Kombucha tea (KT): Recipe – How to – Ideas – Probiotic – SCOBY (2024)

Kombuchateais one of those amazing things you can safely & cheaply make in your home & has wonderful health benefits. I used Kombuchaor K Tea during my cancer/chemo,& have been using kombucha tea around 20 years now.I do not get to say enough anymore about this wonderful probiotic, that could be because I spent years as a power seller on ebayselling them & so Kombucha& Kefirsare all I talked about. But Kombucha is a favorite in our home.

S.C.O.B.Y.: Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast

I still have pictures & info on what the kombucha looks like day to day as it is making & lots of info here from my days as ebay seller Stichingtime, check it out, lots of great pictures & info.(site temporally not working, trying to fix it.

To pin this blog post on Pinterest

Please READ if you receiveda scoby through the mail: Your scoby is in the baggie floating in the starter tea, Don’t throw out the starter tea you will need it.

What to do with your culture & starter tea on arrival: Read all of this info. Have all supplies ready before you start. If you aren’t going to start now, leave the culture in the bag with starter tea.

I have sold living cultures for years & grown & used them even longer, I was even a ebay power seller of living cultures at one time . (I have more info here& here).

About the Kombucha cultures & starter tea purchased from me: I use 100% organic teas,a Natural Raw/organic sugar mixture & filteredwater from my own system. My home is free of harsh cleaners,chemicals & smoking. My kombucha’sare basically vegan, but we do sell a special vegan kombucha that I’m very careful to follow all vegan guidelines on,If you purchased my vegan listing it is 100% Vegan.My meaning of “Vegan” I used no animal products or byproducts: meat, fish, milk, eggs, or honey around or in the process of making the kombucha & starter tea. I use Green tea in the majority of the batches, but do sell Kombucha’s& starter tea from White or Black tea too. If you bought a White or Black tea listing be assured they is from the tea indicated. All Kombucha’s & starter tea are grown by me, my daughter & son in law.I love teaching others about these cultures,It is my pleasure to help you.

Kombucha tea directions(Recipe)

IMPORTANT:

Please read all info belowbefore you start –*Don’t boil the kombucha culture or the starter tea, & don’t add them to sweet tea that is still to warm* For secondary fermentation,adding fizz & how to infuse flavor see next page.

~What you need

• See info for what is acceptable for all these items
• Stainless or glass pot for boiling sweet tea
• Stainless or plastic spoon
• Pure water
• Sugar
• White,green or black tea bags (or mixture)
• Glass jars
• Rubber bands
• Breathable covers (like coffee filters)
• Plastic strainer or colander
• Distilled white vinegar.

Even if you have made kombucha before another way, please don’t substitute recipe during 1st batches.

For 1 Quart of K-Tea;

• 1/4 cup sugar (never use Sugar substitutes)
• 4-6+ tea bags (never use decaff teas)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fermented kombucha starter tea
• 1 quart pure water
• kombucha scoby/culture

For 1 Gallon of K-Tea;

• 1 cup Sugar
• 8-15+ tea bags (depending on your taste)
• 1/2 to 1 cup starter tea (K-tea)
• 1 gallon pure water
• 1 SCOBY (some prefer to use to 4 kombucha scoby/cultures & if that is what you want it is fine)

For pint use 1/2 of the QT amount~for 1/2 gal use 2QTS~for 2 gal use 1 gal x 2, etc~

Treat K-tea like any other food product

1. Clean hands & rinse w/distilled white vinegar.
2. Put proper amount of water in stainless steal/glass pot. Rinse pot in distilled white vinegar before every use (don’t rinse vinegar off).
3. Bring water just to a boil
4. Stir in sugar
5. Turn off burner. Don’t over boil water.
6. Remove from heat
7. Add tea bags,stir
8. Cover
9. Steep 20 min
10. Remove lid & tea bags.
11. Let the sweet tea cool to room temp.(the culture will die if added to tea still to warm)
12. Add baby kombucha culture & starter tea to the glass jar rinsed w/distilled white vinegar.
13. Pour the cooled sweet tea into the jar leaving room for the baby kombucha to grow.(Add culture & starter tea to the sweet tea in under8Hrsto prevent bacteria growth in honey tea).
14. Put breathable cover on jar & secure cover with a rubber band.
15. let the tea ferment in a dark room temp spot 75-85 degrees. -lower temps only cause slower ferments, So if its cooler in your home give the batch some extra days to ferment,thats all.A dark cupboard works great.
16. Let tea sit undisturbed & patiently wait, DON’T STIR IT & its best not to move the jar around at all.
17. You can taste at 8-12 days, use a straw & try to not disturb the baby to much when

    

    Step 17

    tasting. (use a straw & stick between jar & baby, trying to not disturb baby to much, put finger over straw & draw out some tea to taste, pictured).

18. At the end of the fermentation time you will have the original culture & a new baby culture,with clean hands remove the cultures from the K-tea,Separate if needed.It is best to only touch cultures w/clean hands,plastic strainer/colander or dump into bowl.
19. Save enough un-strained starter tea to restart each culture.just repeat above steps
20. Start both cultures together in same jar or 2 jars with one in each jar, or store extra cultures by putting it in a glass jar w/some K-tea or distilled white vinegar in the back of the fridge.
21. Now strain the K-tea if desired into a clean glass jar .(use a plastic mesh strainer) If jar has a metal lid, cover top of jar w/plastic wrap before screwing on the lid.
22. For storing the K-tea in fridge glass is recommended,Tupperware or food grade plastic is OK but can alter taste & cause tea to become acidic.
23. Keep K-tea in the fridge, you can start drinking the K-tea immediately.
24. As the tea sits in the fridge it continues to”live”you may want to strain the slime strings again before drinking.

Start w/drinking 1-4 oz of K-tea a day. Your body will tell you how much you need a day.(you can drink as much as you can tolerate a day) Drink plenty of pure water when drinking K-tea.

Hint~For cooling sweet tea either make & let cool or make some sweet tea ahead of time & freeze in ice cubes/chunks,add this frozen tea to warm sweet tea after removing tea bags.

Hint~If you don’t have a dark room temp spot to ferment K-tea,Just sit on the back of the counter etc & totally cover with a towel. Or put in a box & cover with a towel.(box method also helps in cold houses)

let it ferment until your desired taste. Usually best around 10-12 days.It can on the 1st batch or during cooler weather take up to 15-30 days to be done.The new baby culture will grow across the surface of the tea like a skin layer to the size & shape of the jar.

Note: make sure the breathable cover is secure on the jar, If bugs get in they may lay eggs in the K-tea causing larvae to hatch,this will ruin everything(cheesecloth allows bugs in so isn’t recommended).

Note:Save old cultures for burns,acne etc,See my guide on uses.

Go here to my blog postSecond Fermenting: Kombucha tea Recipesfor more info

Do you want more fizz?: Try fermenting at steady higher temps (86 degrees)for 15+days

How to do the secondary fermentation fizz & flavor info: Secondary fermentation (will also add fizz): After straining your fermented K-tea into a glass Jar for storing in fridge,cover the opening of the jar with plastic wrap,then loosely screw on lid.Sit on the counter in a outof the way spot(does’nt have to be dark,just not in direct sun) sit for 2-3 days max,strain then refrigerate as normal. Make sure to only slightly/loosely screw on the lid as CO2 will build up, watch jar for overflowing,release CO2 a few times. Use Flavor info below w/secondary fermentation if desired.

Flavor infusing info: To infuse flavors in your finished K-tea try using dried/fresh fruit,dates,fresh ginger,any teasor flavored teas (such as berry teas or ginger tea etc),juices or fresh lemon/limes etc(or combos of flavors).use your imagination & experiment.

Now you have 4 options.

1. Just add the flavors you want to the secondary fermentation noted above. (Watch CO2).
2. Add flavors to jar while in the fridge wait a week or 2 drink as normal.
3. Pour your K-tea into your glass to drink add teas, juices,honey,kefir water or vinegars.
4. Drink warm by adding to warm cider, vinegar/honey water, herb teas or lemon water etc

Don’t add flavors like~soda,carbonated water,Crystal light,Kool-Aid& gatoraid etc,for optimal health & they cause poor results.

Never use any of the kombucha tea that had flavors added as starter tea & never use any cultures that might form during secondary fermentation to make kombucha tea.

What to buy needed supplies (on Amazon)

• Organic sugar
• Organic white tea bags
• Organic green tea bags
• Organic black tea bags
• Half Gallon jars
• Gallon jars
• Quart jars
• Plastic strainer
• Rubber-bands
• Organic coffee filters

What kind of tea to buy for making Kombucha? What tea is right for you?White,Green or Black tea? These 3 teas are all the same tea in different stages of growth & processing.(you can mix any combination of the 3 teas together for kombucha tea if desired) tea info below.

White Tea the youngest & most delicate of the 3 teas. Picked just as the first buds become fully open. White tea can make a light flavored tea.Of the 3 teas used for making kombucha tea(White,Green or Black) White tea has the least caffeine, While it does work to make kombucha it does produce thinner babies sometimes & a less fizzy tea.Some batches made with white tea can need longer fermentation before done.

Green tea is further along in growth & strength. It can have a slightly stronger taste than White tea. Kombuchatea made from green tea tends to be milder in taste & less murky in color than when made with black tea. Green tea being the perfect balance between White & Black teas seems to be the most preferred by Kombuchadrinkers & really by the Kombucha culture itself. It is in the middle on strength, taste, color & caffeine.Taste can vary depending on the brand of green tea you choose. Green tea also tends to produce the best looking babies & fizz content in the kombucha tea.

Black tea is made from tea leaves that have been fully grown/aged. It is the strongest of the 3 teas, its taste is stronger & its color can make a darker kombucha tea.It also has the most amount of caffeine. & though it does still produce nice looking babies mostly, they can have more holes from gas, & tea can be murky sometimes.It also has a tendency to produce a less fizzy kombucha tea.

Oolong tea kinda mix of the in between point of green tea & black tea (a forthtea if you will), Most refer to it as a black tea. Since this tea is not as strong as a full blown black tea it also has just slightly less caffeine. Many prefer this tea over any of the others. It is harder to find without extra flavors unless you order it in bulk.(If you use Oolong make sure it is plain Oolong tea).

fast tips:

1. (if your culture was mailed to you)Dueto mailing conditions, some of the starter tea may have evaporated or leaked out, If you need or just want more add distilled white vinegar to the starter tea to make-up the difference or expand amount.
2. Any clear,dark sludge or slime etc that might form in the bag on culture & in starter tea during mailing is safe & should be added in the batch with the culture & starter tea to help jump start the 1st batch.
3. Kombuchatea is sometimes called K-Tea, bucha tea or mushroom tea.
4. Important:The culture you purchased from me really should be only grown in green,white or black teaor mixture of these for 3-4 batches.Any other teasmust be researched thoroughly before using on future batches.I however only recommend you use these 3 teas for the health of you & the K-tea & cultures. Other herbal teas do permanently weaken the Kombucha culture or can kill it.
5. Only buy plain regular green,black or white tea w/no extras to make the sweet tea,Never use decaffteas.& I stress to you that its important to buy quality teas. Remember the culture is living on the tea & you will be drinking the results.Cheap brands effect the quality & PH of baby cultures & the K-tea.
6. Using Flavored tea for your Kombuchatea (K-tea) is bad. Like “Earl Grey” is a flavored tea,it’s black tea blended w/Bergamot oil.All oils,extras or flavors even natural can alter the make up of your culture & K-tea while fermenting. Never use teas with any extras,natural extras or flavors,oils,sage,mint,orange,etc. You can however add flavors & these other teas etc to your K-tea after the tea has been fermented & you have removed/harvested your cultures.(see above for adding flavor & secondary fermentation info )
7. Make sure to save some K-tea from each finished batch as your starter tea for the nextbatches.
8. Don’t ever use any K-tea you add flavors etc to as a starter tea,flavors can gradually put PH out of balance eventually causing the culture to mold or kill it,also causes the composition of the culture to be changed.
9. Kombuchacultures (scoby) won’t always look perfect,As a matter of fact they can have imperfections, Such as gas bubble holes,ridges,slime,brown spots,transparent areas & other holes or discolorations & still be healthy.
10. You can put a kombucha culture in the sweet tea either side up,it really doesn’t matter,It also doesn’t matter if the culture sinks,floats,hangs sideways or floats up & down.(I prefer the ones that sink).
11. Always use Distilled white vinegar as the final rinse before using anything that will come in contact with cultures the sweet tea or the fermented k-tea(don’t rinse vinegar off)you can allow the vinegar to dry on jars etc if so desired.
12. Never use apple cider vinegar before the fermentation or near the culture, However it can be added to your glass of K-tea just before drinking,as it has many health benefits. (raw vinegar can cause vinegar ells).
13. If you have to discard your tea due to a problem,As long as you have a healthy culture you can use 1/2 to 1 cup distilled white vinegar as the starter tea allow extra fermenting days if you have no starter mixed in.
14. A Kombuchaculture isn’t a mushroom as it is sometimes called,its a scoby.S-C-O-B-Y stands for:Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria & Yeasts (AKA:kombucha culture)
15. Neveruse artificial sweeteners,sugar substitutes or honey to replace sugar.(if you want a honey jun kombucha I do sell them).
    
16. How to tell a culture has gotten to old to use–As the culture ages it changes.When its old the culture turns brown &/or is very limp & slimy.(usually from 3 to 8 ferment’s/batches see my guide).
17. Store all unused cultures in a glass jar covered w/starter tea &/or distilled white vinegar up to 2 months.
18. If you store kombucha culture or starter tea in the fridge for any length of time,the fermenting can go slower.The longer it’s stored the longer it’ll take to ferment.If you stored the culture &/or starter tea 10 days or under allow extra 2-5 days to fermenting time etc.Make sure that the culture stays covered with K-tea or distilled white vinegar while stored in the fridge.Storing at room temp ages the cultures.

Additional Info

Pot for boiling sweet tea- ONLY use a stainless steel or glass pot for boiling sweet tea.Don’t use pots such as: Aluminum,Teflon,Cast Iron etc for boiling sweet tea, they add dangerous toxins &/or elements into the water while using that can kill or alter kombucha.

If you don’t have 1 of the right pots: (This is untested by me,but buyers report good results from this method)Some buyers who don’t have the right pots have used a microwave safe glass container with 1-2 cups of water & brought it to a boil in the microwave then added all the needed sugar & tea bags,stir,left it 20 minutes,add it with remainder of pure water needed to do the size batch being made, if not cool enough let cool before adding culture & starter tea.(only do this with water of the highest quality).Make sure to save room in the jar for adding the culture & starter tea.

Fermenting containers,jars & breathable covers–

1. Only use clear glass when fermenting(& storing) as kombucha will detoxify its container,Don’t use plastic,pottery,ceramic,crocks”glazed or unglazed”,Jars older than 5 yrs,colored glass or crystal containers (all lead dangers),K-tea will leach toxins from these that will harm the cultures & you.The babies grown & tea will be contaminated.Reusable glass Jars of: mayo,apple sauce,spaghetti sauce,pickle or canning jar etc work great.
2. Use a coffee filter,paper towel or cut up cloth etc for breathable cover. Makes sure the cover won’t allow bugs in.(Cheesecloth is not at all recommended)

Fermentation time & how to taste-

1. The 1st batch fermenting for 15-21 even 30 days may be needed.Normal batches are best at 8-12 days,during warm months 8-10.In some cases longer ferments make stronger K-tea.
2. To start tasting K-tea to know how long you want to ferment to your taste, Stick a straw in it put your finger over the end & draw a little out.(Try not to disturb the baby culture to much,put straw between the baby culture & the side of the jar.)Pictured.

Smell,bubbles & yeast cells-

1. During the fermentation process,you may smell a vinegary kombucha smell in the area.
2. Not all batches will have visible fermentation gas bubbles(fizz,CO2).~So you may not smell anything or see bubbles with every batch.
3. Yeast cells or slime strings in the finished K-tea are fine to consume, however, many people prefer to strain these out before drinking K-tea.

Storing K-tea-after you’ve pulled kombucha cultures from the finished tea,refrigerate the K-tea if you don’t it will keep fermenting.Best to store in clear glass(if jar has metal lid cover opening of jar w/ plastic wrap,or put lid in a ziplock then screw on),Stays good around 30 daysstored in glass in fridge.If you use plastic to store K-tea only use food grade but I don’t recommend any plastic,it can cause the tea to be to acidic & have a off taste.Never store in Milk/water jugs.Read info about adding flavors & Fizz.

Starter tea,K-tea & kind of vinegar-The term starter tea just means fermented kombucha tea=(K-tea).Don’tuse anything other than K-tea or distilled white vinegar as ‘starter tea’. Distilled white vinegar is acetic acid with no remaining mold or yeast cells. Most of the other vinegarscan contain mold or yeast spores, Distilled white vinegar is a germ fighter, antibacterial, anti-fungal,& as a addedbenefit rinses soap & Chlorine residues off.Other vinegars also change the kombucha cultures PH balance & composition.

Growth of original culture “mother”-The original may seembigger w/a baby on it,but cultures don’t continue to grow after they are pulled from jars they grew in.Once a baby is in its own batch of sweet tea it is a “mother” & will grow a baby.

A thin/clear or blotchy baby culture after 10 days.-The 1st batch may be like this (The original culture has to snap back from being mailed sometimes) But if it grew even a thin layer or blotchy baby culture all is OK, If you want just give it a few more days to ferment.This can also happen when the PH is out of balance or during cooler weather.See my info/picture pages. Thin babies can’t do their own batches but can be added with the original on the next batch to help jumpstart that batch.

The brown slime strings & sludge that forms in K-tea-Allof the slime,sludge,globs(spent yeast cells & tea tannins)that forms in fermenting K-tea are safe to drink if you want,you can strain them or drink them. If you do not drink them use the sludgy part in the bottom of your batch of K-tea in the starter for the next batch.

F.A.Q’s

What about rinsing or washing the Kombucha mushrooms/culture in water?- No don’tput any water on the culture,even pure water can put the PH out of balance increasing chances of mold.If you feel you must rinse the culture put distilled white vinegar in a bowl with the scoby & clean with hands.Using this method &/or leaving to soak overnight in bowl can help if/when the PH of the kombucha culture does get out of balance, but as a general rule cultures do not need cleaning.

What should I avoid having near kombuchas that can kill or cause to mold?

Do I have mold?

• Never use any vinegar other than Distilled white.
• Don’t use sweet tea that is still to warm,
• Don’t havewhere anything is sprayed or near: chemicals,cleaners,bug sprays,Fragrances,paint fumes,fire places.
• Don’t have to close to where grease is cooked.
• No smoking,
• No chlorine water,no anti-bacterial soaps to clean utensils or jars etc.(alternative to harsh cleaners is distilled white vinegar, It kills 99% of bad germs/bacteria leaving the good)
• You can gradually kill a culture over successive ferments with ginger,cinnamon.Any herbs/spices should only be added in secondary fermentation,never allow them in the starter or near cultures.
• Always do the final rinse on anything you’re using forkombucha with distilled white vinegar to remove contaminants.

I see dark slime,spots,strings,clumps is this mold?-

1. Sometimes the yeast cells or tea tannins get caught in the forming culture & causes grayish,brownish &/or greenish slime that can be seen on/in the tea,or on/in cultures,it is all OK.(Can also happen while K-tea is in fridge)
2. It may look like mold.But if its wet,slimy bubbly etc or under the surface of the tea its not mold.
3. 90% of what beginner kombucha makers think is mold is the newly forming baby culture as it starts growing across the top of the tea &/or tannins or yeast cells,slime strings forming in/on the tea.
4. The culture protects itself from mold when healthy fermentation is taking place,it possesses great skill in the killing of molds.
5. However it can sometimes occur.A mold spot resembles the mold you find on a piece of bread-green,pink,grey & is dry,powdery,fuzzy,spiny,hairy in look.
6. If you get mold throw out & start over completely.Discard culture & Don’t drink tea from that batch.
7. Remember mold will be on the surface not in the tea.
8. During fermenting you might see a spiny,hairy,web like formation coming from the bottom of the tea or cultures, this is OK & part of the process of the tea fermenting & baby forming.

What does the forming “baby” culture look like?-Thebaby culture will look like a layer of skin growing across the surface of the K-tea to the size & shape of the jar or a membrane floating on the top of the tea & may look like mold at first, So don’t dump your K-tea.The new culture forming can look cloudy/clear or be a creamy whiteish &/or grayish skin,film/layer across the top of tea until formed,sometimes w/foam &/or bubbles & brownish spots.(sometimes it will be clear,slimy or blotchy)This is normal.The baby will only be attached to the mother if the mother is floating on the surface during fermentation, when they are attached just peal them apart if desired.If the mother sinks the baby will be separate already.

My original culture sank to the bottom,or is sideways in the jar, Why?-Just remember the culture is living, A scoby that falls to the bottom is fine even if it stays there or moves back up anyplace the original culture wants to be in the jar during fermentation is fine,it makes no difference at all.Its all OK.(I prefer the batches where the culture stays on the bottom of the jar) However you really don’t want the forming baby culture to fall under the tea, because then it will stop forming.

My Tea still taste very sweet, why? As long as you used the right amount of sugar when making the sweet tea,your tea may due to the temps or other factors needs to go longer (15-30 days).You may have to adjust fermenting days for winter/summer.The first few batches after getting your culture mailed may take longer as well & might be sweeter.

My tea is cloudy,is it safe?,Did I do something wrong?-Cloudy tea will happen sometimes & is safe as long as a thin baby culture grew with no mold.Just strain the K-tea & refrigerate as normal. The taste will be the same.Try cleaning the jar after each use making sure to rinse w/distilled white vinegar & not rinsing it off.

My tea doesn’t look dark enough or taste strong enough, Why?-Everyonestaste are different,you may like 8 tea bags per gallon in some brands, But other brands 15+ bags. You will learn your own taste. Don’t worry about finished tea color to much& even tea type(white,green or black) effects the color & taste. (Some brands are weaker & it may be necessary to use more bags)

Can I eat the Kombucha cultures?: They are perfectly fine to consume if so desired, You can eat them for more probiotic benefits.

More info

The baby culture didn’t form on the tea even after waiting 21 days: If a batch of K-tea doesn’t grow at least a clear/thin skin like layer of a baby culture on top of the tea by 21 days,something went wrong. If even a clear thin baby grew even if its no longer on the surface then the tea is fine. Don’t drink a batch of K-tea that doesn’t grow at least a thin layer/skin on the surface.Check as the baby might have fallen below the surface, if it did the tea is fine.If nothing grew at all contact me.

What kind of water do I use for the sweet tea? does it matter? The water is very important,Use only water such as: Purified,filtered,RO,(never use Tap water w/out 1 of these systems) or good well water.You can buy Jugs of spring or purified water etc. Don’t use Jugs of “Drinking” water or City or County water they have Chlorine & Fluoride in them & will kill &/or mold cultures.

Caffeine content in Kombucha tea: After you ferment kombucha tea there will still be small amounts of natural caffeine in the tea. Black tea will have the highest amount,Natural caffeine is different than synthetic caffeine & can be better tolerated by your body.

How to safely remove caffeine before making Kombucha tea. 1st batch & every once in awhilethe kombucha needs caffeine.Don’t ever buy decafftea,instead get your pot of water for your sweet tea boiling, at the same time get a small pot of water boiling, when small pot starts rolling boil drop all your tea bags in it. Wait 30 seconds & carefully remove the tea bags & drop them in your larger sweet tea pot. Now dump out the smaller pot of hot tea water. This works well for “most” people since almost all caffeine is released in the first 20+ seconds of boiling. Small amounts of caffeine can remain behind after this method, but the amount will still be the same or less than decafftea.Decaff teas you buy can be from 95% to 99% caffeine free so they still have caffeine.The process most company’s use to make the decafftea decaffdoesn’t work well with Kombucha.So again don’tbuy decaff or caffeine free teas.

Sugar info

Sugars to use: Raw,organic,regular white,turbinado,or natural sugars are all fine(refined or not)such as from your local healthfood,grocery store,etc.Brown sugar is also fine(no powdered sugars).Alt: Sucanator Rapaduracan be mixed equal parts w/any sugar.1TBS pure Molasses can also be mixed w/normal amount of sugar(brown sugar already contains molasses).Regular white sugar is cheap & works very well. Organic sugars would be even better. Sugar is used by the yeasts during fermentation, & is broken down & transformed into acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes & carbon dioxide.Sugar is also involved in the formation of the baby Kombucha culture. At the end of the fermentation time,if done correctly the sugar will have been virtually all converted & there should be little or no sugar left in the kombucha tea(K-tea).

Don’t use sugar substitutes: Don’t use sugar substitutes.You may have heard about drinking K-tea for weight loss,but you still need to use sugar.Never use Splenda,Nutri-Sweet or Equal etc when making K-tea,these artificial sweeteners all have toxic chemicals & will kill kombucha.

Stevia: I was telling buyers not to use Stevia,new research shows it can be used if desired,for best results mix 1/2 & 1/2 w/sugar.

Don’t use honey: Using honey instead of sugar can kill or cripple some of the kombuchashealthy bacteria (honey has its own healthy bacteria that competes with kombucha bacteria causing to much yeast to grow) Honey can be used in glass or secondary fermentation.

Diabetes or sugar tolerance info: If you have sugar problems,or must watch your sugar intake, longer ferments are better allowing for the fermenting to use up the sugar content,15-30 days depending on temps.Or use 1/2 the sugar amount & 1TBS Molasses in place of the full sugar amount,Ferment 8-10 days this way. Or use the thealt of equal parts Sucanat & sugar.

Kombucha culture info

Can I ferment K-tea in Plastic?- Never ferment in plastic of any kind.Storing the finished K-tea in Food grade plastic is OK for short periods of time,but is not recommended as it causes the tea to get more acidic & alters the taste & PH levels.(See info on fermenting jars on page 2)

How many cultures per jar or size jar?: Its OK,If you want to use more than 1 culture per fermenting jar,or if you don’t want to remove the baby culture from the mother culture.You can have multiple cultures in 1 jar or a Kombucha colony/stack.Also a little culture can be used in a bigger jar, you just might need to give it longer to ferment is all.

Cutting or ripping bigger cultures to make extras: I don’t recommend you do this with your 1st culture or with a thin/smaller culture. But its safe to do & wont hurt the cultures to be torn in 2-4 pieces,use your hands & just tear it,or use a plastic knife (never use metal).

I’m confused by all the different names for kombucha: Kombuchacultures & Kombuchatea are called by many names among them are KombuchaMushroom,SCOBY,Manchurian mushroom,Bambucha,Combucha,K-tea on & onbut they are all Kombucha cultures.

What is the difference between a mother & a baby culture?: A kombucha baby is the newest formed culture from the batch but it is the same as a mother & becomes a mother as soon as its put in its own jar of sweet tea.The mother is the original that you placed in the sweet tea. So the terms mother/baby are all referring to the kombucha culture & are the same.

How to make a sourdough bred starter with kombucha tea here

How to make Coffee-Bucha, Probiotic coffee using Kombucha

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& NFR6K Reviews

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More products I love by Tropical Traditions: Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil – Green label Virgin coconut oil – Palm Oil – Palm shortening – Extra Virgin Olive oil – Black Cumin Seed oil – Organic Sesame oil – Coconut water Vinegar – Organic Apple cider vinegar – Balsamic vinegar – Pink Himalayan salt – Organic spices – Organic Whole Unbleached Sugar – Grass-Fed butter & more.

“If you order by clicking on any of my links & order from Tropical Traditions & have never ordered from them in the past, you might receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, & I will receive a discount coupon for referring you”

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I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. Thank you for reading my blog & supporting me on the journey to share #NFR6K Cheree