Re: kombucha in aluminum

[Guest guest]

>Hi, this is my first time making the tea and I used an aluminum pan to

>make the tea in. It was teflon coated. It is making a baby on top and

>seems to be doing well after 3 days. Yesterday I read somewhere that it

>should never be made in an aluminum pan.

> What will happen to the tea? Will it make me sick?

> Thanks for any info.

> KM

Are you saying you're brewing the KT in an aluminum teflon pan? If so, DO

NOT drink this kombucha and I would be very worried about the SCOBY for

future batches, and would suggest getting a new one and starting over.

KT should NEVER be brewed in any kind of metal container. You need a glass

jar, a one-gallon jar is fine, they can sometimes be gotten free from

delicatessens because they get various condiments in these jars and mostly

just throw them away (or recycle). Or there is a selection of glass

vessels at the big discounter stores.

KT is very acidic and leaches metals and many plastics. Teflon and

aluminum are both unstable and the KT would definitely be leaching metals

and plastics into the brew, extremely unhealthy.

If the question is that you steeped the tea in the metal container and then

poured it into another container for actual brewing, then it won't be so

toxic and you can continue with your current SCOBY and brewing, just don't

use that pan for steeping the tea in future. It would be okay to steep the

tea in a stainless steel pan and add the sweetener in that, but it would

still need to be transferred to a glass vessel for brewing.

I agree with others that you might really want to reconsider using teflon

or aluminum to cook in. Teflon kills pet birds when pans are preheated to

typical stove temperatures (google it, you'll see) and is therefore

obviously a toxin, and aluminum is implicated in Alzheimer's.

Best wishes, and please if you have any other questions about materials and

methods, don't hesitate to ask.

--V

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

--A.J. Muste