes out all of the impurities in your liver and kidneys. He sent me a culture via post from serbia when he went back but it got killed in transit. I still want to grow one as it would be nice to be hangover free. I also want to have a go at making Keffir which is an organism that makes a kind of super pro biotic milk. I want to have a go at brewing or fermenting just about anything that can be brewed or fermented. I think I may have a problem :wink:

charlie
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Re: Kombucha - fermented tea

Post by charlie » Wed Nov 21, 2007 2:18 pm

Petrovitch wrote:Anyone ever heard of this or tried making it? It appears to be sweetened tea fermented not by yeast but by a colony of microorganism called a 'kombucha mushroom', sounds bl**dy horrible but apparently produces something quite tasty and interesting. I see that you can buy the colony and other assorted bits off the net - but I was wondering if anyone has come across this before? If you want to know I found this because a friend of mine is obsessed with the idea of making tea-booze...
I have a glass of this morning and evening and brew approx 3 75cl bottles per week.

I personally prefer it made with green tea.

Brewday goes like this

Boil 3l water and add
6tsp gunpowder green tea
6 tblsp white sugar

sterilise 3 bottles

open last weeks brew,
throw away old mushroom and reserve new one grown on top in a bowl
bottle last weeks brew filtering through a tea strainer
cork bottles and store for at least a month.
Don't worry about any unpleasant looking brown threads in the bowl or bottle, just don't drink them.

clean bowl and then strain fresh brew into bowl
cover and put somewhere warm for a week.

Repeat once a week ad infinitum.

Kombucha is so robust that I really don't know if it is necessary to sterilise the bottles but bleach is cheap.

Kombucha is reputedly a symbiosis of a yeast and a fungus and is supposed to be very good for you. My urine never changed colour.

If you get a good cork then it will be very fizzy and taste pleasantly like a very mild cider vinegar.

If you can get a live, unpasteurised bottle then you don't need a baby, just make your first batch including a good half bottle.

I throw a baby away every week so if you can figure a way of getting it to you just ask and it will arrive.

I got mine by asking around at my local, independent health food shop.

I first tasted it from a shop in Howarth, near Bradford and I know they did mail order babies but I can't find a link for them on the web so they may have folded.

There's lots of info on the web about it.

Let me know if you want to know anything else.
Brewing in the badlands between Arnside and Milnthorpe.
Cumbria

Brewmonster

Post by Brewmonster » Wed Nov 21, 2007 10:15 pm

Hi charlie,
My urine never changed colour.
:lol: He was a heavy drinker so maybe that was the reason why his urine was went the way it did...I did a bit of reading on the net and they claim that:
kombucha works by assisting in the phase II liver detoxification pathway, leading to efficient elimination of endogenous and exogenous bodily wastes. This hypothesis is due to the observation of increased glucuronic acid conjugates in the urine after kombucha consumption.
which could explain why his urine went funny.

You drink it twice daily, do you feel any benefits from it? I have been thinking about getting a baby since my friend told me all about the stuff but just kind of put it on the back burner. What is the best container to brew it in? Can you use any non-artificially flavoured tea as I really like rooibos and wouldn't mind making Kombucha with it.

Once I have gathered the necessary bits and bobs to make the stuff, would you be able to send me a starter batch please. I will be more than happy to pay for the postage and any other out of pocket expenses you may incur in the process.

Brewmonster

charlie
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Post by charlie » Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:20 pm

Nothing taht you can put your finger on but it just feels wholesome and like it is probably doing you good.

PM me when you're ready and I'll send you a baby but you don't need much stuff, my equipment consists of;
12 bottles (champagne type)
Corks
The jug I use for brewing
The tea strainer I use for tea
The sieve I use for draining veg
A large bowl from a food mixer that died
a tea towel to go over the bowl
a large rubber band for restraining same

As far as I know it has to be real tea (camelia chinensis)
Brewing in the badlands between Arnside and Milnthorpe.
Cumbria

Brewmonster

Post by Brewmonster » Thu Nov 22, 2007 3:11 pm

Thanks again Charlie, I will get in contact with you as soon as I have the equipment which should be a week or so. I am already looking forward to brewing some up! :lol:

charlie
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Post by charlie » Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:36 pm

Brewmonster,
Kombucha baby was posted yesterday, I hope that it reaches you in good condition.
I had to cut it up to fit it in the bottle but don't worry about that just put it in your tea.
Next week pull it apart from the new one that has grown on top and throw the old stuff away.
Don't worry about any brown slime, just try not to drink it.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Brewing in the badlands between Arnside and Milnthorpe.
Cumbria

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duncan incapable
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Post by duncan incapable » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:11 pm

Brewmonster wrote: Can you use any non-artificially flavoured tea as I really like rooibos and wouldn't mind making Kombucha with it.

Brewmonster
Hi Brewmonster

have you seen the recipe for Red Diesel (just search for 'gluten')

If you actually like rooibos you could increase the number of teabags.
I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy, but either will do

drinking: Four Star
conditioning: Four Star
fermenting: nowt

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TC2642
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Post by TC2642 » Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:36 pm

Stupid question, but is this drunk hot or cold?
Fermenting -!
Maturing - Lenin's Revenge RIS
Drinking - !
Next brew - PA
Brew after next brew - IPA

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duncan incapable
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Post by duncan incapable » Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:46 pm

TC2642 wrote:Stupid question, but is this drunk hot or cold?
Red Diesel - Cold - ideally 10C
Kombucha - don't know
I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy, but either will do

drinking: Four Star
conditioning: Four Star
fermenting: nowt

charlie
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Post by charlie » Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:49 pm

duncan incapable wrote:
TC2642 wrote:Stupid question, but is this drunk hot or cold?
Red Diesel - Cold - ideally 10C
Kombucha - don't know
Kombucha - cold, straight from the refridgerator.
Brewing in the badlands between Arnside and Milnthorpe.
Cumbria

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TC2642
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Post by TC2642 » Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:54 pm

Cheers lads, I may well have a look for this down the local health shop today.
Fermenting -!
Maturing - Lenin's Revenge RIS
Drinking - !
Next brew - PA
Brew after next brew - IPA

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