Guest guest Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 What exactly is in black and green tea that makes the kombucha grow? Is is the caffeine? I would like to use other teas such as mulberry leaves but am reluctant. In Thailand ive seen 3 different types of kombucha-like drinks being sold. The first is made from Houttunia Cordata Thunb leaves and brown sugar. This drink is known for curing cancer and other heavy illnesses. It has a high reputation and is sold internationally. So far i havent been able to find any sources of the leaves where i live. The second is made from black ginger and honey. It is unpopular and ive seen only one shop selling it. Black ginger is easily available and i am looking into fermenting some into a drink. The third is made from a variety of fruits that have been fermenting for over 10 years. I dont know much more about it so i will look more into it. I first make kombucha over 5 years ago back in the states. All i used was green tea, white sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Thats is. No scoby or starter was used. I didnt add any kombucha culture or any kombucha from a previous batch. Just tea, sugar, and raw vinegar. I got the baby growing on the first try. A few months later i moved and have forgotten about kombucha since then. Now i am back into kombucha due to new health problems. Ive made several attempts but failed at each one. I used other vinegars when making it, so i think i must go back to using apple cider. It is bit expensive here and if its irradiated before entering the country then that would kill the chance of the kombucha growing. Leif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Lief If you used raw apple cider vinegar then you did NOT have Kombucha, what you had was flavored Vinegar. Also beneficial to your health. You can if necessary create a Kombucha culture using DISTILLED white vinegar- it takes a while but it does work. Mother of Vinegar and a true Kombucha scoby are very similar in appearance but not in content. Search the web and you will find your answers. Zoe groupleif wrote: > What exactly is in black and green tea that makes the kombucha grow? Is is the caffeine? I would like to use other teas such as mulberry leaves but am reluctant. > > In Thailand ive seen 3 different types of kombucha-like drinks being sold. The first is made from Houttunia Cordata Thunb leaves and brown sugar. This drink is known for curing cancer and other heavy illnesses. It has a high reputation and is sold internationally. So far i havent been able to find any sources of the leaves where i live. > > The second is made from black ginger and honey. It is unpopular and ive seen only one shop selling it. Black ginger is easily available and i am looking into fermenting some into a drink. > > The third is made from a variety of fruits that have been fermenting for over 10 years. I dont know much more about it so i will look more into it. > > I first make kombucha over 5 years ago back in the states. All i used was green tea, white sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Thats is. No scoby or starter was used. I didnt add any kombucha culture or any kombucha from a previous batch. Just tea, sugar, and raw vinegar. I got the baby growing on the first try. A few months later i moved and have forgotten about kombucha since then. > > Now i am back into kombucha due to new health problems. Ive made several attempts but failed at each one. I used other vinegars when making it, so i think i must go back to using apple cider. It is bit expensive here and if its irradiated before entering the country then that would kill the chance of the kombucha growing. > > Leif > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 Newbie here… I’ve read some recipes online that suggest adding a ¼ cup of white vinegar to your brew to give it a kickstart…. What are all your thoughts on this? Thank you Kerry From: kombucha tea [mailto:kombucha tea ] On Behalf Of sweetiekins424 Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 8:50 PM kombucha tea Subject: Re: What is it? If you were fermenting tea using just vinegar, without a mother culture, then it's likely that the baby that grew in your tea was a mother of vinegar culture. They look identical to kombucha cultures, but do not contain the same acids and beneficial bacterias. It will still ferment the tea, but your tea will be missing crucial elements that make the tea good for you in the first place. To answer your question, it is the caffeine that fuels the kombucha culture. The yeasts live off the sugar. This is why a serving size of properly fermented kombucha contains roughly the same amount of caffeine as two sips of coffee. Small amounts of caffeine are still left after fermentation. Once you start making your kombucha and have baby cultures, then try experimenting with cultures in different types of tea. It's mostly trial and error. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 In message <4a9663b6.07025a0a.2b87.232b@...> you wrote: > Newbie here… > > I’ve read some recipes online that suggest adding a ¼ cup of white vinegar > to your brew to give it a kickstart…. What are all your thoughts on this? Kerry, hello! Distilled vinegar (no Mother of vinegar culture!) is only advised if you have no acidic KT to add to your sweet tea and scoby, but if you have no KT starter, distilled vinegar gives your brew good protective acidity against mold. All the best! Margret:-) -- +------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+ http://www.newlifederby.org.uk http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 In message <4a9663b6.07025a0a.2b87.232b@...> you wrote: > Newbie here… > > I’ve read some recipes online that suggest adding a ¼ cup of white vinegar > to your brew to give it a kickstart…. What are all your thoughts on this? Kerry, hello! Distilled vinegar (no Mother of vinegar culture!) is only advised if you have no acidic KT to add to your sweet tea and scoby, but if you have no KT starter, distilled vinegar gives your brew good protective acidity against mold. All the best! Margret:-) -- +------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+ http://www.newlifederby.org.uk http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 You don't have to add white vinegar to kick start the fermentation process as long as you're adding starter tea. I would say that starter tea is actually the preferred method because it contains many beneficial bacterias and yeasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 You don't have to add white vinegar to kick start the fermentation process as long as you're adding starter tea. I would say that starter tea is actually the preferred method because it contains many beneficial bacterias and yeasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Adding to Zoe's contribution ... So far as I am aware its only purpose is to acidify the mix and reduce the likelihood of mo(u)ld. Given sufficient starter your brew will have the required acidity without recourse to vinegar. . (UK) ________________________________ From: zoew Sent: Thursday, 27 August, 2009 15:07:46 Kerry, This is done in the absence of a scoby and/or some starter brew. If you have both of those things there is no need for the vinegar and it must be distilled white vinegar if you use it at all. zoe Kerry Darden wrote: > Newbie here... > I've read some recipes online that suggest adding a ¼ cup of white vinegar > to your brew to give it a kickstart.... What are all your thoughts on this? > Thank you > Kerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 I am reluctant to use distilled white vinegar because it could be made from petroleum. I cant tell if the vinegar is made from petroleum or not just by looking at the bottle. There are about 4 different brands of white vinegar in Thailand. Now, if i were to use vinegar made from petroleum, would that have a bad effect? How exactly does the kombucha grow with only using distilled vinegar? > > Lief > > If you used raw apple cider vinegar then you did NOT have Kombucha, > what you had was flavored Vinegar. Also beneficial to your health. > > You can if necessary create a Kombucha culture using DISTILLED > white vinegar- it takes a while but it does work. > > Mother of Vinegar and a true Kombucha scoby are very similar in > appearance but not in content. Search the web and you will find your > answers. > > Zoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 WHATTT!?!? How? . ________________________________ From: groupleif <groupleif@...> kombucha tea Sent: Friday, 28 August, 2009 17:43:13 Subject: Re: What is it? I am reluctant to use distilled white vinegar because it could be made from petroleum. I cant tell if the vinegar is made from petroleum or not just by looking at the bottle. There are about 4 different brands of white vinegar in Thailand. Now, if i were to use vinegar made from petroleum, would that have a bad effect? How exactly does the kombucha grow with only using distilled vinegar? > > Lief > > If you used raw apple cider vinegar then you did NOT have Kombucha, > what you had was flavored Vinegar. Also beneficial to your health. > > You can if necessary create a Kombucha culture using DISTILLED > white vinegar- it takes a while but it does work. > > Mother of Vinegar and a true Kombucha scoby are very similar in > appearance but not in content. Search the web and you will find your > answers. > > Zoe ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Sugar+ water+ Yeasty beasties = Alcohol. Alcohol >> Acetaldehyde >> Acetic acid (aka vinegar) How does petrol get in on the act? . (UK) A.B.A.L.T.A.T. " Any, LEGAL, topic which other groups would consider Off-Topic. " http://uk./group/ABALTAT/ ________________________________ From: groupleif <groupleif@...> kombucha tea Sent: Friday, 28 August, 2009 17:43:13 Subject: Re: What is it? I am reluctant to use distilled white vinegar because it could be made from petroleum. I cant tell if the vinegar is made from petroleum or not just by looking at the bottle. There are about 4 different brands of white vinegar in Thailand. Now, if i were to use vinegar made from petroleum, would that have a bad effect? How exactly does the kombucha grow with only using distilled vinegar? > > Lief > > If you used raw apple cider vinegar then you did NOT have Kombucha, > what you had was flavored Vinegar. Also beneficial to your health. > > You can if necessary create a Kombucha culture using DISTILLED > white vinegar- it takes a while but it does work. > > Mother of Vinegar and a true Kombucha scoby are very similar in > appearance but not in content. Search the web and you will find your > answers. > > Zoe ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 http://tinychoices.com/2008/05/07/is-vinegar-made-from-petroleum/ . (UK) ________________________________ From: groupleif <groupleif@...> kombucha tea Sent: Friday, 28 August, 2009 17:43:13 Subject: Re: What is it? I am reluctant to use distilled white vinegar because it could be made from petroleum. I cant tell if the vinegar is made from petroleum or not just by looking at the bottle. There are about 4 different brands of white vinegar in Thailand. Now, if i were to use vinegar made from petroleum, would that have a bad effect? How exactly does the kombucha grow with only using distilled vinegar? > > Lief > > If you used raw apple cider vinegar then you did NOT have Kombucha, > what you had was flavored Vinegar. Also beneficial to your health. > > You can if necessary create a Kombucha culture using DISTILLED > white vinegar- it takes a while but it does work. > > Mother of Vinegar and a true Kombucha scoby are very similar in > appearance but not in content. Search the web and you will find your > answers. > > Zoe ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Me again. If it is, chemically CH3COOH. Two carbons, two oxygens and four Hydrogens why/how does it matter how they get there? . (UK) A.B.A.L.T.A.T. " Any, LEGAL, topic which other groups would consider Off-Topic. " http://uk./group/ABALTAT/ ________________________________ From: groupleif <groupleif@...> kombucha tea Sent: Friday, 28 August, 2009 17:43:13 Subject: Re: What is it? I am reluctant to use distilled white vinegar because it could be made from petroleum. I cant tell if the vinegar is made from petroleum or not just by looking at the bottle. There are about 4 different brands of white vinegar in Thailand. Now, if i were to use vinegar made from petroleum, would that have a bad effect? How exactly does the kombucha grow with only using distilled vinegar? > > Lief > > If you used raw apple cider vinegar then you did NOT have Kombucha, > what you had was flavored Vinegar. Also beneficial to your health. > > You can if necessary create a Kombucha culture using DISTILLED > white vinegar- it takes a while but it does work. > > Mother of Vinegar and a true Kombucha scoby are very similar in > appearance but not in content. Search the web and you will find your > answers. > > Zoe ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Well done , thanks for sharing this info. Like you and others I had never even considered this a possibility. Z Kane wrote: > http://tinychoices.com/2008/05/07/is-vinegar-made-from-petroleum/ > > . > (UK) > > ________________________________ > From: groupleif <groupleif@...> > kombucha tea > Sent: Friday, 28 August, 2009 17:43:13 > Subject: Re: What is it? > > I am reluctant to use distilled white vinegar because it could be made from petroleum. I cant tell if the vinegar is made from petroleum or not just by looking at the bottle. There are about 4 different brands of white vinegar in Thailand. Now, if i were to use vinegar made from petroleum, would that have a bad effect? How exactly does the kombucha grow with only using distilled vinegar? > > > >> Lief >> >> If you used raw apple cider vinegar then you did NOT have Kombucha, >> what you had was flavored Vinegar. Also beneficial to your health. >> >> You can if necessary create a Kombucha culture using DISTILLED >> white vinegar- it takes a while but it does work. >> >> Mother of Vinegar and a true Kombucha scoby are very similar in >> appearance but not in content. Search the web and you will find your >> answers. >> >> Zoe >> > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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