Re: Why is store bought Kombucha not as good as home brew?

January 12, 2011

Hey M,

My bet is it has something to do with the fact that most of us home brewers are

giving drinks to out friends straight from our brew jugs, or with a max a few

days in bottles, and as a chef i can assure you that nothing on a shelf in a

store is that fresh [or wild ;-)].

-G

To: original_kombucha

From: twincitieserrands@...

Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:44:35 +0000

Subject: Why is store bought Kombucha not as good as home brew?

Hi all,

I made my first kombucha mess last week by over-vinegaring my very first batch.

BUT, I started again and used a few cups of that as a starter. I can't wait for

it to be done!!! Meanwhile, I've been buying store bought.... ummm. Cause I

crave it to death. And it DEFINITELY doesn't taste as good as the home brews

that I've tried recently and in the past. Can anyone tell me why? No matter what

flavor I get, it's good, but not yummy and fabulous like the home stuff. Thank

you!!!

-

January 12, 2011

Hey M,

My bet is it has something to do with the fact that most of us home brewers are

giving drinks to out friends straight from our brew jugs, or with a max a few

days in bottles, and as a chef i can assure you that nothing on a shelf in a

store is that fresh [or wild ;-)].

-G

To: original_kombucha

From: twincitieserrands@...

Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:44:35 +0000

Subject: Why is store bought Kombucha not as good as home brew?

Hi all,

I made my first kombucha mess last week by over-vinegaring my very first batch.

BUT, I started again and used a few cups of that as a starter. I can't wait for

it to be done!!! Meanwhile, I've been buying store bought.... ummm. Cause I

crave it to death. And it DEFINITELY doesn't taste as good as the home brews

that I've tried recently and in the past. Can anyone tell me why? No matter what

flavor I get, it's good, but not yummy and fabulous like the home stuff. Thank

you!!!

-

January 12, 2011

Depending on how much you are brewing, " a few cups " of *any* starter could still

be too much. I would suggest checking this batch frequently, because " too much "

starter just means that it will brew more quickly than you'd expect.

Basic rule of thumb that I first read and have been using for months now is that

10% of the brew should be previously-brewed KT (or pasteurized vinegar if you

don't have a previous brew) - so if " a few cups " is, say, 2 cups - then if

you're brewing 20 cups, that's all well and good. So if you're brewing a gallon

or so, that would be good (maybe a tiny bit high but not bad). But if " a few

cups " is closer to 3 cups, that's a lot more - do you see? So if you're

expecting it to be ready in a week but you used significantly more than 10%

starter, I'd check it in 3 days or so just to be sure. No problem with checking

early and finding that it needs more brewing time - but it's frustrating to

check late and find that it's already vinegar. As you have already discovered.

Just my 2 cents.

Pippa

January 12, 2011

hahaha. This might be mistake brew #2 then. Yes. It was two cups for 1 gallon

of tea. Yikes. I'll check tomorrow. I wonder if I'll EVER get it right. I wonder

if mine will ever taste as good as some of the stuff I've tried. Oh dear.

>

> Depending on how much you are brewing, " a few cups " of *any* starter could

still be too much. I would suggest checking this batch frequently, because " too

much " starter just means that it will brew more quickly than you'd expect.

>

> Basic rule of thumb that I first read and have been using for months now is

that 10% of the brew should be previously-brewed KT (or pasteurized vinegar if

you don't have a previous brew) - so if " a few cups " is, say, 2 cups - then if