Once when I described maple sugaring to a friend, she said she couldn’t imagine spending all that time making a condiment. Friends have wrinkled their noses when I’ve mentioned that my entire kitchen table was covered with peaches for canning, and some have laughed in my face when I’ve said, quite seriously, that I love watching baseball while snapping green beans.
I did the second fermenting with a few blueberries and some ginger in a couple of bottles (swing top), with fantastic results! Lovely sparkling drink. Many thanks for this recipe!! 💗🙏 🍓
Had some of the same mix in a wide jar and it did not go fizzy. It seems the bottle shape makes a difference too...
I was given a scoby during my Uni days in New York by a German librarian when I worked in the campus library. I kept the process going for a year or two but then life happened and I stopped making it. Been wanting to make it again but don’t know where to get a good reliable scoby- I live in São Paulo now. Anyone know how I can get one or begin looking?
I like the Big Momma SCOBY from Fermentaholics -- see the link in the post. Not sure if they deliver internationally. Otherwise, the best advice is to get one from a friend whose kombucha tastes good to you. I think the Gastropod episode is illuminating -- SCOBY is like sourdough, and everyone's has a different combination of yeasts and bacteria, which means different flavor. I've given portions of mine away several times, and my friends all report good results.
Love this cultural and practical exploration, Joshua. A couple years ago, I went to get an espresso from the 'cool' coffee truck at our Saturday market here in Basel. The (also cool) barista then leaned in a little and quietly said, "hey, you look like someone who'd like a little kombucha, too. Yeah?" I was afraid and excited, so mysterious 🤣 It was given on the house (or truck in this case). I'm not sure I'm sold taste-wise, but I always like to know the culture and process of a drink!
Interesting piece. Do you have a sense for how much sugar remains in the finished brew? I would imagine a lot of the sugar is digested by the biota, or else the drink would be fairly sweet tasting, but certainly one argument for cold, brewed green tea as a summer drink (or anytime) is that it has no added sugar.
Sometimes I wonder if people are more favorably disposed toward a drink’s health benefits if it tastes bad (eg, castor oil), although I’ll admit that as a child I found the taste of coffee, beer, or really any non-sugary or non-milky drink to be repulsive. Developing a taste for unusual or unexpected flavors (sauerkraut, tequila, single malt scotch, cilantro, etc.) is part of growing up, no?
I don't know how much sugar is left exactly, but the scientist in that Gastropod episode probably does. It is miniscule, because the yeast turns the sugar into alcohol, and other bacteria turn the alcohol into vinegar. Whatever downside some might find in the remaining sugar is surely offset by the probiotic effects.
Okay... about that starter tea... how is that different from regular tea. I find all this process intriguing because it is similar to my sourdough starter process. In fact, I am experimenting with overnight first rises right now. It seems like these active beings (as I like to think of my starter) have their own rhythms and timelines so that the directions have followed don't seem to work as well as me just watching and paying attention to the needs of my own starter (which started it life as separate components of rye, wheat, white and yogurt).
I have not used a true sourdough starter because I don't want the maintenance, but you're right that a similar principle applies. The starter tea has developed a culture from fermentation, so that makes it different from the regular sweetened tea that you make before adding the starter and SCOBY. Does that make sense? This is why you can use distilled vinegar in place of starter tea in a pinch (but I imagine that would skew the flavor).
Love this! I’ve been kombucha curious for a while. Maybe this is the summer to experiment. My husband and I were big on homebrew back in the 90s, but we both recently quit alcohol, too. Alternative beverages are fun.
I never did homebrew, mainly because I couldn't make something better than what I could buy -- or more cheaply. But I do love these simple arts that take us back to the source! My great grandfather used to brew his own beer, and I'm a little angry that the recipe was never handed down. He made it during the Great Depression, so he must have had a way to make it cheaply. And he was Czech, so the taste must have been superior.
I gave up drinking about a year ago, at the start of my divorce. It's been a game changer for me in terms of quality sleep and overall health. I might have to break my rule when I go back to Prague this summer, but I'm rarely tempted otherwise.
Yeah, our homebrewing predated the micro-brew revolution. Once that came about, the homebrewing dwindled. I still remember his sour cherry stout. Mostly, he made IPA that was excellent.
Totally with you on the sleep and health front. When I do have the occasional (rare) glass, I do not like how I feel the whole next day. Have a great trip! Sometimes you have to break your own rules to really immerse in a place.
"When I do have the occasional (rare) glass, I do not like how I feel the whole next day." That's it exactly. A dramatic effect from a small dose. I enjoy the memories of my more carefree years and still like the idea of a double IPA or a few fingers of bourbon, but the tradeoffs have officially begun to outweigh the benefits.
I did the second fermenting with a few blueberries and some ginger in a couple of bottles (swing top), with fantastic results! Lovely sparkling drink. Many thanks for this recipe!! 💗🙏 🍓
Had some of the same mix in a wide jar and it did not go fizzy. It seems the bottle shape makes a difference too...
This makes me happy! Glad the recipe held up for you. Good to know about jar varieties, too. I've never tried anything other than the swing top.
Thanks for the fun history. I’ve not acquired the taste for it. 🤷🏻♂️ maybe I’ll need to try your home brew one day soon.
I had Kombucha at a restaurant last night and now I see ...
Which makes me wonder just what you saw, Mary -- the allure, the history, the reason for the fizz bubbling along the sides of your glass? ❤️ 😊
The Kombucha was made by a chef and in a small black bowl as an aperitif.
I was given a scoby during my Uni days in New York by a German librarian when I worked in the campus library. I kept the process going for a year or two but then life happened and I stopped making it. Been wanting to make it again but don’t know where to get a good reliable scoby- I live in São Paulo now. Anyone know how I can get one or begin looking?
I like the Big Momma SCOBY from Fermentaholics -- see the link in the post. Not sure if they deliver internationally. Otherwise, the best advice is to get one from a friend whose kombucha tastes good to you. I think the Gastropod episode is illuminating -- SCOBY is like sourdough, and everyone's has a different combination of yeasts and bacteria, which means different flavor. I've given portions of mine away several times, and my friends all report good results.
Also thank you for the clear detail in your friend’s process. Good to have clear instructions.
Love this cultural and practical exploration, Joshua. A couple years ago, I went to get an espresso from the 'cool' coffee truck at our Saturday market here in Basel. The (also cool) barista then leaned in a little and quietly said, "hey, you look like someone who'd like a little kombucha, too. Yeah?" I was afraid and excited, so mysterious 🤣 It was given on the house (or truck in this case). I'm not sure I'm sold taste-wise, but I always like to know the culture and process of a drink!
Interesting piece. Do you have a sense for how much sugar remains in the finished brew? I would imagine a lot of the sugar is digested by the biota, or else the drink would be fairly sweet tasting, but certainly one argument for cold, brewed green tea as a summer drink (or anytime) is that it has no added sugar.
Sometimes I wonder if people are more favorably disposed toward a drink’s health benefits if it tastes bad (eg, castor oil), although I’ll admit that as a child I found the taste of coffee, beer, or really any non-sugary or non-milky drink to be repulsive. Developing a taste for unusual or unexpected flavors (sauerkraut, tequila, single malt scotch, cilantro, etc.) is part of growing up, no?
I don't know how much sugar is left exactly, but the scientist in that Gastropod episode probably does. It is miniscule, because the yeast turns the sugar into alcohol, and other bacteria turn the alcohol into vinegar. Whatever downside some might find in the remaining sugar is surely offset by the probiotic effects.
Okay... about that starter tea... how is that different from regular tea. I find all this process intriguing because it is similar to my sourdough starter process. In fact, I am experimenting with overnight first rises right now. It seems like these active beings (as I like to think of my starter) have their own rhythms and timelines so that the directions have followed don't seem to work as well as me just watching and paying attention to the needs of my own starter (which started it life as separate components of rye, wheat, white and yogurt).
I have not used a true sourdough starter because I don't want the maintenance, but you're right that a similar principle applies. The starter tea has developed a culture from fermentation, so that makes it different from the regular sweetened tea that you make before adding the starter and SCOBY. Does that make sense? This is why you can use distilled vinegar in place of starter tea in a pinch (but I imagine that would skew the flavor).
Love this! I’ve been kombucha curious for a while. Maybe this is the summer to experiment. My husband and I were big on homebrew back in the 90s, but we both recently quit alcohol, too. Alternative beverages are fun.
I never did homebrew, mainly because I couldn't make something better than what I could buy -- or more cheaply. But I do love these simple arts that take us back to the source! My great grandfather used to brew his own beer, and I'm a little angry that the recipe was never handed down. He made it during the Great Depression, so he must have had a way to make it cheaply. And he was Czech, so the taste must have been superior.
I gave up drinking about a year ago, at the start of my divorce. It's been a game changer for me in terms of quality sleep and overall health. I might have to break my rule when I go back to Prague this summer, but I'm rarely tempted otherwise.
Yeah, our homebrewing predated the micro-brew revolution. Once that came about, the homebrewing dwindled. I still remember his sour cherry stout. Mostly, he made IPA that was excellent.
Totally with you on the sleep and health front. When I do have the occasional (rare) glass, I do not like how I feel the whole next day. Have a great trip! Sometimes you have to break your own rules to really immerse in a place.
"When I do have the occasional (rare) glass, I do not like how I feel the whole next day." That's it exactly. A dramatic effect from a small dose. I enjoy the memories of my more carefree years and still like the idea of a double IPA or a few fingers of bourbon, but the tradeoffs have officially begun to outweigh the benefits.
... It's like giving away an edible prayer.... 🫂🙏🏻💙💙🧘🏻♀️🌌 Awesome 🦢🌝
Thank you!