Green Tea or Black Tea?? DECAF?? ORGANIC??

[Guest guest]

The lady I bought my Kombucha off of recommended I use green tea over

black cuz it is better for you - but i am reading THE ESSENTIAL

KOMBUCHA and they say only use black tea because green tea is not

fermented whereas black is and Green just is not recommended due to

that -

The thing is the lady i bought it from told me I could also use

Organic tea - just not herbal - So I had bought Black Ceylon organic

tea = which is caffiene free also --

I also read that you should steer cleer of caffiene free because

chemicals are used to take caffiene out and could contaminate your

SCOBY! Does anyone know anything regarding these statements in my book

- Are they true??

And what kind of tea do most of you use??? Why???

Thanks alot - I appreciate and encourage any advice you can throw my

way

[Guest guest]

hello bunnysnuggles

i have several brews going on at the same time

i (and my kids) just love to drink kombucha every day

i have some green tea brews

some dark dark assam brews(my faves)

some mixes

and my local supermarket has just started stocking organic white tea bags, and

so i've just started one of them off too,

so,

in my opinion...

try the lot and see what you like best

and what works best for you where you live

so far, everything has brewed good and zingy

sian )))

bunnysnugglee wrote:

The lady I bought my Kombucha off of recommended I use green tea over

black cuz it is better for you - but i am reading THE ESSENTIAL

KOMBUCHA and they say only use black tea because green tea is not

fermented whereas black is and Green just is not recommended due to

that -

The thing is the lady i bought it from told me I could also use

Organic tea - just not herbal - So I had bought Black Ceylon organic

tea = which is caffiene free also --

I also read that you should steer cleer of caffiene free because

chemicals are used to take caffiene out and could contaminate your

SCOBY! Does anyone know anything regarding these statements in my book

- Are they true??

And what kind of tea do most of you use??? Why???

Thanks alot - I appreciate and encourage any advice you can throw my

way

[Guest guest]

hi again bunnysnuggles

also personally i would steer clear of decaffienated

no idea how the caffiene is removed but it clearly just aint natural

sian ))

(just my opinion though)

sian jones wrote:

hello bunnysnuggles

i have several brews going on at the same time

i (and my kids) just love to drink kombucha every day

i have some green tea brews

some dark dark assam brews(my faves)

some mixes

and my local supermarket has just started stocking organic white tea bags, and

so i've just started one of them off too,

so,

in my opinion...

try the lot and see what you like best

and what works best for you where you live

so far, everything has brewed good and zingy

sian )))

bunnysnugglee wrote:

The lady I bought my Kombucha off of recommended I use green tea over

black cuz it is better for you - but i am reading THE ESSENTIAL

KOMBUCHA and they say only use black tea because green tea is not

fermented whereas black is and Green just is not recommended due to

that -

The thing is the lady i bought it from told me I could also use

Organic tea - just not herbal - So I had bought Black Ceylon organic

tea = which is caffiene free also --

I also read that you should steer cleer of caffiene free because

chemicals are used to take caffiene out and could contaminate your

SCOBY! Does anyone know anything regarding these statements in my book

- Are they true??

And what kind of tea do most of you use??? Why???

Thanks alot - I appreciate and encourage any advice you can throw my

way

[Guest guest]

In message you wrote:

> hi again bunnysnuggles

> also personally i would steer clear of decaffienated

> no idea how the caffiene is removed but it clearly just aint natural

> sian ))

> (just my opinion though)

>

IMO, Sian's advice is excellent, also what she said about trying all the

different teas. Exactly what I would have said as well!

Blessings,

Margret:-)

--

+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Minstrel@...

<)))<>< http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk <)))<><

http://www.AnswersInGenesis.com

http://www.elijahlist.com

+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Giving is the only antidote to greed.

[Guest guest]

Do you think even organic teas aren't natural decaffinated?? See I

assume ALL organic teas were decaf -- but in looking at my box it says

nothing of the sort - It just says PURE CEYLON TEA 100% Pure & Natural

Certified Organic Tea -- So do you think maybe it is NOT decaf

then>???? I thought I'd struggle with the kombucha itself more-=so

than the choosing of the tea....LOL -- Let me know what u think and

thanks for the input.

Cori `

> The lady I bought my Kombucha off of recommended I use green tea over

> black cuz it is better for you - but i am reading THE ESSENTIAL

> KOMBUCHA and they say only use black tea because green tea is not

> fermented whereas black is and Green just is not recommended due to

> that -

>

> The thing is the lady i bought it from told me I could also use

> Organic tea - just not herbal - So I had bought Black Ceylon organic

> tea = which is caffiene free also --

>

> I also read that you should steer cleer of caffiene free because

> chemicals are used to take caffiene out and could contaminate your

> SCOBY! Does anyone know anything regarding these statements in my book

> - Are they true??

>

> And what kind of tea do most of you use??? Why???

>

> Thanks alot - I appreciate and encourage any advice you can throw my

> way

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

teas and coffees can be decaffeinated with either a natural water process or

a chemical solvent process. check the brand. Certified organic *should* be

okay.

the tea just has to be camilla sinesis, it can be black, oolong, green or

white or some combo thereof.

HTH

--

*Davette Brown*, Professional Mom to Jas 7y.o.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Help Usborne Books Bring a New Day to Those Affected by Katrina

*visit www.BooksKidzLuv.biz and click on " Hurricane Relief "

Enter to win FREE Children's BOOKS or host a live show or E-show!*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Independent Wellness Consultant Better Body Basics --*Visit **

www.t-tapp.com* <http://www.t-tapp.com>

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and bathing!*

Independent Wellness Consultant NIKKEN Global Wellness

www.5pillars.com/820873100

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Having tried decaf, I wouldn't go there because the decaffeination process

seems to weaken the taste of the tea.

Re: Green Tea or Black Tea?? DECAF?? ORGANIC??

>

> teas and coffees can be decaffeinated with either a natural water process

> or

> a chemical solvent process. check the brand. Certified organic *should*

> be

> okay.

>

> the tea just has to be camilla sinesis, it can be black, oolong, green or

> white or some combo thereof.

>

> HTH

> --

> *Davette Brown*, Professional Mom to Jas 7y.o.

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Help Usborne Books Bring a New Day to Those Affected by Katrina

> *visit www.BooksKidzLuv.biz and click on " Hurricane Relief "

> Enter to win FREE Children's BOOKS or host a live show or E-show!*

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Independent Wellness Consultant Better Body Basics --*Visit **

> www.t-tapp.com* <http://www.t-tapp.com>

> *Want the best filter for your family's water? We have them-for drinking

> and bathing!*

> Independent Wellness Consultant NIKKEN Global Wellness

> www.5pillars.com/820873100

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In message <001401c63710$4b590f10$db189aa5@userca2fde7021> you wrote:

> Hi,

> Having tried decaf, I wouldn't go there because the decaffeination process

> seems to weaken the taste of the tea.

I make a wide berth round anything castrated like decaf anything ;-)

--

+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Minstrel@...

<)))<>< http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk <)))<><

http://www.AnswersInGenesis.com

http://www.elijahlist.com

+---------------------------------------------------------------+

May the strength of three be in your journey (Irish Proverb)

[Guest guest]

>Do you think even organic teas aren't natural decaffinated?? See I

>assume ALL organic teas were decaf -- but in looking at my box it says

>nothing of the sort - It just says PURE CEYLON TEA 100% Pure & Natural

>Certified Organic Tea -- So do you think maybe it is NOT decaf

>then>???? I thought I'd struggle with the kombucha itself more-=so

>than the choosing of the tea....LOL -- Let me know what u think and

>thanks for the input.

>

>Cori `

No, Cori, organic teas are not all decaf by any means, they are simply

chemical-free from farm to your kitchen. Unless your package says decaf,

it won't be. Caffeine is a natural constituent of tea and other foods and

the caffeine in KT is generally quite low because of how little is used in

the large amount of water. Some people do use decaf. In my understanding

there are nonchemical ways of making decaf and that those are relatively

fine to use, quite a few people do-- however it is a processed food. It

would be generally safe to assume that a product labeled " organic decaf

tea " would have been decaffeinated with the water method or other

relatively nontoxic way, but I would want to make sure. There's just those

of us like our KT as natural as we can get it and are not

caffeine-phobic. Plus, I've tried decaf teas and they taste flat to me, as

mentioned.

Bulk (loose) tea is the cheapest in the long run by far. Teabags are

always more expensive per serving-- you're paying for the processing,

materials, and convenience (I only use bulk). Also, it really pays to

shop around on tea. A number of people have said here that they get their

organic white tea for under $20/lb, but someone recently mentioned

$65/pound. I buy a lot of my food through a coop and get near wholesale

prices, but even people without that resource have reported the $20

benchmark price.

About the black/green tea issue: In many Asian cultures, which have been

brewing KT continuously for thousands of years, they only use green or

white tea for KT. So this idea that only black tea is " proper " is some

kind of Western overintellectualizing or other silliness and is not at all

true in the world of traditional KT brewing. Many websites on KT contain a

lot of good information but also may contain eccentricities such as the

" only black tea " rule, as well as outright wrong information.

Something I've noticed in my year on this list is that questions seem to

pop up in clusters-- we've had a number of inquiries recently about this

question of only black tea being proper, other times we have an intense

focus on sugars, or whatever-- it's interesting how the questions cluster

like they do.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

A.J.

Thanks so much -- that helped alot..... I use bulk herbal teas for

alot of home remedies - but i never thought of buying organic in bulk

also. Do you use white; organic?? I love my caffiene - I am a big

coffee drinker, so it isn't really a caffiene-phobia per se. I just

didn't realize decaf wasn't the natural way. I am so glad I joined

this site. It helps to learn from the sources. One on One!!

Thanks again

Cori

>

>

> >Do you think even organic teas aren't natural decaffinated?? See I

> >assume ALL organic teas were decaf -- but in looking at my box it says

> >nothing of the sort - It just says PURE CEYLON TEA 100% Pure & Natural

> >Certified Organic Tea -- So do you think maybe it is NOT decaf

> >then>???? I thought I'd struggle with the kombucha itself more-=so

> >than the choosing of the tea....LOL -- Let me know what u think and

> >thanks for the input.

> >

> >Cori `

>

> No, Cori, organic teas are not all decaf by any means, they are simply

> chemical-free from farm to your kitchen. Unless your package says

decaf,

> it won't be. Caffeine is a natural constituent of tea and other

foods and

> the caffeine in KT is generally quite low because of how little is

used in

> the large amount of water. Some people do use decaf. In my

understanding

> there are nonchemical ways of making decaf and that those are

relatively

> fine to use, quite a few people do-- however it is a processed food.

It

> would be generally safe to assume that a product labeled " organic decaf

> tea " would have been decaffeinated with the water method or other

> relatively nontoxic way, but I would want to make sure. There's

just those

> of us like our KT as natural as we can get it and are not

> caffeine-phobic. Plus, I've tried decaf teas and they taste flat to

me, as

> mentioned.

>

> Bulk (loose) tea is the cheapest in the long run by far. Teabags are

> always more expensive per serving-- you're paying for the processing,

> materials, and convenience (I only use bulk). Also, it really pays to

> shop around on tea. A number of people have said here that they get

their

> organic white tea for under $20/lb, but someone recently mentioned

> $65/pound. I buy a lot of my food through a coop and get near

wholesale

> prices, but even people without that resource have reported the $20

> benchmark price.

>

> About the black/green tea issue: In many Asian cultures, which have

been

> brewing KT continuously for thousands of years, they only use green or

> white tea for KT. So this idea that only black tea is " proper " is some

> kind of Western overintellectualizing or other silliness and is not

at all

> true in the world of traditional KT brewing. Many websites on KT

contain a

> lot of good information but also may contain eccentricities such as the

> " only black tea " rule, as well as outright wrong information.

>

> Something I've noticed in my year on this list is that questions

seem to

> pop up in clusters-- we've had a number of inquiries recently about

this

> question of only black tea being proper, other times we have an intense

> focus on sugars, or whatever-- it's interesting how the questions

cluster

> like they do.

>

> --V

>

>

> ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

> --A.J. Muste

>

[Guest guest]

>I am so glad I joined

>this site. It helps to learn from the sources. One on One!!

Cori,

I agree. Because there has not been a continuous KT tradition in the West,

a lot of the information that has been made available on the web has been

the product of individual people's brewing experiences. So they started

out with whatever they knew about kombucha, added to it what they learned

brewing it, and then relate what they know. Unfortunately, this can leave

big holes, and ignores basic (Western) cultural assumptions that get

instituted as " the rule " .

I've only read one of the published books out there on KT, and it says to

refrigerate extra SCOBYs, but we now know that is not the best treatment

for them.

So my point is that the accumulated knowledge is changing all the time

and the published resources, whether paper or web, don't often keep up

with the newest understandings. Some of them are relatively harmless,

though baseless, such as the " black tea only " rule; and some of them are

harmful, such as suggesting cheesecloth as an appropriate covering for the

vessel, since anyone who does so is liable to get fruit/vinegar fly eggs

and then maggots in their brew.

This forum is dynamic and represents the cutting edge of Western

understanding of kombucha; it thus epitomizes the positive potential of the

internet. I'm so glad I found it!

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

There is actually many different types of black tea that are predicated

on the plants they came from and the method of oxidation that

contributes to their body and flavor. As far as health benifits,

research is now showing that either tea is just as healthy in terms of

antioxidents, etc (fm Linus ing Institiute) as green tea, which is

also oxidized to a smaller extend than black tea. You also won't find

caffine free tea, just reduced caffine tea, as the decafination process

does not remove all the caffine. Caffine is better measued in percent

of caffine content, as when you make tea (especially from loose leaf)

your starting value (or weight) of tea varies greatly.

As for decaffinated tea, if you get the Swiss water process tea, there

is no chemicals used to remove the caffine other than water, which is

not harmful to Kombucha. Salada Decaff Green tea is about .1% caffine

per tea bag, which is about 2mg (tea bag is 2 grams of tea there

abouts). I now am making Pu-Erh Green tea kombucha, which is about

1.7%, and I cold brew the tea, which brings it to about 1.1% caffine, so

for every gram of tea it is about 11.22mg of caffine (tea bag would be

about 22.44mg). Using the other method of decaffination is bad, so only

look for ones which have been water decaffinated.

I have used green tea (makes KT generally more fizzy and very

delicious). Black tea, which I haven't done much but the SCOBY grew

very thick with black tea. Pu-erh Black, which the SCOBY grew

enormously (several inches) over a couple of brews. Had to use very

diluted pu-erh. The KT went to sour much quicker, but was still good.

White tea worked, but wasn't as dramatic as Black or Green or Pu-erh.

I then went to green tea - decaffinated and cold brewed for 24 hours.

Very fizzy and flavorful.

Also have tried Yerba Mate and Rooibos, both with decaffinated green tea

at 30-50%. Both KTs worked just fine, and the Rooibos had a very good

flavor indeed. Mate just tasted funny. It is better just straight.

Now am embarking on green pu-erh that is cold brewed for 48 hours.

The lady I bought my Kombucha off of recommended I use green tea over

black cuz it is better for you - but i am reading THE ESSENTIAL

KOMBUCHA and they say only use black tea because green tea is not

fermented whereas black is and Green just is not recommended due to

that -

The thing is the lady i bought it from told me I could also use

Organic tea - just not herbal - So I had bought Black Ceylon organic

tea = which is caffiene free also --

I also read that you should steer cleer of caffiene free because

chemicals are used to take caffiene out and could contaminate your

SCOBY! Does anyone know anything regarding these statements in my book

- Are they true??

And what kind of tea do most of you use??? Why???

Thanks alot - I appreciate and encourage any advice you can throw my

way

--

mjkern2000@...