Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Has anybody here ever added ginger to kombucha? I wonder if it can be done and when it should be done. I am hoping to make the taste a bit more palatablel so that my hubby-to-be might take interest. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 We do continuous brewing (yeah Happy Herbalist;). After the ferment of 24-48 hours, we pour the K into 16 ounce bottles (we have a bunch of the Gorlsch which are great). At that point is a great time to flavor, then seal so they become fizzy. We use freshly grated ginger root (you can buy it in bulk and freeze the extra) that we grate with a mircoplane handheld knife. You can also add berries and other things at this point. Seal, let sit for a few days, and you will hopefully have a delightful, fizzy, great tasting drink. > > Has anybody here ever added ginger to kombucha? I wonder if it can be > done and when it should be done. I am hoping to make the taste a bit > more palatablel so that my hubby-to-be might take interest. Thanks! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 I don't do continuos brewing, but I do two ferments to flavor. So I think you are saying to add the ginger during the second ferment. Correct? Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 For whatever it's worth, I buy GTS Kombucha and they have a flavor that has ginger in it. Very tasty. My favorite. - Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. -WB Yeats ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. http://tools.search./newsearch/category.php?category=shopping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 I will be making my first batch. I am following the NT recipe, unless anyone has a better suggestion. I don't believe their recipe uses a 2nd ferment...when do you do the 2nd? Are mason jars good to ferment in? Do you boil your grolsch bottles? > > I don't do continuos brewing, but I do two ferments to flavor. So I think you are saying to add the ginger during the second ferment. Correct? > > Kathy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 No, NT doesn't refer to a second ferment. Someone on this list suggested a second ferment to flavor the tea. The suggestion was to bottle it after the first ferment, add 5% fruit juice, and let it ferment again. It is VERY good! Kathy Re: kombucha I will be making my first batch. I am following the NT recipe, unless anyone has a better suggestion. I don't believe their recipe uses a 2nd ferment...when do you do the 2nd? Are mason jars good to ferment in? Do you boil your grolsch bottles? > > I don't do continuos brewing, but I do two ferments to flavor. So I think you are saying to add the ginger during the second ferment. Correct? > > Kathy > ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Very interesting! What kinds of medicinal herbs? Kathy Re: kombucha Hi , thank you for the kind words, always appreciated. Adding Ginger or other flavors after the primary ferment is our preferred method. This maintains the pureness of the kombucha ferment and allows free experimentation. see our online article http://tinyurl.com/392jmp Contrary to popular beliefs Ginger - which has some antibacterial properties (as other herbs added for flavor also may have) are OK even in the active primary ferment. Ginger is fermentable - as in making Ginger Beer. Adding medicinal herbs to the primary ferment is popularly encouraged by kombucha researcher and author Guenther and to a large extent by Harold Tietze, who wrote a book precisely on adding herbs to kombucha. http://tinyurl.com/yne5k5 Peace Ed Kasper LAc. & family www.HappyHerbalist.com ................................................ Re: kombucha Posted by: " louisvillewapf " louisvillewapf@... louisvillewapf Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:28 pm (PDT) We do continuous brewing (yeah Happy Herbalist;). After the ferment of 24-48 hours, we pour the K into 16 ounce bottles (we have a bunch of the Gorlsch which are great). At that point is a great time to flavor, then seal so they become fizzy. We use freshly grated ginger root (you can buy it in bulk and freeze the extra) that we grate with a mircoplane handheld knife. You can also add berries and other things at this point. Seal, let sit for a few days, and you will hopefully have a delightful, fizzy, great tasting drink. ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 We just rinse our gorlsch bottles with very hot water and occasional soap after drinking. The K is so acidic, we really don't worry about contamination in the second ferment. Also, the continuous brewing helps as well, I believe. Here are some of our favorites for flavoring (we don't use fruit juice because it is very expensive compared to using real stuff, IMO) 1. Ginger, in 16 ounce bottles combine approx. 16 ounces K with 1/4 tsp grated ginger 2. Ginger berry, do above and add 5-6 blueberries, or a mixture of berries. Make sure to gently shake after 12-24 hours in the bottle. 3. Banana, put a few slices of banana in (with or without ginger) It is very easy to flavor; the guy at Wild Oats said they should do a garlic Kombubcha as it would probably be unbelievable beneficial heathwise... and undrinkable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Well, I am still nursing my young 'un and I read last night about precautions against nursing mothers drinking kombucha. So, perhaps I will wait till after we are done with nursing. I have saved several suggestions in a word doc and will return to this later. Thanks for now! > > We just rinse our gorlsch bottles with very hot water and occasional > soap after drinking. The K is so acidic, we really don't worry about > contamination in the second ferment. Also, the continuous brewing > helps as well, I believe. > > Here are some of our favorites for flavoring (we don't use fruit juice > because it is very expensive compared to using real stuff, IMO) > > 1. Ginger, in 16 ounce bottles combine approx. 16 ounces K with 1/4 tsp > grated ginger > 2. Ginger berry, do above and add 5-6 blueberries, or a mixture of > berries. Make sure to gently shake after 12-24 hours in the bottle. > 3. Banana, put a few slices of banana in (with or without ginger) > > It is very easy to flavor; the guy at Wild Oats said they should do a > garlic Kombubcha as it would probably be unbelievable beneficial > heathwise... and undrinkable! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 > It is very easy to flavor; the guy at Wild Oats said they should do a > garlic Kombubcha as it would probably be unbelievable beneficial > heathwise... and undrinkable! I hope this isn't too OT: I used to make a garlic tonic where I processed 2 pounds or so of raw garlic in the food processor, brewed it in vodka for about a month, strained it then used about 10 drops in water every day. I don't know how it would taste in K but maybe one could just used the drops per serving of K. Any thoughts about that? Naomi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 > > Can anyone please help with some informatin.� I have been unable to make kombucha.� I have tried 3 times.� Procedurally, it sounds like you did the right thing in general. A couple of potential issues: + Did you sweeten the tea? A kombucha mushroom feeds on sugar during the first fermentation. (For 3 qt water, use 4-5 tea bags and 1 cup sugar.) + What was the temperature of the brew during fermentation? It likes to be warm. (I brewed on my boiler in winter, on a seedling mat now, and will try on the counter in summer.) I suggest you join the Microbial Nutrition group, also on (nutrition/?yguid=313634093) if only to have access to the great info in the Files section of the site! Pam, novice kombucha brewer P.S. I brew the tea in glass or ceramic (a crock would be fine), but I don't see how brewing in metal would have affected the tea *before* the scoby was added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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