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Community => Butchering, Cooking, Recipes => Topic started by: KFhunter on November 15, 2017, 08:59:04 PM

Title: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: KFhunter on November 15, 2017, 08:59:04 PM: I've heard about it for years, sounds like something yoga girls and hippies would drink.

Today I had some for the first time ever, taste wise meh..but it soothed my digestion, I didn't feel hungry for a long time and I just felt good after drinking it. Now I want some more.
The nearest store is 1hr drive away, so I'm thinking about making some of my own. Can I buy a bottle and dump it into some tea with sugar? What's this SCOBY stuff?

do you make your own? share
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: constructeur on November 15, 2017, 11:29:23 PM: I drink my fair share of Kombutcha. It's so easy to find on the West side, I've never bothered with making it.

This outfit has a DIY kit and lots of intel for you: http://goldfinchkombucha.com/
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on November 16, 2017, 03:16:55 AM: My wife used to make it.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: kellama2001 on November 17, 2017, 08:35:06 AM: I've drank it for years, it has many many health benefits. Homemade tastes better and is more affordable than store bought. My aunt and cousin both make it, so I get mine from them. They say it's fairly easy to do, but you need the "mother" to start your own. Kind of like needing starter for sourdough. Lots of info online
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: vandeman17 on November 17, 2017, 08:46:31 AM: I personally think it is overrated. If you enjoy the taste then by all means have at it but I would never drink it just for the health purposes. A well balanced diet and physical activity is the key to overall health. :twocents:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Southpole on November 17, 2017, 09:32:06 AM: Quote from: vandeman17 on November 17, 2017, 08:46:31 AM
I personally think it is overrated. If you enjoy the taste then by all means have at it but I would never drink it just for the health purposes. A well balanced diet and physical activity is the key to overall health. :twocents:
Well that's no fun >:(
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: vandeman17 on November 17, 2017, 09:54:54 AM: Quote from: Southpole on November 17, 2017, 09:32:06 AM
Quote from: vandeman17 on November 17, 2017, 08:46:31 AM
I personally think it is overrated. If you enjoy the taste then by all means have at it but I would never drink it just for the health purposes. A well balanced diet and physical activity is the key to overall health. :twocents:
Well that's no fun >:(

If only sitting on the couch with a cold beer and pizza was the key to eternal life :chuckle:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: jamesfromseattle on November 17, 2017, 10:15:39 AM: Super easy to make your own and the cost is essentially trivial. Once you have a SCOBY and a batch started, you pretty much just put a cup of the existing batch and the SCOBY into a big glass container and fill it with iced tea. Put towel over the top with a rubber band and leave it for a week or two. Either pour it right out of the container onto ice or put it in a mason jar and refrigerate.

I use about 2/3 of a cup of sugar per gallon of tea, but you can vary that depending on your preference.

I'm under no illusions about it being a cure for cancer or something like that, but it definitely helps with a stomach ache...or in my younger years a hangover.

The SCOBYs multiply with every batch, so everyone who makes it has leftover SCOBYs that they are throwing away regularly. If you're in Seattle, you're welcome to grab one from me. Or if you know anyone else that makes it, they will have extras too.

My guess is that you could even start a batch with some store bought Kombucha and it would form its own SCOBY. I think the yeast/fungus stuff is suspended in the liquid, so a SCOBY will naturally materialize on top even you don't start with one. It will just take a few extra days.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: runamuk on November 17, 2017, 10:42:58 AM: Yup, and eat ginger, and all the hippy dippy things except smoke weed. It has trace amounts of alcohol so if you are a non drinker it might not be the beverage of choice.

Kimchi is another fermented food that provides similar bacteria enzymes etc.

Kimchi doesn't contain yeast so if a person has yeast issues it's a better choice.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: jackelope on November 17, 2017, 10:53:32 AM: My wife drinks it regularly for the digestive benefit. She eats well and works out regularly, only eats pizza once in a while and never while drinking beer on the couch. Is there a probiotic benefit to it? She swears it helps her.
:dunno:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: runamuk on November 17, 2017, 11:06:47 AM: Quote from: jackelope on November 17, 2017, 10:53:32 AM
My wife drinks it regularly for the digestive benefit. She eats well and works out regularly, only eats pizza once in a while and never while drinking beer on the couch. Is there a probiotic benefit to it? She swears it helps her.
:dunno:
Yes it's fermented so it has lactic acid and other live critters. That in theory are beneficial. I find its pretty hit and miss for me as to if its any help.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: robescc on November 19, 2017, 08:12:19 PM: My wife makes it almost weekly. She always has the next batch brewing. It is okay but it's not my drink of choice.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: vandeman17 on November 20, 2017, 06:26:58 AM: I am sensing a wife trend and kombuca....
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: runamuk on November 20, 2017, 07:34:37 AM: Naw I am single no wife here.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Timberstalker on November 20, 2017, 08:15:08 AM: :chuckle:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: vandeman17 on November 20, 2017, 09:52:41 AM: Quote from: runamuk on November 20, 2017, 07:34:37 AM
Naw I am single no wife here.

another voucher :chuckle:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: ctwiggs1 on November 22, 2017, 03:33:18 PM: We make it all the time. It's a natural probiotic!.... and no I don't own any yoga pants.

I don't buy the store bought stuff - TONS of sugar.

Curtis
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: KFhunter on November 22, 2017, 04:58:23 PM: I couldn't find raw unflavored kombucha, but I found some green stuff with gunk in the bottom I assume is the SCOBY.

I'm going to brew a gallon of tea, pour in the bottle of kombucha and throw in 1/2 cup turbanado sugar. I'll keep it warm with a fish tank heater I bought for skull maceration (never been used :chuckle: )

The fish tank heater should speed up the process and keep it at the optimum temp.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: deerhunter_98520 on November 22, 2017, 07:54:02 PM: I can't stand the stuff but i distribute humm kombucha and we sell alot of it...so some people must like it alot :chuckle:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: jamesfromseattle on November 23, 2017, 07:52:36 AM: Quote from: KFhunter on November 22, 2017, 04:58:23 PM
I couldn't find raw unflavored kombucha, but I found some green stuff with gunk in the bottom I assume is the SCOBY.

I'm going to brew a gallon of tea, pour in the bottle of kombucha and throw in 1/2 cup turbanado sugar. I'll keep it warm with a fish tank heater I bought for skull maceration (never been used :chuckle: )

The fish tank heater should speed up the process and keep it at the optimum temp.

Throw a splash of fresh kombucha in it too. I think the yeast are suspended in that too.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: MikeCass on November 24, 2017, 06:33:20 AM: Quote from: jamesfromseattle on November 23, 2017, 07:52:36 AM
Quote from: KFhunter on November 22, 2017, 04:58:23 PM
I couldn't find raw unflavored kombucha, but I found some green stuff with gunk in the bottom I assume is the SCOBY.

I'm going to brew a gallon of tea, pour in the bottle of kombucha and throw in 1/2 cup turbanado sugar. I'll keep it warm with a fish tank heater I bought for skull maceration (never been used :chuckle: )

The fish tank heater should speed up the process and keep it at the optimum temp.

Throw a splash of fresh kombucha in it too. I think the yeast are suspended in that too.

Hmm, this is one to add to our bucket list :)
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: KFhunter on December 14, 2017, 10:04:29 PM: Quote from: KFhunter on November 22, 2017, 04:58:23 PM
I couldn't find raw unflavored kombucha, but I found some green stuff with gunk in the bottom I assume is the SCOBY.

I'm going to brew a gallon of tea, pour in the bottle of kombucha and throw in 1/2 cup turbanado sugar. I'll keep it warm with a fish tank heater I bought for skull maceration (never been used :chuckle: )

The fish tank heater should speed up the process and keep it at the optimum temp.

PSA! Don't ever buy the green stuff, NASTY :puke:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: KFhunter on December 14, 2017, 10:05:53 PM: I gave up trying to culture it from a bottle of commercial stuff. Ordered a SCOBY off Amazon for like 7 bucks. It worked!

Picked up some mango juice, going to do a 2nd ferment because I like the bubbles :chuckle:

So far so good, wife isn't sure it's safe :chuckle:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Southpole on December 15, 2017, 07:17:09 AM: I've been drinking the commercial stuff for a couple weeks straight now. The taste doesn't bother me at all, the green tea one has a bit of a beer after taste. I really need to make my own or I'm going to go broke buying it with 2 of us drinking a bottle a day each. I think it jazzes me up a bit when I drink it, but it's probably the sugar that's doing that :chuckle:. I'll get to brewing some up and see if it still "jazzed" me up.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: KFhunter on January 11, 2018, 02:51:22 PM: I'm getting pretty good at this :tup: I've went from a 1 gallon glass pickle jar to a 2 gallon jug of booch.

Just bottled up another batch. Make sure you strain everything, my last batch had too many solids and gloppy stuff and I nearly ruined anyone else from ever drinking it again, ever.
I also bottled it too soon so it's too sweet.

I strained this batch really well through cheese cloth.

Also I don't like using beer bottles, so I got some more normal bottles off amazon with a slightly wider mouth, and clear so you can see the color and know the flavoring used. Beer bottles would be fine if you were properly setup to wash them but I didn't want to buy more stuff to sterilize and properly clean them.

So far I've mostly made mango, but this batch I have berry flavored and more mango.

My wife still thinks it's going to kill someone :chuckle:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Southpole on January 11, 2018, 03:41:12 PM: Speaking about the gloppy stuff. I took a swig right out the bottle one day and when I removed the bottle from my mouth a big ol' slime blob went swinin' down from my bottom lip and slapped me in the chin, yummy!
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: KFhunter on January 11, 2018, 04:02:42 PM: That's the SCOBY, means you got some healthy booch :chuckle: :tup:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: ctwiggs1 on January 11, 2018, 04:58:14 PM: We have a fresh batch brewing as well. Guess I'll have to settle for beer while I wait.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Southpole on January 11, 2018, 05:28:02 PM: Quote from: KFhunter on January 11, 2018, 04:02:42 PM
That's the SCOBY, means you got some healthy booch :chuckle: :tup:

Yes the SCOBY, the SCOBY in the bottle is exactly what I was talking about :chuckle:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: KFhunter on January 16, 2018, 05:45:02 PM: I just tasted my last batch of booch, used Bolthouse farms berry boost for a flavoring and it turned out great. I think I got the booch bang on this time :tup:
Very much like the commercial stuff I've tried. I have people requesting ginger next time so I'll give that a whirl.

(https://www.bolthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/07/BHF_Bev_Product-IMG_BER-BOO_520x720-260x360.png)

1/3 cup of juice added to the bottom of a 16oz jar, then topped off with Koombucha until nearly full then secured the cap tightly. Secondary in jar ferment of about 3 days @ 70-71 degrees produced a nice fizzy drink.
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: grundy53 on January 16, 2018, 08:25:52 PM: I also like Kevita.

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Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: grundy53 on January 16, 2018, 08:27:16 PM: https://kevita.com/

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Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: j_h_nimrod on January 16, 2018, 09:16:53 PM: My mom was making “mushroom “ tea 30 years ago, horrible stuff :o
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Southpole on January 20, 2018, 12:39:08 PM: Arlington get it's own bucha brewery! Sweet!

https://glorybucha.com/
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Calvin Rayborn on January 22, 2018, 02:54:26 PM: Quote from: j_h_nimrod on January 16, 2018, 09:16:53 PM
My mom was making “mushroom “ tea 30 years ago, horrible stuff :o

This thread is getting scary; coming from a guy who plays with different mixtures of explosive gunpowder on the reloading bench every weekend! :chuckle:
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Calvin Rayborn on January 22, 2018, 02:56:58 PM: Here ya go...Good ole "Puritan's Pride..." No fuss, no muss! :tup:

https://www.puritan.com/puritans-pride-brand-0102/probiotic-10-031643?source=igodigital (https://www.puritan.com/puritans-pride-brand-0102/probiotic-10-031643?source=igodigital)
Title: Re: Do you Kombucha?
Post by: Calvin Rayborn on January 22, 2018, 06:44:19 PM: Dr Brew is pretty good whenever I do partake in the ways of the booch. Had it once or twice.

http://brewdrkombucha.com/raw-organic-kombucha/ (http://brewdrkombucha.com/raw-organic-kombucha/)