Topic: Question about making large batches of kombucha
James1979
Unregistered
posted
I am trying to make large batches of kombucha at a time - like 3 or 4 gallons all at once in the same container.
Is it okay if I use just one SCOBA for that entire batch? Or will the SCOBA be too small, and it won't correctly ferment the batch?
Thanks for the help! I'm trying to do this today, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Carol in PA
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posted
I have not made this, but from reading at Dom's kefir site, I know that it won't work.
To make a large batch, you'd need a much larger amount of the grains.
Hmmm...unless maybe you're willing to wait a couple weeks for it to ferment?
"Hey Boss (pant pant) we're working as fast as we can!"
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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James1979
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posted
Thanks for the response, Carol, but kefir is very different than kombucha. I already knew that kefir has to be in certain ratios, but I've never heard of such a thing for kombucha. It would be like assuming that yogurt also has to be in a certain ratio, when everyone knows that the amount of starter yogurt can be very variable (and truly, you could culture an entire gallon of milk with just a spoon of yogurt).
Besides, Dom is a player!
If I don't hear a clear answer soon, I guess I'll just make it and see how it goes.
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Carol in PA
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Well, isn't my face red. When I read this, I thought I was reading that you were making water kefir, lol.
There is another thread going about water kefir, which I am interested in. I have been making milk kefir by using the starter powder, which is good, but not as complex as when it's made from the grains.
So...what is so wonderful about Kombucha?
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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James1979
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posted
Yes, the kefirs are great too. I highly recommend using the grains instead of the powders. It's SUPER easy to make milk kefir with the grains!
Here's the process: add the grains, add milk, let sit for 1 or 2 days. DONE!
The water kefir is a little more work because you have to add sugar, and because the grains grow faster and you have to juggle the ratios of grains to water to sugar (but of course it doesn't have to be perfect). I just find milk kefir a ton easier to make, but the water kefir has different kinds of beneficial microbes.
What's so wonderful about kombucha? Kombucha is AWESOME!! I just started making and drinking it recently.
Besides the beneficial microbes in the kombucha, it has strong immune-enhancing properties, and also it detoxes the liver. It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects, and it is so good at killing candida that some people have a herx reaction when first drinking the kombucha because of the strong die-off reaction! I think that's pretty amazing. That's why they say to start slowly.
Some say it also has anti-cancer effects.
Here's a quote from a good site:
quote:"In the first half of the 20th century, extensive scientific research was done on Kombucha in Russia and Germany, mostly because of a push to find a cure for rising cancer rates. Russian scientists discovered that entire regions of their vast country were seemingly immune to cancer and hypothesized that the kombucha, called ``tea kvass'' there, was the cause. So, they began a series of experiments which not only verified the hypothesis, but began to pinpoint exactly what it is within kombucha which was so beneficial.
German scientists picked up on this research and continued it in their own direction. Then, with the onset of the Cold War, research and development started being diverted into other fields. It was only in the 1990s, when Kombucha first came to the U.S., that the West has done any studies on the effects of Kombucha, and those are quite few in number. As is typically the case in the U.S., no major medical studies are being done on Kombucha because no one in the drug industry stands to profit from researching a beverage that the average consumer can make for as little as 50 cents a gallon.
Thanks to it's rising commercial popularity in the last decade, the older Russian and German research has been made available in English to Westerners, and a few wide-spread anecdotal surveys have been sponsored by Kombucha manufacturers, but that's about it. While there are limited amounts of research done on the beverage, there has been lots of research done on many of the nutrients and acids it contains in large quantities (such as B-vitamins, antioxidants, and glucaric acids).
Regardless of the ``lack'' of scientific evidence, the fact remains that this beverage has 2,000 plus years of tradition behind it and an ardent and addicted following."
posted
I should just note that I started a 4-gallon batch of kombucha tea today. I really think it's going to work. I did some research, and I found out that the main trick is to make sure the brew is pH 4.6 or under.
I am assuming that as long as the pH is correct, a small SCOBA can innoculate a large batch of tea. I guess we'll see in a week or two if I was correct!
I'd be so sad if I had to throw away these 4 gallons of sugar tea that I just made! What a waste.
If this works, I'll be in kombucha heaven! Mmmmmm... 4 gallons of kombucha tea.... *drooling*
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Carol in PA
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posted
Wow, that's really interesting about Kombucha.
Oh, I know that it's easy to make milk kefir from the grains. My problem is that I would have to remember to change the milk EVERY DAY or the grains would starve from lack of food.
I'm afraid that I would spend $20 on grains and then forget to take care of them. This wouldn't have been a problem before my brain cells left town.
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
Carol - the milk kefir can ferment safely for 2 days, so if you forget a day it's not a big deal. I think it would even last 3 days (depending on temperature, of course), but at that point I would just toss out the liquid and add fresh milk to the grains.
Another trick with the kefir is that, if you feel like you're not taking care of it correctly, you can just throw it in the fridge and it's good for a week or two. OR, you could always throw it in the fridge after 1 day of fermentation, and then you can drink it at any time without worrying about changing the milk every day.
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your SCOBY ( ) should cover the mouth af a larger container without a problem, it will spread at least a few inches i think. i usually use 2 gallon jars, and have four going at a time when i'm drinking it.
mo
Posts: 8337 | From the other shore | Registered: Jul 2002
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I am trying to find green, organic, decaf - almost impossible
I can get it with flavors (green organic decaf with lemon or somthing) but not plain
I am hyper about caffeine and heard the SCOBY needs organic tea
is it true?
I am making my first SCOBY from a GT plain Kombucha tomorrow for the first time
I got 6 bottles to try if the fisrt one fails
ordered kefir for water kefir also
any hints welcome or I will venture out on my own as well - he he
good luck with your 4 Gal, James!
Can you drink it all at once when it's "ripe"?
You'll be a Kombuchaholic, ha ha
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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I think you are the leading expert on kefir and Kombucha on this site
it's lonely at the top
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by SEREN J WEED: Oh crap! This (Kombucha) just sounds so confusing. SCOBY? Is this the stuff that makes it?
And where do I buy gallon jars, I'm assuming they have to be glass? Oh, and just regular black tea?
Ok, I have to study this with my half brain. I do want to do this!
A site has sent me ads on starter kits to buy, but I would still be lost.
SCOBY is the "mushroom" or the microbes that culture the tea. It's like the "grains" in kefir or the "starter" in yogurt. (p.s. Mo - thanks for the correction on SCOBA! )
I don't know where you can buy gallon jars. I just always save any gallon glass jars that I ever use, because they always come in handy. It's a shame to throw those things out.
quote:Originally posted by Harmony: what kind of tea can you use?
I am trying to find green, organic, decaf - almost impossible
I can get it with flavors (green organic decaf with lemon or somthing) but not plain
I am hyper about caffeine and heard the SCOBY needs organic tea
is it true?
I am making my first SCOBY from a GT plain Kombucha tomorrow for the first time
I got 6 bottles to try if the fisrt one fails
ordered kefir for water kefir also
any hints welcome or I will venture out on my own as well - he he
good luck with your 4 Gal, James!
Can you drink it all at once when it's "ripe"?
You'll be a Kombuchaholic, ha ha
There you go with your questions again!
I don't think you want to use decaf. The beneficial microbes eat the caffeine in the fully-caffeinated tea, and they enjoy it. They end up eating half of the caffeine, so the caffeine content is cut in half. That's not bad. I hate caffeine myself, but I don't think it's bad to drink kombucha.
I like to use just plain green. I think most people like to use black, or a blend of black and green. You can use simple herbs, but some herbal flavorings harm the microbes.
I never heard that the SCOBY needs organic tea. I don't see why it would... I'm sure organic is better, but I can't see how non-organic would kill the microbes.
Good luck with your first batch! Please tell us how it goes.
You're not supposed to drink it "all at once". Especially at the beginning, you're supposed to go real slow, because you could herx bad. It causes a detox crisis and a die-off crisis in some people. I think they say to start off with 1/4 of a cup a day and see how you go from there.
I didn't notice any negative reactions when I first started drinking it, so I safely took a cup a day.
quote:Originally posted by Harmony: sorry I had no good input for you
I think you are the leading expert on kefir and Kombucha on this site
it's lonely at the top
Are you talking to me?? "Leading expert"? LOL!
I'm just a learning beginner. I just recently started making water kefir a few weeks ago, and for the kombucha I've only made 1 successful batch so far!
But good news for my 4-gallon "experiment": There's a healthy SCOBY growing on top!!!! Good night everyone.
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
I found this, about making Kombucha. I am getting interested in trying it.
posted
hey, James, good for you on the SCOBY - send my regards and long life to it!!
what you said to me - that explains a lot - he he
herxing and Kombucha - I'm not much of a moderate person, I have to admit, and even though it is sinfully expensive, I have been known to drink three bottles of GT in one day - oops!
So much for starting with 1/4 cup - ain't gonna happen with this gal!
but my body has done well with it -and now I am trying to reduce cost, especially since my boss is ready to fire me - the day ain't over yet, but I may not win my battle there, we'll see -so I am trying to brew instead of purchase
Thanks for being there and so kind to help!!
as for the questions - ha ha - I grew up in Germany and there was this lead song for Sesame Street when I was little:
"Wieso? Weshalb? Warum? Wer nicht fragt bleibt dumm!"
= "How? Because of what? Why? Those who don't ask stay ignorant!"
except it's cute because it rhymes in German
I must have learned that lesson early and well
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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They are awefully still in there for having just devoured all the caffeine in the brew! Are you sure?
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by Harmony: Hey, James, "they eat the caffeine"???
They are awefully still in there for having just devoured all the caffeine in the brew! Are you sure?
Yeah, well... I bet you if you had a dark-field microscope you could see them running around all wired-up!
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by Harmony: "Wieso? Weshalb? Warum? Wer nicht fragt bleibt dumm!"
I think it's funny that "dumm" in German means "ignorant"! A lot of German words sound like English words.
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posted
Dang - now I need a dark-field mircoscope....
I am already in the market for a 1000 dollar wire mesh to create an emf free sleep zone
and a i-sopod for REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy)...
I think I'm gonna go out for a few more lottery tickets later on...
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
Why don't you just turn off the circuit breakers in your bedroom before you sleep? That's the best way to get rid of EMFs, and also it'll save you $1,000. Then you don't even have to win the lottery.
The i-sopod thing looks cool. That's the first time I've ever heard of it. It looks kinda like a space shuttle.
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I got to the i-sopod via your epsom salt site - 800 lbs of epsom salt in 200 lbs of water will allow you to float, cool eh?
put yourself at 93.5 degrees F and no lights or sound and you are supposed to relax like crazy - something my body craves, I think, following intuition here
not sure I can afford this beauty, since you have to call for prices, ha ha
but it looks delicious!!!!
not sure I want to float in satured salt solution previously used by other very ill people - he-hem, not to spoil the experience for anyone using public spas - it may just not be for me
I know from chem class that saturated salt draws out "stuff" through semi-permiable membranes (like skin?) and by the law of entropy "stuff" always tries to go everywhere, so could end up in me, in very simple terms
so I would loooaaave to try the REST, but may not want to try it if a personal one is out of the question - catch my drift?
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
Well, if the i-sopod is too expensive for you, you could just get a giant isopod instead and sleep with one of those.
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posted
I think that would not be sensory deprivation therapy but sensory overload -
aaaahhhhrrrrhhhh!!!!!!
they look like they may tickle
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
Yeah, but before you get one, just make sure your husband's okay with having one of those in your bedroom.
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: Is the store bought kombucha "worthless?"
It's best if it's raw and unpasteurized. I think the GT brand referenced above is raw.
I wouldn't call it "worthless" if it's not raw. It would just be lacking a lot of the beneficial effects of the probiotics and enzymes. Similarly, pasteurized yogurt doesn't have any probiotics, but it still might have a few health benefits (like the lactic acid).
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posted
The one I saw was "raw." So the sugar has no effect on candida???
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: The one I saw was "raw." So the sugar has no effect on candida???
Good question, and it's difficult to find a clear answer.
The Body Ecology Diet guys say that it shouldn't be used for people with serious candida, but they say it's allowed in the "stage 2" candida diet. But I don't trust their info because they REALLY sound like they're just trying to sell something. Here's what they say: http://bodyecology.com/articles/kombucha_benefits_and_drawbacks.php
It's a confusing issue, because supposedly the kombucha is so good at killing the candida albicans that some people have a candida die-off reaction (or herx) when first starting the kombucha. If the kombucha is that good at killing the bad candida, then can the sugar content really be that harmful?
Personally, I think it's okay to drink it while battling candida, and I believe it might actually be a good weapon against the candida. BTW it also has good general immune-strengthening properties, and I'm sure that would be good for any candida infection also.
Anyway, that's just my personal opinion. Someone smarter than me might disagree with me. Either way, I know that I have oral thrush and that I'm still on antibiotics, but I'm safely drinking 1 cup of kombucha every day.
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posted
If you keep in mind that I really don't know diddely, then I'd be glad to give you my opinion / experience
I loooaave the store bought Kombucha, used to get plain and now mostly ginger and cranberry
really crave the stuff some times, so I don't know if that is food allergy/intolerance/sugar craving (bad) or if my body is really onto something good (good)
anyway, I do let it go and have from one to 3 bottles a day (16 fl ounces each) - otherwise just drink water
I am super-sensitive to sugar (all sugars: syrup, honey, etc) but the Kombucha seems fine
I drink only the GT brand that is "alive"
my GI is also fine with it, amazingly
I am trying to learn from James and others how to brew it now because of the expense
3.50 a bottle is 3.50 to 10.50 a day, at my rate, and that adds up per month... so I will try to brew some Kombucha and water kefir
water kefir seems to go much faster (24 - 48 hours) while Kombucha seems to take 10 days or so - some planning is required there
I would just buy it from the store if it wasn't so expensive and will probably still buy some from the store even after I am successful with making my own
I think the store bought stuff is fine, convenient, and safe!
when you make it yourself you have to watch like a hawk for contamination - none of us need extra mold right now in our bodies
the probiotics and enzymes are awsome, though, is my hunch!!!
hoep this blabbing helps!!
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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posted
hint: if you get the store bought GT Kombucha plain or the sour flavors, like gingerade or cranberry, it has only 4 g of sugars in the whole bottle (gingerade, which I have right here now to read the lable) and only 60 calories
if you get mango-flavor or some others with fruit, you get more sugars, and 100 calories due to the extra sugars, I think
so read the lable to stay away from the sugars and pick flavors that are mostly plain Kombucha and not so much fruit juice in the mix
if that is what you seek
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
Harmony hun, I disagree about the "have to watch like a hawk for contamination" thing. It's really very safe as long as you pay attention to a few easy rules.
1) Make sure the starting pH is always below 4.6. If the pH is too high, then just keep adding starter tea or vinegar until the pH is lower. This is probably the most important rule.
2) cover the brewing container well so that nothing can go in and out except air.
3) Make sure everything is clean. I.e. Don't hang dirty socks over the rim of the container, don't store your coffee enema kit next to the container, etc.
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I'm so glad you watch me like a hawk - I am a little nervous about this home brewing but the dirty socks over the rim and coffee enema kit image will make me laugh and ease my mind for a while -
seriously, I do have some GT plain Kombucha with two paper towls strapped over it in a glass jar at room temp - just added some organic cane sugar since I did not have any tea handy - one tea spoon of sugar in about 8 ounces of plain Kombucha (too stingy to give it the whole bottle, so I drank half, ha ha)
hoping for a SCOBY to grow
no idea about PH and glad you mentioned it again - I did order the PH test strips from the link you provided earlier
about the contamination - hm - we have a country house with animals - and we did have even mice in the house last winter - I know, I know, but there is the occasional roach and wasp in the rooms and I try my best but you can't see mircobes, so I am a little nervous
could be the Lyme, too, of course - I was having anxiet attacks for real and obsessive/compulsive disorder and fears, yeah, so I am vigilant now and sometimes suspect to be too fearful but managing fine overall, I think
I am sure once the brewing is succesful and I live happily with the results, I will relax much more
so what should the PH be between when you start and what should it be when you drink it?
and that's for teh Kombucha, right?
is its the same for water kefir, no, is it?
oh help!
again, for dummies....
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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James1979
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posted
You're so silly! I don't know if it'll work without the tea... I think the tea is the main thing, because these bugs need the chemicals that are in the tea.
I have lots of animals in the same room where I'm brewing the bucha, and I don't think it'll get contaminated. I use paper towels like you. I keep them on the top of the container with a rubber band.
BTW why is there an "a" in the word "love"? I.e. "I looaaave something!" like you wrote twice above. Is that some kind of southern dialect?
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hm - my bet is that it's in the sugar not in the tea that the critters relish - the tea is just for your amusement and to cut the acidity down, so the little critters don't suffoctae themselves in acid - maybe I'll add a little water for them to "breathe" - we'll see - or I could break down and run out to get some tea and brew it for my new friends
what animals do you have? I have cockroaches, wasps, flies, fruit flies, the occasional mouse and skinks, cats, and horses, maybe Guinea Fowl in the spring, but you already knew that
how is your mega-pot of Kombucha coming along? acidity still ok? can you see the SCOBY forming? how long has it been?
I'm silly? sure, maybe, anytime, but I feel more impatient or like a Lymie = "can't think straight and then feel like I got to do something anyway, so Here We Go!, whatever it is, something had to happen"
"Loooaaave" is just a very definite, no-kidd'n, like a full emotional, devoted way of saying "it's gooooaaaahhhd". got it?
you don't let anything get past yu' eh? I like it!
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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James1979
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posted
Okay, babe, you made me research about why there's tea in the kombucha, since I wasn't sure of my answer. BUT... it looks like I might be correct.
Check this out:
quote:Traditionally, black tea was always used for brewing and maintaining kombucha mushroom culture. There are reasons for using black tea that aid in the longevity of the cultures vitality working as a nutrient solution.
quote:[When trying to make kombucha with herbal teas,] adding a little black or green tea within your herbal mixture gives the kombucha the needed nutrients without too much unwanted tea.
My mega kombucha pot is doing well, I think. Yesterday the acidity was 3.5 - still a little high. I see a small SCOBY forming at the top, but it's definitely in it's early stages still. I think this is the 5th day.
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MannaMe
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Member # 33330
posted
could you use homemade mint tea for the tea in kombucha?
Posts: 2252 | From USA | Registered: Aug 2011
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James1979
Unregistered
posted
No no, mint is not good for kombucha.
If you want to learn which teas are good for kombucha, I highly recommend the link I placed in the post above yours.
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I stand corrected and you can report me to the SPCA - I will feed my little critters some tea tomorrow
Hurray for your batch!!
Are you staring another one now, since they take 10 days to brew, so you have another one 5 days after this one is "ripe"?
I am not sure how I am going to do this - plus in the winter it is cold in my house, I guess spring and fall is the best time to brew...
what do you do in the winter? well, maybe your house doesn;t get that cold...
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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