Re: teas w/ added ingredients

[Guest guest]

> My question is about using different black teas that

> have added ingredients. I have a China black tea w/

> rose petals added. It smells very strongly of rose.

> Can I use this tea to brew KT? I am also curious

> about using Earl Grey (treated w/ bergamot oil) or

> lapsang souchong (smoked black tea).

I have recently been experimenting with 'Caliph Blend' which is a

green tea with 'pusytoes' and rose petals - the tea it makes is clear,

light, sparkling, and fabulously fruity tasting. The packet says it

will taste like mangoes, and there is a hint of that in the KT I make

from it.

I also use Oolong with peach pieces in it, and that makes nice fruity

KT as well - but not a reliably clear or sparkling as the caliph

blend. And finally I use Puer'h tea, a kind of black tea which makes

a very red coloured tea, and which is believed to have beneficial

properties. This makes a deep brown usually clear KT which has a

slightly sulphurous smell, but tastes good - qite unlike any other KT

I have tasted. Oh, and green tea with jasmine, which makes a delicious

scented KT with a hint of jasmine flavour.

There are concerns that using these types of teas to brew with may

weaken the scoby, and that you should add the flavours when you

bottle, but I have to say my scoby is still growing strongly, and I

often have sturdy little scobies in the bottles after a week or so.

What effect

> would these flavorings have on the fermentation

> process?

I don't know - mine don't seem to be being affected adversely, and the

brews don't take any more or less time when using unusual teas

(although I do have more sparkling brews thatn with straight green or

black) but in view of the concerns expressed by others on this list, I

also have a second scoby which I keep brewing with just green tea, to

be on the safe side!!!

Hope this helps, enjoy your experiments!

Adrienne in Wales

[Guest guest]

In message you wrote:

> I just enjoyed my first brewing. I used black jasmine

> tea. It was quite tart, so I'm going to check it a

> little earlier second go round. But, I drank it

> anyway with some juice.

Yes, Bruce, Jasmine tea does tend to have a sharp twangy flavour

(I love it!). Brewing it less long will make it less astringent.

>

> My question is about using different black teas that

> have added ingredients. I have a China black tea w/

> rose petals added. It smells very strongly of rose.

> Can I use this tea to brew KT?

Yes. I have used it together with some green tea. It works well.

> I am also curious

> about using Earl Grey (treated w/ bergamot oil)

Even though it contains oil of bergamot it works well with Kombucha.

The recommendation I would give is to brew it together with other teas

or use in rotation with other teas to make sure that your cultures don't

get adversely affected by the oil. I have never had any problems with

Earl Grey. It adds a beautiful bouquet and rounded flavour to the KT.

> lapsang souchong (smoked black tea). What effect

> would these flavorings have on the fermentation

> process?

Lapsang souchong was one tea I would never use again with Kombucha.

The finished flavour was what I imagine rotten kippers to taste like ;-)

Hope that personal view on tea flavours helped.

Keep enjoying the variety! Who knows, your tastebuds might even relish

the lapsangggggggggrosstaste ;-)

Greetings of the healthy Kombucha kind,

Margret (UK)

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[Guest guest]

In message you wrote:

> I just enjoyed my first brewing. I used black jasmine

> tea. It was quite tart, so I'm going to check it a

> little earlier second go round. But, I drank it

> anyway with some juice.

Yes, Bruce, Jasmine tea does tend to have a sharp twangy flavour

(I love it!). Brewing it less long will make it less astringent.

>

> My question is about using different black teas that

> have added ingredients. I have a China black tea w/

> rose petals added. It smells very strongly of rose.

> Can I use this tea to brew KT?

Yes. I have used it together with some green tea. It works well.

> I am also curious

> about using Earl Grey (treated w/ bergamot oil)

Even though it contains oil of bergamot it works well with Kombucha.

The recommendation I would give is to brew it together with other teas

or use in rotation with other teas to make sure that your cultures don't

get adversely affected by the oil. I have never had any problems with

Earl Grey. It adds a beautiful bouquet and rounded flavour to the KT.

> lapsang souchong (smoked black tea). What effect

> would these flavorings have on the fermentation

> process?

Lapsang souchong was one tea I would never use again with Kombucha.

The finished flavour was what I imagine rotten kippers to taste like ;-)

Hope that personal view on tea flavours helped.

Keep enjoying the variety! Who knows, your tastebuds might even relish

the lapsangggggggggrosstaste ;-)

Greetings of the healthy Kombucha kind,

Margret (UK)

--

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

Minstrel@...

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

http://www.AnswersInGenesis.com

http://www.lamblion.com/

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

Beautiful young people are acts of nature,

but beautiful old people are works of art.