I just ordered a Kombucha starter kit and will be starting my own brew next week.
Anyone else brew this stuff? I’ve decided to get into it because a bottle of Kombucha sells for $3-$6 and it’s great probiotic source!
Yes.
Get a well ventilated area. Fruit flies can be problematic.
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LA Beast has a great YouTube video on kombucha. Check it out!
Kombucha is not a great probiotic source it is a piss poor one in comparison to both water and milk Kefir. I would suggest water kefir if you want something to drink through out the day. I make a lemonade out of it.
Water is a probiotic source? Where did you hear kombucha is a terrible probiotic source?
I try to keep dairy to a minimum otherwise I’d get on kefir, but I’m currently eating kimchi regularly and taking probiotic pill
I have made my own kombucha. It comes out well.
Suggestions:
Use ginger juice/Lemon juice as the main additive.
Look into “continuous brew” kits, which allow you to bottle it without shutting it down and re-starting.
x2.
My wife and I brewed our own kombucha for about a year, but after a couple batches that we had to toss because of fruit flies, we eventually gave up. We did like having our own ready-to-drink in the kitchen because, as you noted, buying at Whole Foods or another equivalent tends to be very expensive. Now we just allow ourselves a bottle or two per week as a treat.
He’s referring to “water kefir” - since you’re an immigrant, I understand that speaking American is hard for you, but try reading the sentence twice next time.
I’m all about the Kefir with protein shakes.
It’s not piss poor bacteria.
It’s different. Having both is has more benefits then just having one.
It is not that they are weaker or something just the amount and strains available are no where near that of kefir. I myself stick to water kefir but, milk kefir is far superior.
That said I will admit to thinking the Kombucha is way over hyped up.
Do you guys eat the fungal/bacterial body or mother that forms, or is that used for further culturing?
Squats are better for you than bench, so I’m going to assume you don’t bench and think everyone who does is stupid.
Along with gluten free everything, it’s the darling of the market right now. Remember cholesterol free olive oil?!?!
It is a good alternative to dairy base probiotics. Along with other fermented foods.
When we were brewing, we always just used it to make more kombucha.
If the mother got too big, sometimes we would hack off a piece, put in a jar and store in the fridge so we had a backup SCOBY (which came in handy when we lost a batch to fruit flies), but we never ate a piece of the mother.
It seems like that is where all of the good stuff would be! Might be a little unpleasant for our western tastes and textures. Some Chinese restaurants like to make soup with certain slime and jelly fungi.
How do you guys like to flavor your kombucha?
I’m in my 3rd batch had no problems, no fruit flies.
Glad to hear you’ve dodged the fruit-fly bullet thus far.
I would recommend taking some of your “mother” and putting in a separate jarful of kombucha in the fridge; this way you have a backup to re-start yourself in case your main batch does get fruit flies.
As for flavoring, when I was home-brewing, I added some flavors once I bottled for the second fermentation; usually just by adding a small amount of mashed fruit or fruit juice to the jar. I never tried anything savory or spicy, like ginger or cayenne; I stuck to flavors like lemon and berries.
ginger is probably the best additive I have found to Kombucha so long as you add sugar or another fruit.