Kombucha

[Frecs]

Just curious, anyone else drink kombucha? If you do, do you brew your own or buy it?

[teddyv]

I had to look up what kombucha is - so no, I don't drink it.

[Frecs]

It's yummy....you should try it....

[Slug1]

I had to look up what kombucha is - so no, I don't drink it.

I gotta look it up too

[bc3n1]

Frecs, I'd never heard of it til recently seeing a news article about the alcohol content in bottled kombucha that a young man was distilling for sale. How does it taste? And where do you find the kind you brew yourself (non-alcoholic, of course)?

[Frecs]

My latest batch is sooooooooo goooooodd... I did a "second ferment" with mascadine cider and ooooohhh it's fabdabulous!

[Frecs]

Frecs, I'd never heard of it til recently seeing a news article about the alcohol content in bottled kombucha that a young man was distilling for sale. How does it taste? And where do you find the kind you brew yourself (non-alcoholic, of course)?

Every test info that I've found says that kombucha has .05% alcohol content. You can't get it 0% because there is fermentation going on. Some do express concern even over that small amount and over the fact that even with that low an amount, one can feel a bit of a relaxing "buzz" when drinking it.

I used to drink "G.T. Daves/Synergy" which is available in HFS and co-ops. Then, I started brewing my own. To "brew" your own, you need a SCOBY, sweet tea, and a glass jug to hold it.

SCOBY=Symbiotic Colony Of Beneficial Bacteria & Yeast -- some call it a "mushroom" because it is a mass of biotic organisms and looks somewhat like a mushroom cap on the top of the tea.

Essentially, the SCOBY ferments the tea while eating the sugars. The resulting kombucha is a probiotic-rich beverage.

Yogurt has one or two probiotics ('cultures'), Kefir has 9-10, and kombucha has more than a dozen....

[teddyv]

Every test info that I've found says that kombucha has .05% alcohol content. You can't get it 0% because there is fermentation going on. Some do express concern even over that small amount and over the fact that even with that low an amount, one can feel a bit of a relaxing "buzz" when drinking it.

I think leaving orange juice in a fridge over a week would probably get the same alcohol content.

[Frecs]

I think leaving orange juice in a fridge over a week would probably get the same alcohol content.

Exactly, there really isn't enough alcohol to speak of--in fact by FDA/USDA standards it's not enough to have to go on a food label (although I think GT Dave's does mention it). Why people feel a "buzz" is really unrelated to the alcohol but no one really knows what it is from...

[bc3n1]

Teddyv, that is so funny. Thanks Frecs for all the info. Being a coffeeholic, and during the summer, a blackberry tea addict, I may try this kombucha just to see how good it is for you.

[Slug1]

I think leaving orange juice in a fridge over a week would probably get the same alcohol content.

Really? So what would a month do

4 points

[Frecs]

Teddyv, that is so funny. Thanks Frecs for all the info. Being a coffeeholic, and during the summer, a blackberry tea addict, I may try this kombucha just to see how good it is for you.

I'd love to do a second ferment with blackberry juice...blackberry kombucha...YUM!!!

Slug--my current batch I started two days ago has both regular "black" tea and CHAI tea! Chai kombucha is soooooo goooddd....

[teddyv]

Really? So what would a month do

4 points

A visit from the health inspector?

[HisLeast]

Can you even drink something with 0.05% alcohol fast enough and in sufficient quantity to feel drunk?

[RabbiKnife]

I don't drink fungi juice.

Or eat anything with the word "choke" in its name...