White Tangerine Tea Kombucha

White Tangerine Tea

White Tangerine  (OG)

Brewer: Jesse

1st Fermentation 12/21-1/3

Tea: 2.4 oz.

Temperature: 175°

Steep: 4'

Bottled in: 33.75 oz. swing tops

2nd Fermentation 1/3- 1/8

Batch 1 

2 kumquats, quartered

3 kumquat skins only

flavor notes: sweet citrus

Batch 2

7 raspberries, quartered

1 ginger thumb *sliced not grated

flavor notes: dusky, strange undertones that overpower the fruit flavors

Batch 3 

1/2 meyer lemon, juice only

1.5 tsp. ginger, grated

2.5 tsp. turmeric, fresh & grated

flavor notes: light citrus, turmeric

Batch 4 

2.5 tsp. turmeric, powder

1/4 minneola tangerine

1 tsp. ginger, grated

flavor notes: strong turmeric, tangy

Batch 5 *Experimental

peaches

raspberries

flavor notes: GRAPEFRUIT

Notes

Highs: Favorite was Batch 4
- turmeric was excellent paired with the citrus

- overall very satisfied with the batch. Much better proportions and pairings. 

Lows: no least favorite
- Technically, batch 3 was last but only because it was similar to 4 but not as good.

*Batch 2 with the raspberries took on a strange flavor as it sat in the fridge for a few days. It reminds me of something a witch doctor would give you. Batch 5 was just extra I didn't have time to really bottle so I filled 1/2 gallon container

A Healthy SCOBY

 

One of the keys to a successful brew lies in how healthy your SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria & Yeast) is. This is vital to komucha. Try to get a healthy SCOBY from a person- not a dehydrated or one that is shipped. If you don't know anyone, Kombucha Brooklyn is an excellent resource and a reference for many kombucha questions. Oftentimes new growth looks like mold and they provide photographic examples of what mold is versus SCOBY growth. Kombucha Kamp also has some basic but solid info on signs of a healthy SCOBY. 

Think about your SCOBY like this: it's a growing amalgamation of bacteria and yeast. Both of those things thrive in nasty places in your daily life but set that aside and consider the physical properties of those environments:

warm 

damp/humid/moist

restricted airflow 

Ideal temperatures are 72-85°F: too high will kill it, too low will result in lower CO2 gas levels. Depending on airflow and humidity levels, covering your SCOBY could range from a thin t-shirt to a thick towel or blanket.

In another life when my kombucha was at work with me, the greenhouse monster fans exchanged far too much air and heavily slowed SCOBY growth. Batches did better with a thick terry cloth towel doubled over to maintain some moisture. Currently, the kitchen in my house where my kombucha is now has very little airflow this time of year with all the windows closed so it grows better with a thin flour sack towel and a Mexican blanket on top to keep heat in, but summer is different with higher humidity levels. The heat in the house is set to 65°F and I brew in the kitchen with huge glass double doors (that unfortunately quickly cool the room). My four jars of kombucha sit on a terry towel on a glass end table that is placed directly over the kitchen's heat vent. The jars are then wrapped in Christmas lights and have a blanket on top. It's cold and dry here in New York. 

I would highly recommend invest in a small kitchen thermometer to temp check the brew and while brewing the tea as tea should be brewed at varying temperatures. Thermometers are invaluable and rocked my brewing world. Problems with effervescence dissipated when I realized I was brewing the tea leaves too long and the tea with the SCOBY was too cold. Plus is just makes you feel like a good scientist checking on your experiments.

This all said, there is no formula that works for everyone. A SCOBY is relatively forgiving as far as all of these variables. SCOBY size does seem to impact fermentation- they prefer wide mouth containers and larger, more mature SCOBY ferment tea quicker. My tea is usually ready for a second fermentation after 7-9 days and the second fermentation after 3-5 days, depending on the amount of fruit added and if the pressure is becoming too much for the bottle to bear. I'm still working on keeping bottles from shattering under pressure. The first few days are fine but they've been hitting a point where I've had to strain the fruit out before I really want to just so the bottles don't continue to ferment at an exponential rate and explode. If anyone has experience with this feel free to leave a comment. 

*This SCOBY has been split numerous times. The light pink top layer has formed in the last couple of weeks since I added Christmas lights which have expedited SCOBY growth. If I had the original SCOBY I received in October 2014, it would likely fill 3/4 of a 2 gallon jar. 

Assam Black Tea

Assam Black Tea Kombucha (OG)

Brewer: Jesse

1st Fermentation 12/17- 12/29

Tea: 2.4 oz.

Temperature: 208°F

Steep: 4'

2nd Fermentation 12/29- 1/2

Batch 1 

0.25 c. mango

1 tsp. ginger, grated

0.5 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: strong, smooth mango

Batch 2

0.5 c. pomegranate crushed

0.25 tsp. sugar

1.5 tsp. ginger, grated

flavor notes: dusky pomegranate

Batch 3 * Exploded

5 blackberries crushed

0.5 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: NA

Batch 4 

0.5 c. peaches, chopped

1.5 tsp. ginger, grated

flavor notes: peach (orange pekoe with peach and ginger was better)

Batch 5 (16 oz. swing top)

1 tsp. rose petals

1 tsp. ginger, grated

0.25 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: black tea flavor with floral notes

Batch 6 (16 oz. swing top)

0.25 c. peaches

1 tsp. ginger

0.25 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: earthy peach

Notes

Highs: Favorite was Batch 2
- All decent black tea flavors, however subpar to the Orange Pekoe. Only one person preferred the pomegranate/ginger (batch 2) over any of the same combinations used for Orange Pekoe

Lows: Least favorite was Batch 6
- All were decent, there was nothing wrong with batch 6 except too much going on flavor-wise. 

- Batch 3 exploded on day two of the second fermentation. I burped all the bottles before going to bed but one swing top exploded overnight regardless. 

Orange Pekoe Black

Orange Pekoe Tea Kombucha (OG)

Brewer: Jesse

1st Fermentation 12/17- 12/29

Tea: 2.4 oz. 

Temperature: 208°F

Steep: 4'

2nd Fermentation (12/29- 1/1)

Batch 1 

1/2 c. peaches, chopped

1 tsp. ginger, grated

1/4 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: strong typical black peach tea 

Batch 2 

1/2 c. mango

1 tsp. meyer lemon, juice

flavor notes: tart mango

Batch 3

3 slices meyer lemon

2 tsp. ginger, grated

flavor notes: pungent ginger with a tart black tea finish

Batch 4 

1/2 c. pomegranate

1 tsp. rose petals

flavor notes: floral, tart

Batch 5 

1/2 c. seckel pear, cored & chopped

1 tsp. ginger, grated

1 tsp. honey, orange blossom

flavor notes: summery sweet pears

Batch 6 

1 Tbs. ginger, grated

1/4 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: 

Batch 7 (GT's bottle recycled)

1/8 c. mango, atafulo 

1/4 c. peach, not quite ripe

1/2 tsp. ginger, grated

flavor notes: smooth, tropical 

Batch 8 (GT's bottle recycled)

2 blackberries, crushed

1/4 c. peaches, chopped

1/2 tsp. honey, orange blossom

flavor: berry, sweet 

Batch 9 (32 oz. sauce jar recycled)

3 Tbs. pomegranate, juice only

1/4 c. peach

1/4 c. ginger, grated

1/4 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: dirty fruit

Notes

Highs: Favorite was Batch 5
- Honey was a delicious addition to both batches, best with batch 5
- overall a successful batch, superior to Assam

Lows: Least favorite was Batch 9
- Again, too  many fruits added blurs flavor profiles
- pomegranate was not good with the orange pekoe tea and was the only one that goes better with the assam tea.

Raspberry Green Tea Kombucha

Raspberry Green Tea Kombucha (OG)

Brewer: Jesse

1st Fermentation 12

Tea: 2.4 oz. 

Temperature: 172°F

Steep: 4:30

2nd Fermentation 12/17- 12/23 

Batch 1 

5 mint leaves

1/2 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: mint- NOT GOOD. 

Batch 2

1.5 tsp. jasmine flowers

1/4 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: flowery, doesn't pair well with raspberry

Batch 3

2 Tbs. meyer lemon, juice

2 tsp. ginger, grated

1/4 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: Meyer lemon, went ok with the raspberry. See notes on adding citrus to this tea.

Batch 4

1 tsp. hibiscus flowers

2.5 ginger, grated

1/4 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: NO GOOD

Batch 5

1/2 c. mango, atafulo chopped

2 tsp. ginger

flavor notes: mango, raspberry, and ginger do not pair well together. 

Batch 6 

4 blackberries

5 mint leaves

1/4 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: mint does not go well with blackberries and raspberry flavors

Batch 7

1 lime wedge, left in jar

1/2 tsp. sugar

flavor notes: bitter citrus, not good

Notes

Highs: Favorite was Batch 3, if you had to pick one as a favorite...

Lows: Least favorite was Batch 1

- The worst second fermentation I've done in a long time. I dumped batches 1 and 7 because they were offensive. 

*Raspberry green is awesome by itself, bottled a second time with a little sugar to create more effervescence. The only flavor I'd add is a lime (maybe a lemon) wedge to the glass right before drinking. I still shudder remembering testing them. 

**To make matters worse, a great lesson was to not brush your teeth with Arm & Hammer baking soda toothpaste and proceed to taste test your vinegar kombucha. If you're wondering what I mean head to youtube and type in "baking soda and vinegar". The auto-fill is a plethora of words including, but not limited to: volcano, bomb, rocket, experiment, fail, and drain cleaner. It really gives you a poor idea of where your kombucha is at.