We sent you 2 scobies by air mail yesterday, from Wheaton MD.

[Guest guest]

Dear Bill,

The post office clerk wouldn't let me declare, " two probiotic scobies, " and,

" one kombucha tea.:

So my friend checked, " Two kombucha teas. "

I hope your postal authorities will let you have them. They said it could take

six to ten days or more.

A few months ago, someone in Canada was sending me scobies, but they never

arrived. Did our authorities stop them?

My friend packed and taped everything very carefully, wouldn't let me put in an

ice bag, too.

I brew in large, square Corningware pots, so these scobies are huge. You could

cut them down to the size of the opening of your pots.

Some people boil the tea and sugar in a small pan, steep, and then add cold

water.

I bring almost 4 quarts of water to a boil, add 1 1/2 cups of white sugar to it

and boil the mixture for five minutes.

After turning the mixture off, I add three bags of Lipton's black tea, 1 bag of

white tea and 1 bag of green tea, and let steep, covered, for 20 minutes.

When it has cooled enough to get my hands in the pot, I remove the tea bags and

add one or two scobies. Mine usually stay on top of the liquid.

Then I pour about a cup of KT on top of those scobies, for starter, or add a cup

of distilled, white vinegar if I have no KT.

I cover it with a towel, secured with a big rubber band and place it in a warm,

quiet place to brew.

My scobies like it quite warm, so I can sometimes harvest in 5 1/2 days. This is

the first Kombucha Tea that I have ever made that had a bite to it. I can drink

only two ounces of it, diluted. My family likes that bite.

We drank 8 oz. a day of my previous brews when my son was here.

When I harvest, I don't remove the scoby until I have everything ready. Then I

pour the KT quickly into a gallon glass grape juice jug, cap it tightly with a

double layer of plastic under the lid, and place it in the refrigerator.

That way I keep the fizz and any buzz, and it never turns to viengar. When I

opened one, several weeks old, yesterday, it popped.

i won't risk exploding glass, so I never keep my KT outside the refrig in tight,

glass containers. Others have had theirs explode in a few days.

I know that many on the Kombucha List prefer to keep everything relating to

Kombucha outside the refrig. I left some scobies uncovered in a pot on the floor

once. I was planning to put them under my bushes.

They got white maggots from fruit flies. Luckily, I haven't seen fruit flies

around here for many years.

I keep my extra scobies in the refrigorator, in a glass bowl or another

Corningware pot, with enough KT or distilled white vinegar on them to keep them

from molding.

I gave my grandson two of my best scobies. He never got around to brew and let

them mold. He has two of my pots and two of my half gallon glass pickle jars.

I give my KT to my daughters who insist on straining it through a plastic

scrainer.

Bill, I believe that you are an experienced brewer. I am sure that you have your

own methods of brewing. I have been making KT since the Blizzard of 96.

Do let me know if the box ever reaches you, what condition is was in, and if you

have any success brewing.

Blessings on you all. LOve. MArge.