Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #210 on: August 02, 2007, 05:36:35 PM » by NotLuckyButBlessed

I made bucha with Tazo Berryblossom White tea and Lipton black. At first it tasted too much like beer but, after it aged, it was much better.

I also tried the Lipton White Tea with Island Mango & Peach Flavors and it turned out too beer like for me. I might try it again when it isn't so hot outside, or let it age in the basement where it is cooler.

Using ginger hasn't turned out very well for me either.

My favorite is still Earl Gray. I use the Stash brand. It always turns out peachy and yummy. Go figure, using something with bergamot ages as peachy.

My next attempt will be with using a vanilla bean. I just got my vanilla from Vanillaman so am excited to try it out.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #211 on: August 02, 2007, 05:40:37 PM » by Texas Girl.

Quote

Quote from: NotLuckyButBlessed on August 02, 2007, 05:36:35 PM

My favorite is still Earl Gray. I use the Stash brand. It always turns out peachy and yummy. Go figure, using something with bergamot ages as peachy.

I was going to try Earl Gray, but I made a pitcher of tea and it had an oily film on top! So I didn't think it would work. Is yours not oily? I was afraid that it might mold.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #212 on: August 02, 2007, 05:52:18 PM » by Youthful One

Quote from: NotLuckyButBlessed on August 02, 2007, 05:36:35 PM

My favorite is still Earl Gray. I use the Stash brand. It always turns out peachy and yummy. Go figure, using something with bergamot ages as peachy.

Quote from: Texas Girl on August 02, 2007, 05:40:37 PM

I was going to try Earl Gray, but I made a pitcher of tea and it had an oily film on top! So I didn't think it would work. Is yours not oily? I was afraid that it might mold.

We've tried LOTS of different various teas - I'll try to remember to post them sometime. Our favorite is still Earl Gray - and we use Stash brand as well. I've never noticed an oily film, and we've never had a problem with mold (so far).

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #213 on: August 02, 2007, 05:57:27 PM » by NotLuckyButBlessed

Quote from: Youthful One on August 02, 2007, 05:52:18 PM

Quote from: NotLuckyButBlessed on August 02, 2007, 05:36:35 PM

My favorite is still Earl Gray. I use the Stash brand. It always turns out peachy and yummy. Go figure, using something with bergamot ages as peachy.

Quote from: Texas Girl on August 02, 2007, 05:40:37 PM

I was going to try Earl Gray, but I made a pitcher of tea and it had an oily film on top! So I didn't think it would work. Is yours not oily? I was afraid that it might mold.

I have probably made 10 batches with Earl Gray and never once had any problem with mold. I have read people's postings warning about tea with oils in them but we have never had a problem. Maybe it depends on what brand you use?

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #214 on: August 02, 2007, 10:25:39 PM » by 4myhoonie

Quote from: boysmama on July 26, 2007, 09:22:37 AM

I've had my ginger mold before . Usually I'll still have a little chink left in the bag in the fridge and it will be moldy too. Trying not to buy it (at Walmart Tongue

) unless the whole stock looks very very fresh and never if there is any piece w/ mold already visible. Not had it go bad on me since I started watching when I buy it more closely.
HTH

i usually get mine at walmart too. it is usually very fresh and i bring it home and put it directly into the freezer. i just leave it in the bag and wrap it up. it is very easy to cut after a few min. on the counter to put in the buccha. i just cut or break off what i need and put it back in the freezer each time til it's gone.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #215 on: August 19, 2007, 12:56:26 AM » by Youthful One

I've tried LOTS of things because I had over a dozen different flavors of teas on the shelf to start with. The family favorite is still Earl Gray, but some like Chai Spice for something different every once in awhile. We've tried ForeverGirl's ginger recipe, and either didn't brew it long enough, brewed it too long, or just don't like it.

But I'm writing to encourage you to try the Kranbucha recipe (click here for the link). We really like it, and it reminds me of a fruity soda. Of course, I had to tweak the original recipe so that I could use what we already had on hand. Roll Eyes

Here's what I've done:

I make mine in jars that hold slightly more than 1/2 gallon.
(Vlassic pickle jars from WinCo.)

I used 4 tea bags of Stash Christmas Morning.

(It's a strong blend of black teas - pretty much the strongest unflavored black tea I had on hand already - that's the only reason I chose it).

I put 1 cup of sugar in the jar plus the tea bags.
Added 6 cups of boiling water.
Stirred to dissolve sugar.
Waited until tea reached room temperature.
Added 1/3 of a jar (10 2/3 oz) of Trader Joe's Triple Berry Juice Blend.

(Again, it's what I had on hand - a blend of cranberry, blueberry & pomegranate juices.)

Added water to bring liquid level to the slope in the glass near the top.
Added SCOBY.
Covered with tea towel secured with rubber band.
Hibernated in kombucha cupboard for 7-9 days.

Oh so very YUM!
I highly recommend it! Grin

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #216 on: August 19, 2007, 07:30:14 PM » by SarahK

YouthfulOne-

I have added juice to some of our batches, too. We really liked it -BUT- if you bottle it and store it before drinking - don't let it sit too long. We had some ready to drink and then spent 4 weeks in the hospital with our son. We lost nerly every bottle with juice in it - I mean they ExPlOdEd before we even got to them. The carbonation increases a lot with the juice and I think that's want killed our bottles.

Sarah K

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #217 on: August 19, 2007, 08:06:53 PM » by Youthful One

Quote from: SarahK on August 19, 2007, 07:30:14 PM

YIKES!

Thanks so much for the warning!! I thought I noticed more carbonation, but not so much that I didn't like it. (G.T. Dave's is too much for me.) Roll Eyes

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #218 on: September 03, 2007, 09:58:05 PM » by Nickole

Wow, I'm shocked at you guys using Earl Gray successfully! I've made k-tea for over 4 years and the only time I ever made mold was with Earl Gray. Maybe it is the brand like you say - I am pretty sure we used Twinings that time.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #219 on: September 17, 2007, 06:08:09 PM » by Roehrmomma

Hello!

It is fall and right now I am hooked on cinnamon.Is there any reason I couldn't add a cinnamon stick to my black tea kombucha?

I am asking cause I molded my last kombucha scoby and had to get a new one I'd rather not do it again. Tongue

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #220 on: September 21, 2007, 12:07:48 AM » by healthybratt

Quote from: emily jean on September 17, 2007, 06:08:09 PM

I believe cinnamon has lots of essential oils in it. This could damage your SCOBY, so I would add it after you take the SCOBY out.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #221 on: October 18, 2007, 09:54:58 PM » by Kitty

OK...on a whim, I thought I'd ask if anyone's made kombucha taste like root beer? Would senna taste like it? (Sorry for not reading through 8 pages...)

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #222 on: October 19, 2007, 09:16:33 AM » by Roehrmomma

Never done it but figure you could use root beer extract.Like you were really making root beer.

Vision forum has their kids news show and they make root beer on it.My girls want to try it sometime...

Em

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #223 on: October 22, 2007, 01:00:45 AM » by Youthful One

Quote from: Yooper on October 18, 2007, 09:54:58 PM

OK...on a whim, I thought I'd ask if anyone's made kombucha taste like root beer? Would senna taste like it? (Sorry for not reading through 8 pages...)

Not a clue. Huh

Do let us know how it turns out though... Wink

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #224 on: December 04, 2007, 10:05:06 AM » by morningglory

Would putting some Pau D'arco bark in while the kombucha is brewing make it a more powerful candida-killer? We're going to be doing some serious yeast cleansing after Christmas. Would it even work? My DS doesn't like herbal tea unless it's pretty sweet, but he LOVES kombucha.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #225 on: December 04, 2007, 10:34:55 AM » by Whiterock

Quote from: morningglory on December 04, 2007, 10:05:06 AM

Since a SCOBY is made up of bacteria and yeast, the Pau D'arco could kill it.
WR

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #226 on: December 04, 2007, 01:26:45 PM » by healthybratt

Quote from: morningglory on December 04, 2007, 10:05:06 AM

The Pau D'arco might kill the SCOBY.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #227 on: December 05, 2007, 01:01:57 PM » by likemanywaters

Quote from: Yooper on October 18, 2007, 09:54:58 PM

OK...on a whim, I thought I'd ask if anyone's made kombucha taste like root beer? Would senna taste like it? (Sorry for not reading through 8 pages...)

I tried making a batch by adding Sarsparilla root. It turned out Ok. Kind of "woody" tasting, but not exactly root beer. But it DID make it foam more. We can harvest fresh Sasafrass root around here and the tea of it does taste like root beer, so the next time I can find some fresh sasafrass root, I'm going to try it in my K. Or maybe both so it would taste like root beer AND foam lots.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #228 on: December 05, 2007, 02:19:16 PM » by crystal

Quote from: Yooper on October 18, 2007, 09:54:58 PM

OK...on a whim, I thought I'd ask if anyone's made kombucha taste like root beer? Would senna taste like it? (Sorry for not reading through 8 pages...)

Careful with that senna, honey! You'll be sitting upon the throne more than you would like to! Cheesy

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #229 on: February 17, 2008, 09:57:48 PM » by ArmyWife

I have my 2nd batch of Kombucha brewing ( I can only make 2 qts. at a time until I get a bigger jar or bowl) and after reading these 8 pages I think I will start trying some different flavors. I just used the organic black tea, following the recipe in NT, but I also have several Christmas teas I got on clearance that I may try. They are all CS, one is Sugar Plum Spice, and another is Gingersnappish. I also have Good Earth Red Tea Raspberry and GE Vanilla Chai (decaf), so i think I'll give those a try to. I'll try to post after a while to see which ones I like.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #230 on: February 18, 2008, 08:29:53 AM » by Kitty

Quote from: crystal on December 05, 2007, 02:19:16 PM

Quote from: Yooper on October 18, 2007, 09:54:58 PM

OK...on a whim, I thought I'd ask if anyone's made kombucha taste like root beer? Would senna taste like it? (Sorry for not reading through 8 pages...)

Careful with that senna, honey! You'll be sitting upon the throne more than you would like to! Cheesy

LOL! Still haven't tried it. Anyone get a root beer 'bucha?

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #231 on: February 19, 2008, 03:30:42 PM » by naturalgirl

Can you use Sucanat instead of plain white sugar? Usually white sugar really zaps my energy.

« Last Edit: February 19, 2008, 03:34:35 PM by naturalgirl »
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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #232 on: February 19, 2008, 07:41:51 PM » by lotsaboys

Quote from: naturalgirl on February 19, 2008, 03:30:42 PM

Can you use Sucanat instead of plain white sugar? Usually white sugar really zaps my energy.

We use white sugar since the SCOBY "eats" it and therefore can produce lactic acid and a detoxifying substance (glucuronic acid). Our bucha perks me up and keeps me going when I would normally get draggy in the afternoon.

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #233 on: February 19, 2008, 08:37:32 PM » by naturalgirl

Ok, I'll give it a try...see if I can sneak some of that white poisen into the house Grin

Just kidding!

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #234 on: February 19, 2008, 09:37:31 PM » by lotsaboys

Quote from: naturalgirl on February 19, 2008, 08:37:32 PM

Ok, I'll give it a try...see if I can sneak some of that white poisen into the house Grin

Just kidding!

LOL! That reminds me of a time we were at the store buying white sugar in bulk and my man said to me "Ya know, for people who don't eat any white sugar we sure buy a lot!" Wink

(He was using it to feed his bees too.) Tongue

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #235 on: February 27, 2008, 12:35:23 PM » by healthybratt

Quote from: romance9398 on February 20, 2008, 12:15:43 PM

Ok, not sure if I am using proper procedure or not. I can't seem to find a way to post without replying.

You did fine, but posted in the wrong thread. I moved your post and the subsequent posts to the appropriate thread. Here.

http://www.welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,6258.0.html

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #236 on: February 27, 2008, 12:46:38 PM » by Kitty

We just tried a raspberry/wild berry batch...when warm it smelled yucky--like spoiled or purged fruit. Tongue

Better when cold!

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #237 on: April 07, 2008, 08:40:30 PM » by Leah IL

Our new all time favorite Kombucha- Celestial Seasonings White Plum tea. Tastes like champagne

I used 6 tea bags for 1 gallon plus 1 cup sugar and brewed for 11 days. I also bottled some of it for the first time- we usually just drink it- and WOW did it get fizzy!

« Last Edit: April 07, 2008, 08:42:27 PM by Leah IL »
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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #238 on: April 15, 2008, 03:49:33 PM » by lotsaboys

Quote from: Leah IL on April 07, 2008, 08:40:30 PM

Our new all time favorite Kombucha- Celestial Seasonings White Plum tea. Tastes like champagne

I used 6 tea bags for 1 gallon plus 1 cup sugar and brewed for 11 days. I also bottled some of it for the first time- we usually just drink it- and WOW did it get fizzy!

Hey Leah, I can't find any CS White Plum tea. I found white tea, plum white, white peach... but I want to try exactly what you used. Cool

Where did you buy yours?

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Re: Kombucha Variations: Teas & Flavors That Do & Don't Work
« Reply #239 on: May 08, 2008, 02:03:16 PM » by Nickole

I think it was floydian who mentioned peach kombucha to me. Finally tried it and it is SOOO gooooooood!!!! We used Celestial Seasonings peach. Makes the baby scobys a pretty pink, too!

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