I would like to hear theins and outs of Kombucha... what you think of it... what is your experience is with it??? Is it the end all be all of health or is it the spawn of the devil??? Or is it just a simple bubbly drink with nothing good or bad to say?

Luv laugh and dream

To me it tastes a bit like ginger beer. I like it, although it probably has sugar added.


My favorite raw vegan

I was making it for quite a while, but although they say the scoby consumes the sugar, I was nervous at the amount needed. That being said, I was at a street fair the other day, and purchased a White Rose bottled kombucha, and it really hit the spot!

I have gone back and forth about this topic, same as you.

luvyuu,

I prefer commercial kombucha, as I fret too much about the one I make at home because the scoby has tended to get rank in our summer humidity. Some commercial ones are great, and make me feel invigorated

Ok... well I've had it and made it and know what it tastes like but what about the medicinal properties??? I've read it will heal all that ales you and I also read that some people have gotten very sick from it and one person even died from it. Anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?

Love laugh and dream

It's risky. There are better alternatives. Try cold steeped white tea with lemon. to your health.

Paul

[nutritionfacts.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2012 04:03PM by pborst.

I have never heard that kombucha is dangerous; Soviet relatives of mine took it for all kinds of things and no one died! It can, if brewed improperly, be mildly intoxicating, and, as with anything that has medicinal properties, I suppose someone could overdo it. But prepared from a healthy scoby, uncontaminted at finishing, and drunk sensibly, I should think kombucha would be fine.

luvyuu, kombucha is rich in probiotics and I heard that, in the case of my Soviet relatives, it was a substitute for cultured dairy in hard times--they always had tea and honey but not always milk--or in dire health, when harder-to-digest things like dairy products weren't advised.

I love it, it's so super tasty. I don't even mind the under-fermented still sweetish short, I enjoy it all, homemade, store bought, YUM!
They all went bad on the counter this year though, too hot and humid for them to survive. My cousin is super bummed as her brother brought the original mother scoby to her from someone who had it from Germany so it was old with history. It's like losing a favourite old sourdough started to have your scobies die like that. Very sad. That only makes sense if you know someone who makes sourdough bread, lol.

I think that as with rejuvelac there's the risk of as much or more bad bacteria being brewed up as good bacteria. There's simply no way of monitoring the levels unless you send a sample of each batch to a lab. So this could be a concern for those with health issues, which is such a conundrum as many people take kombucha for health issues! For good probiotics I'm going to stick with the Perfect Pickler as the airlock assures no bacteria etc gets into the jar as it's working.

Tam, I thought you couldn't use honey in kombucha? I remember substituting Earl Grey tea once, that was a super no-no. The citrus oil in the tea killed it all dead. Nothing like a moldy spoiling batch of ferment to put you off it for a while.

coco,

I know that sugar just wasn't available at certain times in Soviet days, so they used raw . . . uh . . . bee juice. I would think all the active enzymes and sugar in it would be compatible with the scoby. I'll have to ask an old timer.

Tam,

You may be right. It is just a case study after all. And sometimes in the past, Greger has been a little fast and loose with his conclusions, though generally I trust him. I do think the risk of lactic acidosis should be considered if only because there are apparently other reported cases. The case study of the HIV patient is here.

I would want to know more about benefit to risk before deciding to drink it myself. Given that there are plenty of good cold steeped tea alternatives, I'm inclined to give it a pass myself for now.

Paul

I do also have to agree that Greger is too fast at times for concluding something that only a couple of case studies have shown. Overall though he has some good videos and information.

Kombucha if fermented properly should be fine especially at the doses needed and like other fermented foods is a great source of live good bacteria and thus can help support the inner eco system. People drinking excessive amounts of Kombucha may run into side effects, which is all the more reason to use in moderate sensible amounts.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2012 04:41PM by powerlifer.

coco, I would think that using honey in kombucha would be counterproductive, as honey is somewhat antimicrobial.

I have made my own at home for many years, but now I switched to water kefir as I found kombucha needs a lot more care. The later you 'harvest' kombucha, the more sugar has been transformed by the scoby into lactic acid, but the more acidic it is as well. I kind of ike it that way though, sometimes I diluted it a bit with water if I found the favor too strong.

Tamukha: really? bee -eh- juice? as in bee juice? Interesting, and I had been wondering about that too.

My journey with wild superfoods [www.wildplantforager.com]

Leaf,

Yeah, euphemisms don't always work

Do you find that the water kefir is as beneficial to your health as the kombucha was?

I was so nervous to start fermenting anything, after reading about mold and toxins and eveything that could go wrong, but Kombucha was so easy. I still have the original scoby I started years ago from a purchased bottle.

On it's own it's not too exciting, but a week after "feeding" your scoby a batch of sweet tea, I harvest. I put juice into 16oz bottles plus some fresh pressed juice of whatever is in season (blueberry + ginger juice = amazing), then let them sit on the counter for a week to get carbonated. Hits the spot if you're like me and worshipped soda as a kid.

After the kombucha is made you add fresh juice and let it sit on the counter to ferment some more? This is interesting, I thought you had to refridgerate the komucha when it was "done". Do you cover it, put a lid on, or something?

Last year I made some kombucha and added blackberries from my yard for a 2nd fermentation (in the bottle). What I was making was a kombucha bomb with blackberry coloring! When I opened the bottle, it was like a rocket going off, it hit me in the face, and my walls and ceiling were instantly stained with blackberry juice. It was hilarious and I wish it was captured on film.

I will probably not try it gain, but if I do, will try to lessen the pressure daily by "burping" the container.

I made one batch of Kombucha using Red Roibos. It was pretty good. I also was shocked at how much sugar is required to make it. But it gets converted to vinegar. I don't know if its actually useful. I wanted to start drinking it on a regular basis, but my partner discouraged me on a number of accounts.

mislu, the main acid in kombucha is acetic acid, the same acid that is in vinegar. If your kombucha tastes too much like vinegar, you probably fermented it too long.

hey kombucha lovers.. a question: I'd love to make my kombucha with non-caffeinated tea. Any suggestions? All the info I've read strongly advises to stick to the recipe - ie use regular black or green tea - otherwise the health of the scoby may be compromised (it may be possible to make a batch or 2 with herbal tea, but problems may occur down the line causing contamination).

I currently use a mixture of decaf green tea, plus a little kukicha, white tea and herbal tea. But I'd rather use a tea that didn't ever contain caffeine, rather than decaf.

I have a friend who uses gynostemma tea for hers and says it's fine - I love the thought of using that, but I can't help feeling a little nervous about it! Any thoughts? xx

Rooibos Lisa?, im not sure if it would work but it is similar to camellia sinensis but caffeine free and low in tannins.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Good call Powerlifer! I never thought of Rooibos.. I love that stuff, esp the Dragonfly chai version I had a bit of a search and came across these useful sites:

[www.kombuchakamp.com]
[www.happyherbalist.com]

think I'd still want to mix in a little 'real' tea with it, just in case (i'm such a fretter when it comes to my little kombucha dudes, don't want to starve them, lol)

One thing I noticed in reference to Gynostemma, that the 2nd site said, that it had 'the classic function of clearing away heat and toxins' - now, I wonder if that would indicate it's a bad choice to include in a rawfoods diet, in terms of TCM, as I really don't want any more cooling substances - vata-dosha, rawfoodist, living in Scotland, in winter.. I'm already cold enough.. does that make sense?

When I was making Kombucha i used decaf green tea and it was very successful... after the initial ferment strain it onto some fresh ginger and a small amount of apple juice... and let sit for a few more days... it's delicious... or you can use candied ginger too... yummy!!!

nice thanks luvyuu, I love experimenting with 2nd ferments, my kefir ends up some weird and wonderful flavours

As has been said above, the sugar actually chemically changes when you make kombucha. Will ALL of it change? Probably not--it's near impossible to know the exact time that all of the sugar has turned, but personally, I can't drink the sugary beverages at ALL and can drink kombucha (and love it). It's arguable as to what exactly the medicinal properties are, but I've heard everything from B12 to preventing colds. No one's ever really studied it in depth to my knowledge, so be your own judge.

It's super easy to make, just pour ingredients together and leave it sit for a week: [fresherthanlife.com]

How dangerous is it to actually make kombucha?

When I make kimchi, I sterilize the jars beforehand, and then everything is good to go. Plus, it's full of natural pathogen-destroyers like garlic, ginger, loads of spicy pepper, sea salt... I have heard of two deaths from kimchi in the history of the universe. Not bad, since it's been done for 1000s of years.

But what about the 'bouch?

RE sugar, I prefer to leave it for a couple of days after I've strained it, as the liquid gets gradually less sweet over time as the sugar gets used up. Or even 2nd ferment it with fruit juices, that way hopefully if it is still sweet, it is the fruit juice that's causing the sweetness; not the original sugar, if you see what I mean (it would be cool if someone did an experiment and found out what kind of sugar was left at the end of a 2nd ferment!). I'm starting to be a little more careful about what sugar I use (I currently use organic evaporated cane juice) - many recipes say to simply use white sugar, as it's what the scoby digests easiest, but I feel better using a better quality of sugar. (Apparently it's a no-no to use other sweeteners such as agave or date paste).

RE danger of contamination, yes it's recommended to sterilise the containers as with any fermented foods (and also never to let metal touch the scoby). Apparently the yeast is much more aggressive than other bacteria that might be around, so they don't get a look-in really. Mold can appear if you're not careful, but I don't think this is very common. And of course you'd be able to see it floating on top, so you'd throw it all out then start again. It's a good idea to keep your brewing kombucha away from open windows, fruit etc to minimise the chance of mold getting to it.

RE how beneficial it is, I personally find a huge and immediate difference when I'm drinking it, in my general health and well-being. Of course that's just my personal opinion - not exactly a clinical trial, lol. But I certainly notice a massive difference, which is more than I can say about any 'superfoods' I've ever tried



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2012 05:56PM by lisa m.