Guest guest Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Have you thought about the alcohol content? I am pretty sure that's what gives me the slight buzz. It isn't much alcohol but then I don't really drink and have a really clean diet so it doesn't take much for me. Jaxi > I'm new to drinking kombucha, and I'm also very sensitive to caffeine and > sugar. The kombucha I'm making tastes very yummy! Both my husband and I are > enjoying it. > > I seem to be getting a lot of energy from drinking the kombucha and my > concern is that this might be from the caffeine and sugar. I've been > caffeine free for many, many years, and very light on the sugar intake. > > If I drink kombucha in the evening it's hard to go to sleep or I wake up > in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. I'm concerned about > the negative health effects of the caffeine and sugar. > > I've been steeping the tea in hot water for 30 seconds and throwing that > out, then re-steeping the tea for the brew. That's to get as much of the > caffeine out as possible. I've also made the last brew with 50% tea 50% > rooibus. I've also got a brew going with 50% white tea, 50% hibiscus, and a > vanilla bean. It's fun to play with variety and flavors! So we'll see how > those batches affects me. > > I've let my brews go for 10 days on average. I've also bottled and done a > second brew, letting that sit for 5 days at room temp before refrigerating > it. That's been to add more fizz, and to digest more of the sugar. > > Is the energy I'm getting from something else in the kombucha? I guess I'm > wanting to know others experience here to help allay my concerns with > drinking kombucha. > > Thanks! > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Actually one of the main reasons that we let the culture breathe is to let the alcohol and ketones evaporate off. I DO drink, LOL, and I get three distinct buzzes from KT- one from the probiotics and organic acids, one from the caffiene, and then the alcohol- the weakest of the three. I don't get a lot of caffiene because I use very little tea. My batches are very light colored. Any home brewer will tell you that if you vent your fermentation container the alcohol will evaporate off- that's why they have bubblers to let out the C02. The thing to do is play with it and see what you like the best. Subject: Re: kombucha buzz To: original_kombucha Date: Saturday, January 7, 2012, 3:55 PM Have you thought about the alcohol content? I am pretty sure that's what gives me the slight buzz. It isn't much alcohol but then I don't really drink and have a really clean diet so it doesn't take much for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 I appreciate everyone's responses. And I am decaffeinating the tea by pouring boiling water over it and letting it steep for 1 minutes, then throwing that away. That's supposed to get rid of most of the caffeine. I'm also using 1/2 rooibus which is already decaffeinated. I don't drink alcohol either and am on a pretty pure diet too. Alcohol does affect me but this is different. It feels speedier, more like sugar or caffeine. The B vitamin theory is interesting. It would be great if that was what was going on. There are so many different opinions on whether kombucha is good for you or not. I wish there was a way of testing it for sugar and caffeine content. It's made me more aware of sugar intake. I read that a cup of whole milk has about 12 grams sugar. That was an eye opener! > > > > I'm new to drinking kombucha, and I'm also very sensitive to caffeine and sugar. The kombucha I'm making tastes very yummy! Both my husband and I are enjoying it. > > > > I seem to be getting a lot of energy from drinking the kombucha and my concern is that this might be from the caffeine and sugar. I've been caffeine free for many, many years, and very light on the sugar intake. > > > > If I drink kombucha in the evening it's hard to go to sleep or I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. I'm concerned about the negative health effects of the caffeine and sugar. > > > > I've been steeping the tea in hot water for 30 seconds and throwing that out, then re-steeping the tea for the brew. That's to get as much of the caffeine out as possible. I've also made the last brew with 50% tea 50% rooibus. I've also got a brew going with 50% white tea, 50% hibiscus, and a vanilla bean. It's fun to play with variety and flavors! So we'll see how those batches affects me. > > > > I've let my brews go for 10 days on average. I've also bottled and done a second brew, letting that sit for 5 days at room temp before refrigerating it. That's been to add more fizz, and to digest more of the sugar. > > > > Is the energy I'm getting from something else in the kombucha? I guess I'm wanting to know others experience here to help allay my concerns with drinking kombucha. > > > > Thanks! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 > > I've read many different places that the 'buzz' is from the B vitamins. I never really believed it until recently I went to the Dr and he wanted to give me a B12 shot..... a bottle of beer has just as much alcohol as one of my bottle of kombucha and a single beer has NEVER giving me a buzz like kombucha. > > Just my 2 cents, > > > , I hope you are wrong about beer having as much alcohol as your Kombucha. Said another way - I hope your kombucha does not have as much alcohol as beer. The alcohol content of Kombucha is a much discussed topic on this list and the concensus has always been that Kombucha has almost no alcohol - so low as to compare to orange juice. I wouldn't drink it if I thought it was comparable to beer. in Texas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hi Woody, You're right alcohol would help me sleep. I looked for your response on how to measure the sugar and wasn't able to find it. Do you use a hydrometer? My brother has one I could borrow. I used urine dip sticks and they came back a 1++ sugar but I'm not sure what that means if it that test is accurate for kombucha. And yes, I'm using at least 50% black or green tea to feed the scoby. Some websites I've read say to use at least 25% or every 4th time. I'm being conservative. bji > > > I > don't drink alcohol either and am on a pretty pure diet too. Alcohol > does affect me but this is different. It feels speedier, more like sugar > or caffeine. > > > ** There is some alcohol in bucha, but it is a very low percentage. I've heard that apple or other fruit juices bought in the grocery store can have about the same amount (byproduct of fermentation processes in ripe fruit). Also i doubt if alcohol would keep you awake at night, it does the opposite for me. > > > There are so many different opinions on whether kombucha is good for > you or not. I wish there was a way of testing it for sugar and caffeine > content. It's made me more aware of sugar intake. I read that a cup of > whole milk has about 12 grams sugar. That was an eye opener! > > > > > > ** I posted in another reply how to test for sugar, not sure how to test for caffeine. You probably wanna be careful to not eliminate all the caffeine, the scoby may not be able to sustain long term without it, it's part of its expected food supply. > > > Woody > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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