Guest guest Posted September 7, 2008 Report Share Posted September 7, 2008 ok, i have 2 things (or maybe 3 or 4) to spout off about, and keep in mind, it is late, i'm tired, and i've been drinking magaritas -lol- if anyone wants my out-of-this-world recipe, we probably need to go off, off topic, so email me directly rather than to the group. The most common (that i know of in the US) peppermint pattie is York brand. then you have Andes mints (mint flavored chocolate), which dont have the creme center, but on the USA side of the pond, they are frequently given out at restaurants. and if you want more upscale, get a good brand of mint chocolate at whole foods, trader joes, etc. i love chocolate, i love mint, i love them together (Girl Scout thin mint cookies-mmmh), but (here comes the revelance to KT) for some reason, KT and mint together just doesnt sound good. i will try it tho, just to say i did. i grow my own mint (peppermint, spearmint, wooly apple mint, chocolatemint, just to name a few), and to those of you who think you dont have a green thumb, mint is a WEED! it grows despite what you do to stop it. get a small patch growing and it will spread unless you actively keep it in check. i dont, i let it go where it wants, gives me an excuse not to weedeat. it will also grow in a pot, for those with no garden space. so, anytime i want mint in tea, coffee, whatever, all i have to do is step outside a pick a sprig. i dry some too for use in the winter. its nice in the bath, and its awesome to add to homemade soap (way off topic!) and yes it is good for tummy upsets, and i want to hear more about using it to boil potatoes (off topic i know so email me directly) on to my second topic. i could not figure out why ALL my emails from this group came with OK in front when most of the were not from Oklahoma (my home state). oh my, it has taken me the months of my membership to figure out that stands for Original Kombucha, not Oklahoma, LMAO!!! oh, and number three, which really isnt off topic, i too liked GTs. it is the KT that got me hooked, and my first few batches i compared to that taste, but, now a few brews later, i am celebrating diversity. it doesnt have to taste like GTs to be good. i am enjoying a range of tastes from almost too sweet to almost too tart, to a little too yeasty, etc. I quit adding juice to my bottling stage simply because my DH likes it plain and if i add juice, we have to have two open bottles in the fridge and its already packed with my KT and his homemade beer! if my brew is too far from what i want (rare), i can either add more juice or find lots of non-drinking uses for it (see my previous post about hair rinse, etc). i am glad to say i have forgotten exactly what GTs tastes like. so if you are going back and drinking a bottle of GTs and comparing it to yours, stop! develop your own taste for what you are brewing and enjoy the various brews you produce. my favorite so far is from a brick of tea i got from the happy herbalist website. i just break off a small piece of this for a gallon of tea and its like one of those sponges that grows to 30 times its own size! and one more digression, there have been numerous posts about how to stop exploding bottles, and here's my two cents. i secondary ferment in GT bottles as well as beer bottles, and have never had an exploding bottle, but just in case, i put my bottles in the 12-pack boxes that i used to buy GTs in. i usually bought by the case (cheaper) and each box holds 12. chances are, any store that sells it throws these boxes out and will give them to you if you ask. if i am out of these boxes, i use 12-pack Corona boxes, as thats what DH uses to pack his homebrew beer in. in a pinch, even the cardboard six-pack containers from any brand of beer work. if you dont have any, try freecycle. someone in your neighborhood will give you some. happy brewing! LaGrand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2008 Report Share Posted September 7, 2008 Nice post! Now you have me wanting to grow mint...If you have a recipe for a killer mojito, I'd be down! Not so sure about mint KT, though. And Andes Mints " are to die for!! " Yes, I've been comparing my brew to GT's. It did end up tasting very similar. The only thing I can't nail down is the carbonation. I secondary fermented for 2-3 days and had very fizzy, bubbly, foamy action going. But as soon as I refrigerate, it seems to disappear. When I open, there is some carbonation left, but its gone before I can finish the 16 oz. bottle. That's one of my very favorite parts of GT's. It seems to endlessly bubble until the last drop. I'm still experimenting with the best secondary method. I've tried plastic, but I think transferring to the glass is killing some of the carbonation. So now I've tried bottling directly to the flip tops with no airspace, and putting the lid down but not all the way. So its sealed, but not tightly. I can tell its working because when I checked on the bottles today, some of the liquid was gone, and the void was bubbly. I could tell some bubbled out because the sides were sticky. Any tips anyone? Kurt > > ok, i have 2 things (or maybe 3 or 4) to spout off about, and keep in mind, it is late, i'm tired, and i've been drinking magaritas -lol- if anyone wants my out-of-this-world recipe, we probably need to go off, off topic, so email me directly rather than to the group. > � > The most common (that i know of in the US) peppermint pattie is York brand. then you have Andes mints (mint flavored chocolate), which dont have the creme center, but on the USA side of the pond, they are frequently given out at restaurants. and if you�want more upscale,�get a good brand of mint chocolate at whole foods, trader joes, etc. �i love chocolate, i love mint, i love them together (Girl Scout thin mint cookies-mmmh), but (here comes the revelance to KT) for some reason, KT and mint together just doesnt sound good. i will try it tho, just to say i did. > � > �i grow my own mint (peppermint, spearmint, wooly apple mint, chocolatemint, just to name a few), and to those of you who think you dont have a green thumb, mint is a WEED! it grows despite what you do to stop it. get a small patch growing and it will spread unless you actively keep it in check. i dont, i let it go where it wants, gives me an excuse not to weedeat. it will also grow in a pot, for those with no garden space. so, anytime i want mint in tea, coffee, whatever, all i have to do is step outside a pick a sprig. i dry some too for use in the winter. its nice in the bath, and its awesome to add to homemade soap (way off topic!) and yes it is good for tummy upsets, and i want to hear more about using it to boil potatoes (off topic i know so email me directly) > � > on to my second topic. i could not figure out why ALL my emails from this group came with OK in front when most of the were not from Oklahoma (my home state). oh my, it has taken me the months of my membership to figure out that stands for Original Kombucha, not Oklahoma, LMAO!!! > � > oh, and number three, which really isnt off topic, i too liked GTs. it is the KT that got me hooked, and my first few batches i compared to that taste, but, now a few brews later, i am celebrating diversity. it doesnt have to taste like GTs to be good. i am enjoying a range of tastes from almost too sweet to almost too tart, to a little too yeasty, etc. I quit adding juice to my bottling stage simply because my DH likes it plain and if i add juice, we have to have two open bottles in the fridge and its already packed with my KT and his homemade beer! if my brew is too far from�what i want (rare), i can either add more juice or�find lots of non-drinking uses for it (see my previous post about hair rinse, etc). i am glad to say i have forgotten exactly what GTs tastes like. so if you are going back and drinking a bottle of GTs and comparing it to yours, stop! develop your own taste for what you are brewing and enjoy the various�brews you produce. my > favorite so far is from a brick of tea i got from the happy herbalist website. i just break off a small piece of this for a gallon of tea�and its like one of those sponges that grows to 30 times its own size! > � > and one more digression, there have been numerous posts about how to stop exploding bottles, and here's my two cents. i secondary ferment in GT bottles as well as beer bottles, and have never had an exploding bottle, but just in case, i put my bottles in the 12-pack boxes that i used to buy GTs in. i usually bought by the case (cheaper) and each box holds 12. chances are, any store that sells it throws these boxes out and will give them to you if you ask. if i am out of these boxes, i use 12-pack Corona boxes, as thats what DH uses to pack his homebrew beer in. in a pinch, even the cardboard six-pack containers from any brand of beer work. if you dont have any, try freecycle. someone in your neighborhood will give you some. > � > happy brewing! > � > > > LaGrand > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2008 Report Share Posted September 7, 2008 Thanks!! That helps a lot. Yes, I was secondary fermenting in plastic then transferring to the flip tops fearing what seems to be the widespread explosion phenomenon. I guess I will try going directly to swing tops and letting it sit longer. I was under the impression that airspace was undesirable because the secondary ferment is anaerobic and air would inhibit the process. I'm still a bit scared of an explosion but I will try it. Kurt > > > > ok, i have 2 things (or maybe 3 or 4) to spout off about, and keep > in mind, it is late, i'm tired, and i've been drinking magaritas -lol- > if anyone wants my out-of-this-world recipe, we probably need to go > off, off topic, so email me directly rather than to the group. > > � > > The most common (that i know of in the US) peppermint pattie is York > brand. then you have Andes mints (mint flavored chocolate), which dont > have the creme center, but on the USA side of the pond, they are > frequently given out at restaurants. and if you�want more upscale,�get > a good brand of mint chocolate at whole foods, trader joes, etc. �i > love chocolate, i love mint, i love them together (Girl Scout thin > mint cookies-mmmh), but (here comes the revelance to KT) for some > reason, KT and mint together just doesnt sound good. i will try it > tho, just to say i did. > > � > > �i grow my own mint (peppermint, spearmint, wooly apple mint, > chocolatemint, just to name a few), and to those of you who think you > dont have a green thumb, mint is a WEED! it grows despite what you do > to stop it. get a small patch growing and it will spread unless you > actively keep it in check. i dont, i let it go where it wants, gives > me an excuse not to weedeat. it will also grow in a pot, for those > with no garden space. so, anytime i want mint in tea, coffee, > whatever, all i have to do is step outside a pick a sprig. i dry some > too for use in the winter. its nice in the bath, and its awesome to > add to homemade soap (way off topic!) and yes it is good for tummy > upsets, and i want to hear more about using it to boil potatoes (off > topic i know so email me directly) > > � > > on to my second topic. i could not figure out why ALL my emails from > this group came with OK in front when most of the were not from > Oklahoma (my home state). oh my, it has taken me the months of my > membership to figure out that stands for Original Kombucha, not > Oklahoma, LMAO!!! > > � > > oh, and number three, which really isnt off topic, i too liked GTs. > it is the KT that got me hooked, and my first few batches i compared > to that taste, but, now a few brews later, i am celebrating diversity. > it doesnt have to taste like GTs to be good. i am enjoying a range of > tastes from almost too sweet to almost too tart, to a little too > yeasty, etc. I quit adding juice to my bottling stage simply because > my DH likes it plain and if i add juice, we have to have two open > bottles in the fridge and its already packed with my KT and his > homemade beer! if my brew is too far from�what i want (rare), i can > either add more juice or�find lots of non-drinking uses for it (see my > previous post about hair rinse, etc). i am glad to say i have > forgotten exactly what GTs tastes like. so if you are going back and > drinking a bottle of GTs and comparing it to yours, stop! develop your > own taste for what you are brewing and enjoy the various�brews you > produce. my > > favorite so far is from a brick of tea i got from the happy > herbalist website. i just break off a small piece of this for a gallon > of tea�and its like one of those sponges that grows to 30 times its > own size! > > � > > and one more digression, there have been numerous posts about how to > stop exploding bottles, and here's my two cents. i secondary ferment > in GT bottles as well as beer bottles, and have never had an exploding > bottle, but just in case, i put my bottles in the 12-pack boxes that i > used to buy GTs in. i usually bought by the case (cheaper) and each > box holds 12. chances are, any store that sells it throws these boxes > out and will give them to you if you ask. if i am out of these boxes, > i use 12-pack Corona boxes, as thats what DH uses to pack his homebrew > beer in. in a pinch, even the cardboard six-pack containers from any > brand of beer work. if you dont have any, try freecycle. someone in > your neighborhood will give you some. > > � > > happy brewing! > > � > > > > > > LaGrand > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 the fermentation needs air, thats why you dont cover your KT jar. but in the absence of air some of the critters will switch to anaerobic processing, but im not up on the science of it, i just know what works for me. and to get good carbonation, a little head space is helpful. not too much, maybe an inch in a GT bottle works for me. in a long-neck beer bottle, i leave about two-thirds of the neck. hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 LOL, ! All your original kombucha email came from Oklahoma!? :-) I guess, because OK is your home state, that's why you got mixed up easier. I have lots of mint tea too... although I don't use it as an excuse not to weedeat. lol (btw, we have to weedeat all the way around our farm and all the fences and buildings, because we're organic. we can't spray, but we do have three good Echo weedeaters) Anyway, , when I first started making kt, I was rather ignorant of which teas to use and so I just used our good ol' spearmint and wholly leaf meadow tea from the garden. I thought it was good although it didn't grow a scoby right. I don't no if it was because of the mint or not. Later, on this group, I was informed that you can only use cam. sim. or at least fifty percent in each batch or the culture will change. And I do believe it did change. I've never tried it since with my new scoby or its children. Sometime I will for an experiMINT. Rodrick Re: Off Topic Mint Kt ok, i have 2 things (or maybe 3 or 4) to spout off about, and keep in mind, it is late, i'm tired, and i've been drinking magaritas -lol- if anyone wants my out-of-this-world recipe, we probably need to go off, off topic, so email me directly rather than to the group. The most common (that i know of in the US) peppermint pattie is York brand. then you have Andes mints (mint flavored chocolate), which dont have the creme center, but on the USA side of the pond, they are frequently given out at restaurants. and if you want more upscale, get a good brand of mint chocolate at whole foods, trader joes, etc. i love chocolate, i love mint, i love them together (Girl Scout thin mint cookies-mmmh), but (here comes the revelance to KT) for some reason, KT and mint together just doesnt sound good. i will try it tho, just to say i did. i grow my own mint (peppermint, spearmint, wooly apple mint, chocolatemint, just to name a few), and to those of you who think you dont have a green thumb, mint is a WEED! it grows despite what you do to stop it. get a small patch growing and it will spread unless you actively keep it in check. i dont, i let it go where it wants, gives me an excuse not to weedeat. it will also grow in a pot, for those with no garden space. so, anytime i want mint in tea, coffee, whatever, all i have to do is step outside a pick a sprig. i dry some too for use in the winter. its nice in the bath, and its awesome to add to homemade soap (way off topic!) and yes it is good for tummy upsets, and i want to hear more about using it to boil potatoes (off topic i know so email me directly) on to my second topic. i could not figure out why ALL my emails from this group came with OK in front when most of the were not from Oklahoma (my home state). oh my, it has taken me the months of my membership to figure out that stands for Original Kombucha, not Oklahoma, LMAO!!! oh, and number three, which really isnt off topic, i too liked GTs. it is the KT that got me hooked, and my first few batches i compared to that taste, but, now a few brews later, i am celebrating diversity. it doesnt have to taste like GTs to be good. i am enjoying a range of tastes from almost too sweet to almost too tart, to a little too yeasty, etc. I quit adding juice to my bottling stage simply because my DH likes it plain and if i add juice, we have to have two open bottles in the fridge and its already packed with my KT and his homemade beer! if my brew is too far from what i want (rare), i can either add more juice or find lots of non-drinking uses for it (see my previous post about hair rinse, etc). i am glad to say i have forgotten exactly what GTs tastes like. so if you are going back and drinking a bottle of GTs and comparing it to yours, stop! develop your own taste for what you are brewing and enjoy the various brews you produce. my favorite so far is from a brick of tea i got from the happy herbalist website. i just break off a small piece of this for a gallon of tea and its like one of those sponges that grows to 30 times its own size! and one more digression, there have been numerous posts about how to stop exploding bottles, and here's my two cents. i secondary ferment in GT bottles as well as beer bottles, and have never had an exploding bottle, but just in case, i put my bottles in the 12-pack boxes that i used to buy GTs in. i usually bought by the case (cheaper) and each box holds 12. chances are, any store that sells it throws these boxes out and will give them to you if you ask. if i am out of these boxes, i use 12-pack Corona boxes, as thats what DH uses to pack his homebrew beer in. in a pinch, even the cardboard six-pack containers from any brand of beer work. if you dont have any, try freecycle. someone in your neighborhood will give you some. happy brewing! LaGrand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 tThanks for the tips! I went ahead last night and sealed down the flip tops with the existing air space that developed when some of the KT bubbled out. I'm going to let it sit a few more days. One more question. Should I secondary ferment at the same temperature as the initial ferment? Will higher temps during the secondary ferment speed the process? Would it have any adverse effects? Kurt > > the fermentation needs air, thats why you dont cover your KT jar. but in the absence of air some of the critters will switch to anaerobic processing, but im not up on the science of it, i just know what works for me. and to get good carbonation, a little head space is helpful. not too much, maybe an inch in a GT bottle works for me. in a long-neck beer bottle, i leave about two-thirds of the neck. hope that helps. > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Yeah, Kurt. Higher temps will definitely speed the process. About any adverse effects.... I don't know. I don't think the temp is as critical for the secondary ferm. All the beneficial acids should have been developed already in the first ferm. The second ferment is basically for carbonation, according to my understanding. I do think it's a good idea not to transfer the all-ready-carbonated kt as it will lose its carbonation and might not get it back, as you found out. Especially in the fridge. Good luck, Rodrick Re: Off Topic Mint Kt tThanks for the tips! I went ahead last night and sealed down the flip tops with the existing air space that developed when some of the KT bubbled out. I'm going to let it sit a few more days. One more question. Should I secondary ferment at the same temperature as the initial ferment? Will higher temps during the secondary ferment speed the process? Would it have any adverse effects? Kurt > > the fermentation needs air, thats why you dont cover your KT jar. but in the absence of air some of the critters will switch to anaerobic processing, but im not up on the science of it, i just know what works for me. and to get good carbonation, a little head space is helpful. not too much, maybe an inch in a GT bottle works for me. in a long-neck beer bottle, i leave about two-thirds of the neck. hope that helps. > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 i just ferment at the same temp, because i leave it in the same room as the KT container. it was a guest room that we now refer to as the " tea room " because it has taken over every horizontal surface, lol. i think if you tried to ferment at a higher temp you would run the risk of the same problems you would with your initial ferment, plus the added risk of exploding bottles. by the way, one more suggestion. when you refrigerate, you can drink it as soon as it gets to the temp you want, but i have found that after a few days in the fridge, it mellows to a more GT-like flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Awesome. More great tips. Next batch, I'll secondary ferment longer, in the same room as the first ferment, and then refrigerate for a few days. Kurt > > i just ferment at the same temp, because i leave it in the same room as the KT container. it was a guest room that we now refer to as the " tea room " because it has taken over every horizontal surface, lol. i think if you tried to ferment at a higher temp you would run the risk of the same problems you would with your initial ferment, plus the added risk of exploding bottles. by the way, one more suggestion. when you refrigerate, you can drink it as soon as it gets to the temp you want, but i have found that after a few days in the fridge, it mellows to a more GT-like flavor. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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