Re: Trying to narrow down some variables

[Guest guest]

Hi, Viki. (yup, great name! ;-)

> I'm on my third batch of KT and I am still not satisfied

> with my results...

Sorry to hear that!

> My last batch brewed for 8 days and was unbelievably sour

Then don't let it ferment so long! LOL!

Seriously, the longer the kombucha ferments, the more tart

it will become. However, that " unbelievably sour " kt is

ideal to use as starter for your next batch, or to keep

SCOBYs in a hotel (besides salad dressings, etc.).

Which brings us to this:

> the scoby on top in not much more than scum after 7 days

So...?

Don't you realize that the *kombucha* is the end goal, NOT

the SCOBY? It does *NOT* matter if the SCOBY is thick, thin,

non-existent, full of bubbles and holes, lumpy, ugly, etc.

If your goal is to make a nice SCOBY, just put some of your

" unbelievably sour " kt in a jar, cover it, put in a nice, quiet

place, and come back in 3-4 weeks.

But for most of us, the proof is in the liquid! :-)

Your water is fine.

The type of tea and sugar you are using are also fine.

Re. proportions: Different strokes for diff folks. What I

use is 10 teabags per gallon (6 green, 4 black). Folks use

lots of diff teas with great results! Some folks use loose

tea, and just " eyeball " amounts. So really, you should not

sweat the small stuff.

Proportion for sugar: I like to use 1 and 1/2 cups sugar

for one gallon tea. (If I use less, the kt is " watery " .)

If you don't like the taste b/c it is so tart, why not consider

testing the brew significant earlier? (You *CANNOT* judge kt

by SCOBY size/appearance.) Here's what to do:

-- Take a clean drinking straw, insert it in the kombucha

(along the side of the jar, so you can slip the straw past

the SCOBY).

-- Dunk the straw tip slightly below the halfway point of the

liquid.

-- Put your finger over the open top of the straw, to make a seal.

-- Pull out the straw, position it above your open mouth, and

release your finger to taste the liquid.

Remember that a LOT of variables can affect kombucha. A major

variable is temperature. Here in central Florida, sometimes

my batch kt is ready in 5 days!

> I brought the water to boiling, turned off the gas, and

> steeped the tea for about 10 minutes. Too long? Too hot?

I steep mine for 15 minutes, so it is quite strong. Others may

do theirs differently.

> I'm keeping the brewing jars at 75 degrees and assume

> that's fine.

Yup!

Hope this helps. If you have more questions, just ask!

(and believe it or not, many folks are this weirded out

in the beginning. You'll settle down, don't worry!)

Vicki in Orlando

P.S. Don't worry about " scientific jargon " ! Folks didn't

understand it hundreds of years ago, but made great kombucha!

>

> I'm on my third batch of KT and I am still not satisfied with my

> results based on what I'm reading on this site. The latest batch

> seemed to be more active than my first, but the scoby on top in

> not much more than scum after 7 days. I used a mixture of black

> and green tea and organic cane sugar. I've also tried using a

> Gunpowder green tea but it's only been going about 3 days.

>

> I am trying to narrow down some possible things I'm doing wrong

> and hoping you all can help.

>

> Water: well water (hard), softened water, filtered water. I have

> hard well water but have been filtering it, thinking that would

> be better.

>

> Temperature and time to steep tea: I brought the water to boiling,

> turned off the gas, and steeped the tea for about 10 minutes. Too

> long? Too hot?

>

> Amount of tea per quart?

>

> Green Tea: The discussion going on now about green tea is making

> my head spin. Perhaps once I become more proficient at brewing I

> can understand the scientific jargon better. But for now, how hot

> and how long do I brew green tea? I'm almost sure I let it brew way

> too long and hot.

>

> I'm keeping the brewing jars at 75 degrees and assume that's fine.

>

> My last batch brewed for 8 days and was unbelievably sour so I'm

> still not getting something right. I like my KT on the tart side,

> but this stuff makes me pucker right up! (I'm thinking salad

> dressing and hair rinse!)

>

> Sorry for all the newbie questions, but I appreciate any input you

> have.

>

> Viki