I’m not sure why you view Ito’s comment as having such a harsh tone, or why you should choose to take on a harsh tone in response. When discussing the merits of materials, should it be so strange to discuss their use or risks in other areas?

Preventing contamination from outside sources is a good idea if you’re having to deal with live cultures in brewing anything.

A stainless steel spoon used for stirring should be reasonable and preferable over wood so long as it is properly cleaned before use, but what about a container made of such?

My wife had then got the message that her malign melanoma had spread to the lymphs, and I was told that we could expect to keep her from four to eigth months.

She is, however, still with us 14 years later, as an indeed healthy, loving grandmother, still working and loving her job in a kindergarten at an age of nearly 68!

I make about 8 liters of brew every two weeks, using a coffe-brewer and a plastic container, covering it with an uneven plate to ensure oxygen. Two topped teaspoons of green or black tea to one kilo of white sugar.

If we go away on holidays, we bring the brew with us. I set a new brew a day before leaving, and continue brewing when coming home after two, three or even four weeks.

Oddvar

“Because of the acidity of Kombucha tea, it should not be prepared or stored in containers made from materials such as ceramic or lead crystal, which both contain toxic elements than can leach into the tea.”

Sounds like the best bet would be glass for both growing and storing.

I know it’s a good idea to make sure your gut has lactic and acetic acid bacteria in good quantity, so yeah, drink some Kombucha or eat yogurt every once in a while. But the idea that drinking it every day provides a microbial benefit is dubious to me.

One novel thesis as to why people stand by their Kombucha is that it does contain one chemical element that promotes feelings of wellbeing and being energized: caffeine.

That’s because black tea, the essential aspect of Kombucha is the greatest beverage on earth. Its caffeine levels are low enough that you can drink it all day – maintaining a slight buzz while simultaneously hydrating your person, it’s cheap, it’s egalitarian in that anyone can make it properly without a $300+ rig, and if you buy the good stuff, you don’t need sugar. It tastes good at any temperature. It’s rad.

People don’t need more refined sugar in their diets. Tea has provided me an opportunity to transition AWAY from sugary drinks and for that, I am in its debt.

Winchester Grey, you are spot-on about the nefarious fungal brain-tendrils. I have only tried it once, but living in a remote community I don’t have any opportunity to buy it commercially. I mail-ordered a kombucha kit and my first batch is still trying to grow a kombucha-baby in my cupboard. Dealing with very cold temperatures in my house has been a challenge.

tessuraea, your “pickle-bucha” comment had me rolling. I am SO glad that I got some glass 2-qt Ball canning jars for my kombucha experiment instead of trying to cadge a free pickle jar from a restaurant. That is hilarious.

I’ve also started making kefir at home and have been putting 1 part kefir and 1 part kombucha into a smoothie (bananas, frozen fruit, fruit juice, protein powder) every morning since. Does anyone know if this damages the bacteria? Since I’ve started this routine my digestion has regulated quite a bit and I do notice a shift if I skip it for a weekend.

Also, from what I’ve read, there is a probiotic component to the tea, but the bigger player is the glucuronic acid by-product in the tea which supposedly helps your liver digest toxins more efficiently. Of course, this is just some casual reading on the internet.

Anyways, I would leave the vinegar out- it’s not necessary if you have a good SCOBY. And definitely ditch the ceramic and plastic containers and buy juices and milk in glass jars that you can reuse. The acidity of the kombucha can lead to toxins leaching in to your drink.

What are those kombucha microbes, anyway? Do they produce alcohol before turning it to vinegar?

You already made them look bad by being such an asshole. I appreciate your advice but your tone is really offputting.

My kids do not drink kombucha. Neither does my wife.

Antinous: you can’t! The bacteria cancels the fermenting. Or, maybe you’re thinking of balsamic vinegar :)

I actually like the left-over whey when I make yogurt — it’s tart, weird, slightly green from the flavanoids, and contains the same bacteria as the yogurt (and, I assume, kombucha). The kombucha, however, is that same flavor in super-overload, and has a weird fizziness that churns my stomach.

Then again, I’m sure if I drank it enough it would taste fine.

Kombucha (and lambic and frambiose) are brewed with an open top so that there will be some aerobic fermentation at the top. This allows bacteria to move in and produce lactic and acedic acids. Because acedic acid (vinegar) is made from breaking down alcohol, the alcohol content in kombucha is effectively zero. So it goes sugar -> alcohol -> acedic acid. If you let kombucha (or beer or wine) sit for long enough it will all turn into vinegar.

If you do put an airlock on kombucha while it still has some sugar you can make alcoholic kombucha wine, since the oxygen supply is cut off and the bacteria die, leaving room for the yeast to produce alcohol. It’s not bad stuff, but I prefer to keep my alcohol and kombucha separate.

Anywho, the other day at my local AJ’s I saw that they sold Kombucha. OMG! I would finally be able to taste how it was REALLY supposed to taste! I anticipated something fizzy and tangy and delicious. I excitedly opened it and took a long chug.

It tasted like FIZZY … vinegar butt. Sigh.

* Don’t use decaf tea; some of the things in the culture eat caffeine

* I wouldn’t store it in plastic; it is quite acidic (I’ve heard down the 2.5pH).

* if you store it on the counter for a while before refrigerating it, you’ll get more carbonation (and a proto-SCOBY near the top; watch out).

* loose-leaf tea tastes a hell of a lot better than tea bags.

@brassrocket wikipedia has at least one reference to a method by which one of the acids (it’s not all acetic) in kombucha stop re-uptake of liver wastes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombucha

Seriously, people are afraid of kombucha? Or are they just shills for big pharma? You don’t want everyone being too healthy, you know! If anyone has in fact ever gotten sick from kombucha, then it must have been contaminated somehow. When someone gets sick from spinach, does that mean spinach is bad for you, or should we just make sure we don’t get feces on it? Hmmm, tough one.

By the way, I’ve been drinking kombucha and raw milk almost every day for about three years and BIG SURPRISE, I’ve never gotten sick from it!

I remain free of this evil symbiont, and wary of the Kombucha pod-people.

If you think this is far-fetched, I encourage you to read Scott Westerfeld’s most excellent Peeps, and the parasite interstitials therein.