I brew kombucha and follow the basic instructions found on this site. It's much better than store-bought. Sometimes I'll leave it plain. But I also like adding seasonal fruit, grated ginger, and orange peel and turmeric. A few times I've added a hot chili pepper (not sure what kind--it was from a neighbor's garden) that was surprisingly good. As noted in the instructions, flavoring is added after it's been brewed, and make sure you're using plain tea, not flavored teas. And make sure the tea comes fully to room temp before adding the scoby. I received my first scoby and the starter liquid from a friend's batch.

The process seems much more complicated than it is. Once you go through it a few times, it's rather easy, just a bit time consuming in the initial prep phase. My tea will brew more quickly in the summer when it's a bit warmer and more humid in my house. Winter brewing can take 3 weeks or more--the scoby grows more slowly in a cooler, drier home and I don't alter the conditions just for a scoby. ;-)

Good luck! Let me know if you have any specific questions. It's a fun hobby.

Anyone in your circle of family/friends/neighbors make it ? That is often the best way so they can walk you through the process and trouble-shoot. And get a 'mother' for free.

A group of us at work have been making it for years. Just gave another co-worker a scoby to get going but she is having trouble. I believe once it gets used to your own environment it becomes second nature. I have plenty starter in the fridge at all times so I'm walking her through it again. Must use organic tea, (she did not),

Just checked amazon and so many jumping on the train. Most are not true kombucha. The Costco one seems to be true and has the mother. Similar to Bragg's AC vinegar that has the mother culture.

The second fermentation is where the flavor is added. 95% of the time we make golden beet/ginger. The batch I'm bottling tonight is pear/ginger/lime. (all out of beet). The 2nd fermentation also adds carbonation.

Watch a few videos. Brad is good. Entertaining. HERE

I just have one gallon going at all times and bottle about every two weeks. 8-10 ounces is about a good daily amount. So not really a beverage replacement but can be added I suppose to other juices or seltzer. Possibly the purchased ones have so much other stuff added it is not as pure/concentrated as a home brew.

Another soda alternative is a SodaStream and use fresh juice. I just juice ginger/apple/beet/lime/lemon/tumeric, etc and freeze in ice cube trays then into a zip-lock. I've also added a cube of that to the second fermentation.

I want to drink it but I don't want to tend it as a hobby. My cousin makes it, hers is awesome.

I make water kefir which is using grains instead of a scoby. But there's a member on our Freecycle site who regularly gives away baby kumbocha scobies.

I flavour my water kefir (second ferment) with grape juice and frozen fruits; apple juice with a ginger slice or two is good. In the summer Iike lime juice and ginger with a basil leaf.

I also have milk kefir in the frig. I don't like drinking it at all; it's far too tart, but I do put some on my cereal and then add milk. I also use the kefir in pancakes and biscuits and in place of buttermilk in recipes.

Wow! So much good information to go through.

Ipinkmountain, I realize tastes vary so I am curious to know what makes your cousin's Kombucha awesome. Is it the flavors she uses?

Jasdip, I may try Kefir once I get going on the Kombucha. That is something I haven't tried and don't know how it compares.

Yeah, it's just the fresh flavor, the kick. I think she uses just a splash of grape juice or some other fruit juice. Maybe some honey? I dunno, I didn't ask, I just drank it.

jtc, this is a great site to learn about kombucha, milk and water kefir and other fermentation in general.

https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/the-trilogy/kefir/how-to-make-kefir/

Thanks for sharing the link, Jasdip. I like plain milk kefir but have trouble finding it in the stores, which usually carry the sweet ones that are full of sugar. I'd like to make my own.

That is an interesting link, Jasdip, but $30 for Keffir grains? Is that usual?

Writersblock, I've never purchased kefir grains online. I've been lucky to find them on Freecycle, or on a local buying group. $10 for a heaping 1/4 cup is normal for around here, and I've sold milk grains for that.

Feathers, milk kefir in the stores are full of sugar and sweeteners. The pro-biotics are found in the actual real, homemade kefir.

Thanks, Jasdip. I looked around online and cannot find a local source of kefir grains (only the kefir kits, but I want the continuous use of grains), so will probably order from this source, which gets great reviews.

FWIW, I bookmarked this site back when grainlady was still here, Feathers. She was big on water kefir over kombucha, just because she said it was easier:

https://www.culturesforhealth.com

Thanks, Jasdip.

Thanks, Writersblock. I will check that out. Yes it does seem much easier than brewing kombucha. I like the taste of kombucha but my kids like kefir. We have whole milk delivered from a local dairy, and I have an extra half-gallon this week with which I wanted to try the kefir. I'll check out this source, too. My family can keep up with the daily consumption warranted by the grains. (My kombucha brewing is more... errr... cyclical...)

Like many fermentation starters... check family, friends, co-workers. My kefir grains were from a co-worker.v(free). 20-30$ is a bit standard offering a service that is not much of a money maker. (grow/multiply/package/send..then deal with many uneducated wanting their money back)

Fermentation isn't a boring hobby. Just good food. Takes such little time once second nature. Kombucha vs kefir is like pickles vs yogurt. Completely different yet still natural fermentation. Mixing fermented foods with fresh is what we do. Last nights fresh slaw had some kraut mixed in. Chopped kimchi is nice in a grain or bean salad...or fresh pickles.

Excellent! The pear/ginger is fantastic. So next batch I'm trying cherries (from the freezer), ginger/tumeric/pepper/meyer lemon.

I admire anyone who knows how to do this. I started drinking store-bought last year, I try to drink a small amount regularly. There have been a few that I didn't like the taste of at all, some were actually very good. I saw a news segment just the other day about the benefits and the making of fermented foods of all kinds, kombucha, kimchi, sourkraut. They had this one batch of kombucha brewing that had this huge scoby in it, looked like something that sprouted out of a pod from outer space. I just wonder who was it that had the guts to actually drink the stuff the first time way back when?? LOL!!! No, I don't want to make it or look at that thing, just want to drink it.

Ritaweeda, I can't speak for others here but what I'm doing isn't admirable unless you appreciate that I'm too cheap to buy what I can make. There is a slight learning curve but not much. I am a bit concerned that kefir will require more frequent maintenance than what I'm used to. But brewing kombucha is very "forgiving." I can neglect my scoby for a while and it will still come back and perform once I get my act together. If you like kombucha, I highly recommend giving it a try. Home brewed is so much more flavorful and pure than store-bought.

And, yes, that scoby is pretty gross... my kids have exchanged many adjectives about it that I won't share in this polite company. My friend feeds the mother to her dogs. Mine wouldn't even touch it!

Update. Made my first batch and have been experimenting with flavors for the second ferment. Many I didn't care for that I thought I would. Favorite is strawberry/pineapple and ginger/peach. I also don't know how much fruit etc., to add. Is more better? Anyone care to share a tried and true flavor recipe? The pear/ginger sounds good, but I'm not sure of quantities.

I only use fresh or fresh frozen fruit being natural sugars. Google since I don't like mine at all sweet. Amounts added are just a guessing game. Second fermentation just needs say a 1/4 pear per 1/2 gallon. A 2 inch knob of ginger, grated. Bottling up tonight and one has fresh/frozen cherries, ginger, lemon. The other is lime, ginger, golden beets.

A co-worker uses lots of different berries but he has kids.

I use frozen fruit in my water kefir. In the summer I like lime juice, a slice or two of ginger and basil leaf. Grape juice and cranberry juice is good. I usually use grape juice with some added frozen fruit......strawberries, blackberries, blueberries. I try to stay away from raspberries, the flavour overwhelms the drink, imo.

I strain the fruit out after a couple of days. At that point the fruit is pretty much useless, but I still mix it into yogurt if I happen to be eating some.

One quick note. About kombucha, not kefir. The second fermentation with fruit sugars, (it is the amount of sugars and ambient temp), will create a natural carbonation similar to beer. ...When testing, be careful of your container. A co-worker I gave a scoby to a few years ago started testing in his mother's larger kitchen and one container blew up. He had to repaint her ceiling. That is why I put a damp towel over mine. I use snap caps and one blew last night just before I bottled. Just a loud pop. Perfectly safe since it is a snap on plastic.

I strained and bottled, 4 glass bottles, into a bin with two wet cloths over. Tonight they will go into the fridge. These bottles have screw-on lids. I use very little sugars so I get just the right amount of carbonation.

A cork or a snap-down growler is safer for that second fermentation if it gets too fizzy.

Sleevendog, why do you strain your kombucha? Is it just for the mama/baby scobies? I manually remove the scobies but leave all that stringy debris when bottling so do not strain.

I'm on my 4th round of kefir... it's more frequent than kombucha and I haven't experimented with flavoring yet. But I've streamlined the process to be efficient because I'm finding the turnover needs to occur every 24-36 hours. I have 2 friends who want my extra grains and I'm nearly ready to share.

Yes that's the kind my cousin makes, it's with fruit juice and naturally carbonated. Very yum.

Hello! Wanted to share an update and a tool I've been using. I was getting more kefir than I knew what to do with... shared my kefir grains, have frozen some grains, rotate them on "rest" in the refrigerator... and I'm still getting 16 oz. of kefir every morning. It's about the perfect amount for my family now.

I strain the grains every morning while waiting for my coffee to brew, and have found this plastic strainer works like a charm. The holes are big enough to allow the kefir liquid to pass through quickly, but leave the grains behind. And it's plastic, which is recommended for kefir grains over metal. I found the strainer at a nearby Bed Bath and Beyond but you can also order from amazon.

I also use it to strain kombucha, which I'm still brewing. Got a big batch fermenting now that's ready to bottle this weekend.

Happy fermenting, everyone!

That is great your kefir in on mark for your needs! And thanks for the funnel advice. I've had some recent low quality purchases that gets more than frustration. Coin toss usually.

Similar success for a while now with the Kombucha. I swear, and have heard, that once it gets used to your own environment, it just gets healthier. Two mothers going to friends next week.

Last nights second fermentation is the usual golden beet and ginger but added garden fresh rhubarb.

I agree--I think my scobies acclimate to the environment they're in, over time. They just got over a rather cool winter environment and are growing a bit more quickly and thicker right now.

I'm going to have to find some golden beet at the farmer's market this weekend. I need to try that. Thanks for posting!

I've got 2 bottles of strawberry/mango (one is in my Welch's grape juice plastic bottle) and 1 of grape/cranberry juice.

I just found a half bag of cranberries in the freezer from the holidays. I might try that with the ginger/beet. We have found that if we stray from our favorite we are usually disappointed. Has to be ginger/beet + 'whatever' experiment.

I only tasted a commercial variety at a dinner party. Interesting. Very tart. About a month later (circa April, 2019) , I came across an article describing how it could be very harsh on one’s dental enamel. That’s probably true with things like vinegar, pickles, lemonade, wine. But especially those drinks that are sipped throughout a period of time.

My lime, ginger and basil kefir is tart; like lemonade. I sip it through a straw and also drink water, swishing my mouth.

I only tasted a commercial variety at a dinner party. Interesting. Very tart. About a month later (circa April, 2019) , I came across an article describing how it could be very harsh on one’s dental enamel. That’s probably true with things like vinegar, pickles, lemonade, wine. But especially those drinks that are sipped throughout a period of time.

Uneducated comment to be ignored.

Sleevendog wrote on 6-19-19 Wednesday:

”sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

I only tasted a commercial variety at a dinner party. Interesting. Very tart. About a month later (circa April, 2019) , I came across an article describing how it could be very harsh on one’s dental enamel. That’s probably true with things like vinegar, pickles, lemonade, wine. But especially those drinks that are sipped throughout a period of time.

Uneducated comment to be ignored.”

====

Ouch, sleevendog. Why so harsh? And rude?

Why is my opinion of its tart taste to be “ignored” any more than the opinion of you or others? There is no need to adopt an arrogant, condescending tone. Enjoy the K drink all you care to. Why the animosity. I pose no injurious intent or harm with my honest take on how a commercially made beverage tasted to me.

As for the news piece I read, why not just politely express that you disagree? Why the pejorative comment?

I’ve read many of your posts and never noted this unkind edge you now display. What’s up? My opinion is no more “uneducated” than yours, sleeven.