Re: Newbie in PA!

[Guest guest]

In message <jn3m4u+skileGroups> you wrote:

> Thanks for letting me join the group and hi everyone!

Greetings, Centaura!

Your brewings sound good to me and you seem to have a nice baby culture

growing on top already.

It is important you should carefully try your brew once it has developed

a slightly acidic smell - I start trying on day 6 od the fermentation

That way you avoid your brew getting too acidic to enjoy.

Your brew will be done when it tastes fine to you.

For tasting you can either use a straw or slightly tilt the jar and pour

off a little into a glass. Then try your up and coming Kombucha.

Nothing to fear! It should taste a little acidic with a sweetish undertone,

kind of like cider does. That is the point when I bottle mine and leave

for a few days to gain a bit of fizz.

Keep reporting back and tell us about your experiences.

Have fun!

Margret :-) UK

I bought a scoby off of eBay, bought a 1.5 gal. sun tea (square) glass jar with

spigot and organic oolong tea for my very first batch. I started it on 04/20

and added about 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar since there was only about 2

ounces of fluid with the scoby. I already have a white bubbly-looking film on

top, little stringies going down to the starter scoby (it sank, then floated,

then sank again!) and the stick-on thermometer says it's at 72-73 degrees.

Everything looks like it's going well. Is there a way to visually tell if it's

ready to use? For some reason I'm a little afraid to taste it!!! Probably

because I've never tried Kombucha in my life and I'm out in the boonies - no

health food stores for 50 miles or more. lol

--

+------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+

http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html

http://bavarianminstrel.wordpress.com

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Meditations/Focus/focus.html

http://creation.com/creation-videos

There is only one living model for being human. That model is Jesus.

[Guest guest]

There is nothing to fear trying your brew. The only " rule " is to keep your brew

jar contents clean. You said you have a spigot. Remove a few ounces and try it.

There is no harm in trying it. It is perfectly fine to drink under fermented, it

is just sweeter than perfect. I try mine throughout the brewing to know when I

want to bottle it. Some people like a sweeter (less mature) brew and others

prefer more acidic (more mature). There is no right or wrong, and it is all

perfectly safe to drink.

ENJOY!

________________________________

To: original_kombucha

Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 11:13 AM

Subject: Re: Newbie in PA!

 

In message <jn3m4u+skileGroups> you wrote:

> Thanks for letting me join the group and hi everyone!

Greetings, Centaura!

Your brewings sound good to me and you seem to have a nice baby culture

growing on top already.

It is important you should carefully try your brew once it has developed

a slightly acidic smell - I start trying on day 6 od the fermentation

That way you avoid your brew getting too acidic to enjoy.

Your brew will be done when it tastes fine to you.

For tasting you can either use a straw or slightly tilt the jar and pour

off a little into a glass. Then try your up and coming Kombucha.

Nothing to fear! It should taste a little acidic with a sweetish undertone,

kind of like cider does. That is the point when I bottle mine and leave

for a few days to gain a bit of fizz.

Keep reporting back and tell us about your experiences.

Have fun!

Margret :-) UK

I bought a scoby off of eBay, bought a 1.5 gal. sun tea (square) glass jar with

spigot and organic oolong tea for my very first batch. I started it on 04/20

and added about 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar since there was only about 2

ounces of fluid with the scoby. I already have a white bubbly-looking film on

top, little stringies going down to the starter scoby (it sank, then floated,

then sank again!) and the stick-on thermometer says it's at 72-73 degrees.

Everything looks like it's going well. Is there a way to visually tell if it's

ready to use? For some reason I'm a little afraid to taste it!!! Probably

because I've never tried Kombucha in my life and I'm out in the boonies - no

health food stores for 50 miles or more. lol

--

+------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+

http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk/family/scobygrow/home.html

http://bavarianminstrel.wordpress.com

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Meditations/Focus/focus.html

http://creation.com/creation-videos

There is only one living model for being human. That model is Jesus.

[Guest guest]

It'll be a few more days before your tea is fermented. From your description

everything sounds like you're doing great. If you're worried it might be bad,

smell it. When good it should have a vinegary scent. On the other hand all molds

and bad stuff not only look different but all have an unpleasant odor. Believe

me if it is bad you're not even gonna sip it. But if it doesn't have a strong

unpleasant odor just try i little sip. Give it a try about a week to 10 days

after starting. If it is still too sweet for your taste just let it ferment

longer. It will get less sweet and more vinegary as time goes by. When you

sample it and the taste is pleasant to you bottle it up and start another batch.

- Woody

Subject: Newbie in PA!

To: original_kombucha

Date: Monday, April 23, 2012, 8:40 AM

 

Thanks for letting me join the group and hi everyone! I bought a scoby

off of eBay, bought a 1.5 gal. sun tea (square) glass jar with spigot and

organic oolong tea for my very first batch. I started it on 04/20 and added

about 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar since there was only about 2 ounces of

fluid with the scoby. I already have a white bubbly-looking film on top, little

stringies going down to the starter scoby (it sank, then floated, then sank

again!) and the stick-on thermometer says it's at 72-73 degrees. Everything

looks like it's going well. Is there a way to visually tell if it's ready to

use? For some reason I'm a little afraid to taste it!!! Probably because I've

never tried Kombucha in my life and I'm out in the boonies - no health food

stores for 50 miles or more. lol

[Guest guest]

Hi:

I Have seen bad batches that looked bad, the scooby was starting to get

darker and it tasted bad.

My recent brew that whent bad did not smell bad, but my wife and I got sick on

it. One hint was the scooby was thin and the liquid turned very cloudy. The bad

bacteria replicated itself much faster than the Kombucha bacteria.To fix it, we

had to rinse the vessels with very hot water to kill all the bad bacteria.For

obvious reasons, we just rinsed out the scoobys with warm water. Hope this helps

>

> Thanks for letting me join the group and hi everyone! I bought a scoby off of

eBay, bought a 1.5 gal. sun tea (square) glass jar with spigot and organic

oolong tea for my very first batch. I started it on 04/20 and added about 1/2

cup of distilled white vinegar since there was only about 2 ounces of fluid with

the scoby. I already have a white bubbly-looking film on top, little stringies

going down to the starter scoby (it sank, then floated, then sank again!) and

the stick-on thermometer says it's at 72-73 degrees. Everything looks like it's

going well. Is there a way to visually tell if it's ready to use? For some

reason I'm a little afraid to taste it!!! Probably because I've never tried

Kombucha in my life and I'm out in the boonies - no health food stores for 50

miles or more. lol

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Margret!

I got out a shot glass and filled it about half full....I like the taste right

now!!! But...I don't think my Kombucha is " really " Kombucha yet since it's only

been 4 days. :-( I'm hoping in about 7-8 days it still tastes almost the same.

At that point I want to try a 2nd ferment with some ginger and lemon. I have 4

bale-top, glass lid quart Ball jars and think I'm going to vary the amounts in

each one so I'll have 4 to choose from for which one I like the best and from

then on, just go with that. And I was thinking maybe even use one of my pint

jars with a little grape juice - THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!!!

Jonnie

[Guest guest]

- I did it! I tried it! I love it just like it is, but I'm sure it isn't

really fermented yet. I have it high in the china cabinet so I won't have to

move it, the temp stays more steady and most of the household stuff can't get

in. :-) I'm going to take your advice and keep trying it every single day.

Since I'm only taking out about 1/2 ounce, it should be okay. If all goes well,

I may turn it into a continuous brewing system....all depends on how well I like

" real " Kombucha! lol I do like it on the sweet side though.

[Guest guest]

Hiya, Woody!

Yeah, I'm afraid that I don't know what it really should taste like, so if I

don't like " real " Kombucha (which mine IS NOT YET), I won't know the difference

between good and bad because all will taste bad...know what I'm trying to say

here?

I hope I love the stuff - I've read so much about doing this, but without

experience in what it should taste like, I'm feeling a bit like a cork bobbing

in the ocean!!! lol I started this because I have a lot of health issues and

I'm hoping this helps me feel a bit better. Not looking for miracles but even

10% would be really, really nice!

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

, yes, it does help! I'm going to have to keep a close eye on my baby

(and my mother has started to climb her way up the side - she's about half-way

up the bottle now) and watch out for cloudy. I can't afford to get sicker than

I already am!!! Thank you!

[Guest guest]

When i said you'd know if it was bad, i meant bad as in spoiled, or

contaminated. It will have sharp and bad smell and taste. If it is good it will

taste somewhere between sweet tea and apple cider vinegar (depending on how long

you let it ferment). That doesn't guarantee you'll like it, we all have our own

tastes.

I hope kombucha helps you with your health issues. Nobody should expect anything

to cure all their ills, but it can really help. Just be patient, it took you

many years to get ill so you shouldn't expect to recover overnight. Learn all

you can about nutrition, try to get all the doctor's poisonous meds out of your

life. It really can be a lot of effort, you can't just trust the government and

food industry, but IMHO feeling great all the time is such a wonderful blessing

and is worth every last moment. You also many consider discussing health issues

on this list, we get off topic a little like that sometimes. There are some

smart, helpful, and friendly folks on this list who may have knowledge that

might help.  - Woody

Subject: Re: Newbie in PA!

To: original_kombucha

Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2012, 9:50 AM

 

Hiya, Woody!

Yeah, I'm afraid that I don't know what it really should taste like, so if I

don't like " real " Kombucha (which mine IS NOT YET), I won't know the difference

between good and bad because all will taste bad...know what I'm trying to say

here?

I hope I love the stuff - I've read so much about doing this, but without

experience in what it should taste like, I'm feeling a bit like a cork bobbing

in the ocean!!! lol I started this because I have a lot of health issues and

I'm hoping this helps me feel a bit better. Not looking for miracles but even

10% would be really, really nice!

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Speaking of health issues I saw an alternative nutritionist today and she

taught me how to test products to see if they will be good for me or not

....VERY interesting and I tested my home brew booch and just about took a

nose dive it was such a strong YES LOL! We also added aloe Vera and

surprisingly a men's multivitamin (I'm very much a woman) but I researched

some of my female issues out and they pointed to estrogen dominance and she

didn't know that till after she tested me on them ...CRAZY

Myree

myree.miche.com

[Guest guest]

Well, I have a baby scoby starting to turn all white...and when I open the

cabinet, all I smell is a mild vinegar-y smell. I took the jar down last night

and there were brown things on top. I tried to scoop them up to see better, but

they sunk down in and I couldn't get them. Hope it wasn't mold!!! I do like

apple cider and can even drink an ounce of ACV straight, so I'm thinking I will

like this. I wish I knew someone nearby who had some so I could taste it. lol

I'm obviously hoping it helps with the health issues too! After watching the

movie, Food Inc., I changed a lot of things in life!!!!! That alone helped my

body about 20%, so I think anything else I can do right for my body can only be

a plus, including Kombucha! I have let go of all medicines except insulin

and thyroid medication...and I even get my thyroid medication elsewhere because

my doh-doh doctor thinks Synthroid is the be-all and end-all of the whole issue.

They're killing us with their lack of real knowledge. I learned that the hard

way....trusting them is what put me in this position to start with. Sad.

[Guest guest]

Myree - is that muscle testing or kinesi...something testing???? I did that

with my vitamins but completely DIDN'T with the Kombucha!!! I need to do it

right now. Hmmmm...mild yes. Well, anything that gets a yes is something I'll

add. Thanks for reminding me of that method!!!

[Guest guest]

It sounds like your kombucha is healthy. Yeast is a normal part of the community

and is important to the fermentation process. The vinegary smell is from the

acetic acid and is a great sign. I never could handle ACV straight, but what is

strange is i can handle the booch just fine. My booch is sour (2.9 pH), more

acidic than Bragg's (3.1 pH). But the booch just goes down so smooth  

It's so great that you're taking the initiative on your health and have the

intelligence and courage to not blindly accept what your doctor says. That's a

huge step toward your attainment of perfect health, just keep studying and

learning. Weston A. Price Foundation is a fantastic resource for nutrition. You

can heal yourself and eventually get off all meds, but be careful and proceed

with knowledge. Some meds have drastic side effects when you get off them. Have

patience, it took you many years to get in the shape you found yourself and it

will take time to completely heal. But remember, our bodies are designed to be

perfect if we only give them the proper stuff to work with. Wish you the best on

your journey to health and keep on brewing and sharing the booch! - Woody

Subject: Re: Newbie in PA!

To: original_kombucha

Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 7:27 AM

 

Well, I have a baby scoby starting to turn all white...and when I open the

cabinet, all I smell is a mild vinegar-y smell. I took the jar down last night

and there were brown things on top. I tried to scoop them up to see better, but

they sunk down in and I couldn't get them. Hope it wasn't mold!!! I do like

apple cider and can even drink an ounce of ACV straight, so I'm thinking I will

like this. I wish I knew someone nearby who had some so I could taste it. lol

I'm obviously hoping it helps with the health issues too! After watching the

movie, Food Inc., I changed a lot of things in life!!!!! That alone helped my

body about 20%, so I think anything else I can do right for my body can only be

a plus, including Kombucha! I have let go of all medicines except insulin

and thyroid medication...and I even get my thyroid medication elsewhere because

my doh-doh doctor thinks Synthroid is the be-all and end-all of the whole issue.

They're killing us with their lack of real knowledge. I learned that the hard

way....trusting them is what put me in this position to start with. Sad.

[Guest guest]

I believe it was Kinsey I held the stuff and she pushed down on my right

arm and self testing I hold it with my left arm/hand and fall forward for

yes and back for no.

She didn't test the booch but I did and nearly fell on my face lol.

Myree

myree.miche.com

> **

>

>

> Myree - is that muscle testing or kinesi...something testing???? I did

> that with my vitamins but completely DIDN'T with the Kombucha!!! I need to

> do it right now. Hmmmm...mild yes. Well, anything that gets a yes is

> something I'll add. Thanks for reminding me of that method!!!

>

>

>