Guest guest Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Hi all, I am just curious as to the opinions of anyone on store-bought Kombucha. I'm specifically referring to the G.T. Dave's brand that I can get at my local grocery store. It says it's 100% organic & raw, and " gently cultured for 30 days. " Isn't that a really long time? Or is longer better? I drink it every now and then, it tastes great, but is it really worth the $3+ per bottle? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 G.T.'s is okay... the longer culturing time is better in some respects, and not in others... the traditional method involves what is known as " continuous brewing, " which produces a Kombucha that has a superior and more balanced taste and nutritionally profile from what I have read. It is how we make ours, and it certainly tastes far better than G.T.'s, and it is a lot less work (about half to 1/4 of the time it takes to do straight brewing). We have a recipe we can send people if they want it for how to do the continuous brewing. You can even flavor your homemade brew, always have it on hand when needed, and it costs at most .50 cents per 16 ounce bottle, but if you purchase your teas in bulk straight from Frontier and also get bulk organic sugar, you can get the cost down to 25 cents per bottle or less, a significant savings over store sold stuff... my wife and I figured out that by making our our Kom we were paying ourselves over $40 per hour and saving our family almost $100 per week (we go through 3-4 bottles per day...) Even better, you can usually get bottles for decanting it into for free - Gorlsch (which I guess is a beer) has these great self-capping bottles that you can get from friends or ask a local bar/restaurant to save for you. > > Hi all, > > I am just curious as to the opinions of anyone on store-bought > Kombucha. I'm specifically referring to the G.T. Dave's brand that I > can get at my local grocery store. It says it's 100% organic & raw, > and " gently cultured for 30 days. " Isn't that a really long time? Or is > longer better? I drink it every now and then, it tastes great, but is > it really worth the $3+ per bottle? > > Thanks, > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Hi , I would liek that recipe. I have not made any kombucha yet. I am wondering if the sight of the scoby will gross me out as i had a hard time with kefir grains. I know i am weird, but it seemed preety yucky to me. I want to recreate the Mango made by GT Dave. Any hints for me anyone? How would i got about making it? The saving money would be great cause that stuff is expensive and we could drink a few bottles a day ourselves. My 2 and 8 yr old really like it a lot too! I wonder about the alchohol content as when i first started drinking the GT Kombucha i would feel a bit buzzed off of just a few sips. I have heard from some they assumed it was detox when this happened to them. I would like to know if this is really a side effect of detox or not since my kids drink it. I do not know if the alchohol content can really get that high in the store kind. Anyone else know? > > G.T.'s is okay... the longer culturing time is better in some respects, > and not in others... the traditional method involves what is known > as " continuous brewing, " which produces a Kombucha that has a superior > and more balanced taste and nutritionally profile from what I have > read. It is how we make ours, and it certainly tastes far better than > G.T.'s, and it is a lot less work (about half to 1/4 of the time it > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 The alcohol content should not be too much of a concern as long as you control the temperature of the ferment, length of ferment, and how long you keep it in the bottles. From what we have read, even the strongest Kombucha doesn't pass up store bought OJ in the cardboard cartons in alcohol content unless you do something to make it go alcoholic. To flavor, you can go a few different routes... mango juice, but we usually just use sliced up pieces of the fruit, fresh or frozen, which we add into the bottles for the second round of ferment. I wil email the recipe and it will also explain how to flavor somewhat. You will just have to experiment to get the strength of flavor you desire. The scoby may gross you out... but you will get over it, especially when you think about how good the stuff tastes and how much money you are saving... you should also purchase a small strainer for when you pour it out of the bottles and into a glass to drink, since you will want to strain out any culture and chuncks of fruit since that stuff can get very slimy and not so enjoyable looking;) > > > > G.T.'s is okay... the longer culturing time is better in some > respects, > > and not in others... the traditional method involves what is known > > as " continuous brewing, " which produces a Kombucha that has a > superior > > and more balanced taste and nutritionally profile from what I have > > read. It is how we make ours, and it certainly tastes far better > than > > G.T.'s, and it is a lot less work (about half to 1/4 of the time it > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 , I would like the recipe also. Lynda --- louisvillewapf <louisvillewapf@...> wrote: I will email the recipe and it will also explain how to flavor somewhat. ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile./;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 Optimal Health Through Traditional Diet, I was hoping you would send the recipe to the list so I could get it too! Would you please email it to me also? - Eli Digest Number 6005 Re: Kombucha question Posted by: " Lynda Constantineau " lyndascon@... lyndascon Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:28 pm (PST) , I would like the recipe also. Lynda --- louisvillewapf <louisvillewapf@...> wrote: I will email the recipe and it will also explain how to flavor somewhat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2008 Report Share Posted March 26, 2008 , If I remember, you can check the pH to see if it is acidic enough. Look what a quick google found: As a Pro-biotic: Acidic kombucha, pH 2-3.5 aids the Stomach (both in the TCM and western sense) in the breakdown and digestion of food ingested. Beneficial bacteria and yeasts, that comprise the Live K-T or Pressed Extract (as opposed to pasteurized, neutralized, alcoholic or dead kombucha) compete with and help remove (suppress) harmful bacteria, yeast, parasites. (Probably why Candia sufferers can drink K-T). Then due to the synergism of the stomach acids and kombucha (Acid and Alkaline meets Yin and Yang, Herman Aihara ISBN 0-918860-44-x), kombucha transforms into an alkaline forming substance. Now the transformed Alkaline kombucha pH 7+, aids the Spleen (function in TCM), intestines, gall bladder and pancreas (function in western speak) in metabolizing and distributing that digest throughout the body. Thus IMHO, kombucha truly holistically balances & harmonizes the body. I think you can buy pH strips pretty cheaply, maybe at a drug store. Viadro wrote: In my recent phone consult with Dr. Natasha, she said that kombucha was okay, as long as it was "properly fermented" and didn't taste "at all sweet." I have made kombucha on and off for years, but find that I get a very erratic result, depending on time of year, temperature inside the house, etc. Does anyone have a foolproof (and easy) way to know whether one's kombucha is, indeed, "properly fermented"? I would love to go back to drinking it! Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2008 Report Share Posted March 26, 2008 Just keep tasting everyday to see how far along the ferment is going. Start at day 5 and go from there. Or get a heating pad to keep ferment at 80 degrees and always keep the same amount of SCOBY's in there. But I'm sure conditions change too..... claire T. (new and just lurking for now....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2008 Report Share Posted March 26, 2008 Does anyone have a foolproof (and easy) way to know whether one's kombucha is, indeed, " properly fermented " ? I would love to go back to drinking it! When I went to my nutritionist, she said to drink “diabetic” Kombucha. This means that the SCOBY needs to sit in the tea for min 3 weeks and up to 6 depending on the temperature of where it’s sitting. I have taken to the aspect of letting it sit for 3 weeks, and taking a sip every few days afterwards to find out if it’s ready. Be aware, however, that the most sour stuff will sit at the top. One good stir will mix it up and give you a better idea of the taste of the whole jar. We keep our house around 68-70 degrees and my Kombucha sits in a part of the kitchen away from the stove, so it is a little slower to brew. Another tip: if brewed in a cooler environment it will tend toward the sweeter side of “diabetic”. If brewed in a warmer environment it will tend toward the more vinegary side of “diabetic”. A good friend brews hers in her shed. We live in the PNW so freezing doesn’t happen a whole lot during the winter. She will also brew in a fridge in the summer to keep it cooler. It brews slower, but doesn’t go vinegar on you. Chrissie Bunnyearsfamily Heritage Farm firstclassskagitcounty.org Stanwood, WA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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