Re: Honey/Yeast - Now 4-wk brew puzzle

[Guest guest]

>>How much water? Sugar? Tea? <<

I put 6 tea bags into a gallon of tea that I steep in three stages to get all of

the tea out of the bags. I have always used 1 c of sugar, but when I made new

tea on Sat, I put 1.5 c into that gallon.

>>How many scobys do you have in jar?<<

I let the scobys in the crock until I have about 6 inches of scoby, then I take

two or three off from the bottom.

>>Do you use glass jar?<<

Yes. I've tried to be a good student and I know the dangers of metal, leaded

paint, and plastic. So I only use the crocks or glass sun tea jars.

Lyn

[Guest guest]

Lyn, that all sounds good. Where do you live? What is the temp there?

What type of tea do you use? Do you wait til the water has cooled to

body temp before putting the scoby back into the new tea brew? Do you

cover it?

Is it placed in a place where it is quiet and no candles or overhead fan?

In a message dated 6/26/2012 8:44:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

ly.ninwv@... writes:

>>How much water? Sugar? Tea? <<

I put 6 tea bags into a gallon of tea that I steep in three stages to get

all of the tea out of the bags. I have always used 1 c of sugar, but when I

made new tea on Sat, I put 1.5 c into that gallon.

>>How many scobys do you have in jar?<<

I let the scobys in the crock until I have about 6 inches of scoby, then I

take two or three off from the bottom.

>>Do you use glass jar?<<

Yes. I've tried to be a good student and I know the dangers of metal,

leaded paint, and plastic. So I only use the crocks or glass sun tea jars.

Lyn

[Guest guest]

>that all sounds good. Where do you live?<<

I have lived in the Eastern Panhandle of WV from the start and in the last 4

months I am in Central PA. I am only 2.5 hrs different in where I live now and

both these places are in the land of cold winters and warm summers. I am not far

enough away from either home to have different temps.

>>What type of tea do you use?<<

I am using up some odds and ends of black tea, but will be going to all Prince

of Peace teas. I think one of my two my best brews was all Prince of Peace white

tea, so I plan to do that once all my other teas are gone.

>>Do you wait til the water has cooled to body temp before putting the scoby

back into the new tea brew?<<

Yes, I do know to do that.

>>Do you cover it? <<

Have to or it draws fruit flies. I cover with a handkerchief.

>>Is it placed in a place where it is quiet and no candles or overhead fan?<<

Yes. Where I am now, it is in my foyer, so it gets the breeze we create when we

walk through there. It is a darker foyer because I do not have windows beside my

entry door. There is no ceiling fan. I have them in my other house, but I am not

one to use them often. So I don't suppose that I created the problem with my

fans.

Lyn

[Guest guest]

The breeze from the door just might be what is causing you 4 weeks.

Another question, do you come and go thru that front door? And the door shuts

and closes?

I would move it where there is no breeze. Just my opinion- but it sounds

like everything else is good. With the exception that you need to use

some black tea in your brew. *(from what I have read) they say a 3 to 2

ratio with black and green tea. So I would assume that would be the same

with any other kind- but you need more black tea than white.......

Good luck!!! let me know how it goes. You might try brewing 2 pots-

and move one of the pots somewhere else and keep the one pot in the foyer

and see if there is a difference- that way you know for sure. I live in

Ohio- and I would think our weather would be very similiar.

In a message dated 6/26/2012 9:29:51 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

ly.ninwv@... writes:

>that all sounds good. Where do you live?<<

I have lived in the Eastern Panhandle of WV from the start and in the last

4 months I am in Central PA. I am only 2.5 hrs different in where I live

now and both these places are in the land of cold winters and warm summers.

I am not far enough away from either home to have different temps.

>>What type of tea do you use?<<

I am using up some odds and ends of black tea, but will be going to all

Prince of Peace teas. I think one of my two my best brews was all Prince of

Peace white tea, so I plan to do that once all my other teas are gone.

>>Do you wait til the water has cooled to body temp before putting the

scoby back into the new tea brew?<<

Yes, I do know to do that.

>>Do you cover it? <<

Have to or it draws fruit flies. I cover with a handkerchief.

>>Is it placed in a place where it is quiet and no candles or overhead

fan?<<

Yes. Where I am now, it is in my foyer, so it gets the breeze we create

when we walk through there. It is a darker foyer because I do not have

windows beside my entry door. There is no ceiling fan. I have them in my other

house, but I am not one to use them often. So I don't suppose that I created

the problem with my fans.

Lyn

[Guest guest]

>>The breeze from the door just might be what is causing you 4 weeks.<<

We do not use that door. We use the back door to come and go. We only pass by

there when we walk from living room and bedrooms to kitchen/laundry/bath via

that thruway. And my ferments were not near a door in my WV house, just the main

thru walkway because I live in a trailer. It was in my kitchen against my only

free wall because of the sticky mess I seemed to always make when I worked with

it. Somehow I do not make a mess here. Amazing!

>>Another question, do you come and go thru that front door? And the door shuts

and closes?<<

No. This is not our main door at all.

>>?I would move it where there is no breeze.<<

I've been told that it needs a breeze??? That it needs to breathe some moving

air.

>>it sounds like everything else is good. With the exception that you need to

use some black tea in your brew. *(from what I have read) they say a 3 to 2

ratio with black and green tea. So I would assume that would be the same with

any other kind- but you need more black tea than white.<<

I have heard this, too, but my favorite flavor was a light tea that I think must

have been an experimental all white tea brew. When I get my brews fermenting

faster, hoping that using a hotel scoby and more starter -- might speed them up

-- and once my mismatched black teas are used up and I just have Prince of Peace

black tea to use, I will experiment with just one all white for a few batches

and see what comes out of it. --Lyn

[Guest guest]

Hi Lyn,

FYi You can go up to 1 3/4 cups of sugar for a gallon of KT.

Also add at least 10% finished KT to each new batch. If you want more fizz, add

the starter KT from the bottom of the previous batch. If not, add it from the

top.

Adding more sugar will mean it will take a bit longer time to all be used up in

the fermenting process. The usual amount of time is about 17 days.

You don't need to keep 6 inches of SCOBY in your jar, 2 " or 3 " is plenty.

Since you are letting it ferment till the sugar is gone, that can take about two

weeks.

Not sure why it is taking longer.

Peace, Love and Harmony,

Bev

>

> >>How much water? Sugar? Tea? <<

>

> I put 6 tea bags into a gallon of tea that I steep in three stages to get all

of the tea out of the bags. I have always used 1 c of sugar, but when I made new

tea on Sat, I put 1.5 c into that gallon.

>

> >>How many scobys do you have in jar?<<

>

> I let the scobys in the crock until I have about 6 inches of scoby, then I

take two or three off from the bottom.

>

> >>Do you use glass jar?<<

>

> Yes. I've tried to be a good student and I know the dangers of metal, leaded

paint, and plastic. So I only use the crocks or glass sun tea jars.

>

> Lyn

>