A point of clarification, kombucha uses black tea almost exclusively, using green tea is a different (but definitely closely related) drink called jun. It also uses honey instead of sugar in that case. Jun isn't the same, both tastewise and pathologically, the scoby of a jun culture is different naturally given the different requirements to break down honey. Giving a green tea and honey to a scoby that grew with black tea and sugar will probably result in the scoby dying; you can "train" (ie. promote the growth of honey-consuming microfauna) by slowly replacing the sugar with honey over multiple feedings. A healthy jun culture will also ferment faster (around 7-10 days vs 2-3 weeks for kombucha) and at lower temperatures (low-mid 70s F vs the mid-70s to 80 for kombucha) that are more common in an average household. It's also, in my opinion, tastier than kombucha; people call it the champagne of kombucha!
Whatever name you want to put on it, I started with the traditional and now keep 3 different kinds going which I started with part of my 'real' stuff. I have a peach rooibos herbal jar and a coffee jar I drink every day, too. The odd flavors work and replicate just fine.
One of the reasons for there not being many studies is probably because there is not much financial motivation for non-drug and non-device health studies
The inoculant--some of the last batch--that's added to a new batch does accomplish two things: First, it introduces the needed cultures. But it also does another job, bringing the pH down to a level that makes it very difficult for harmful organisms to grow. We always want the pH to be below 4.6 for safety, and my sugar/green tea solution alone is usually about 4. Once the backslop is added in my current setup the pH is usually closer to 3.5 at the start of fermentation and ends at 3. My particular culture has a lovely tart taste, with lower proportion of acetic acid bacteria to other acid producers, so It's not so vinegary. I love it.
This is what I tell people; if you're wanting to make kombucha, before being influenced by anyone else's opinion, mine included, do your research. I do make sure at least 1/4 if not 1/3 of my new batch kombucha is started with one or a combination of all three of the following things, to make sure I have enough good stuff to kick of the fermentation process as fast as possible. 1. The build-up you see at the bottom of your kombucha is simply tiny bits and pieces that have settled to the bottom of your bottle or jar. Though not the most palatable, this sediment is healthy to drink and contains nutritional benefits. It's recommended you stir it before decanting for a second ferment to help the second ferment work better and faster. Some sites say it is even better for you than the actual kombucha. These sediments contain everything you need to make kombucha; making it technically a loose, symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast/a SCOBY. 2. Strands that form and hang down from the top are also everything you technically need to make kombucha. Again it might even work faster than any floating thing on top. These strands also contain everything you need to make kombucha; making it technically slimy strings of a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast/a SCOBY. 3. The every popular floating, thin skin, membrane, film some people call a pellicle, is technically a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast/a SCOBY. I like to be as sure of what I'm saying as the next person, though you don't really need to put a name on either one of these three things to make it work. I almost didn't start making kombucha because some videos were so high and mighty/I'm right and if you don't do it my way you're wrong! Anyone remember the Seinfeld show's soup nazi? Eventually I took a nice vinegar 'floaty thing' out of my 'floaty thing' hotel that has been in my fridge for at least two years and a quarter cup of a very fruity homemade vinegar, brewed a pot of sweet tea and I was off and running. It was delicious. Better than any store bought I ever tried. It made another even bigger floaty thing, some stringy things and stuff settled to the bottom. Start small. Have fun. Enjoy.
Great information, and thanks for coming through with the video about the ferments :) My own conclusion on Kombucha, good microbes and many of the postbiotics are healthy for you. Too much sugar is bad for you, so moderation is the "sweet" spot.
I have seen some folks say that the pellicle (the jelly layer) is not actually the scoby, and that it's the fermented tea itself which is the scoby. I did a basic experiment with my own kombucha, and it successfully formed it's own pellicle after feeding, without the need to add a pellicle at the start. It took about 14 days.
Hi Seraphine. Love your videos. Question on a different video, 100% Hydration Ciabatta | Tangzhong and Poolish Method. What would happen if you added the poolish to the tangzhong and left it overnight.
Generally, it might not be a good idea. Basically, a properly made Tangzhong/Yudane contains increased amounts of maltose and other reducing saccharides. Feeding these sugars to the Poolish would most likely speed up the fermentation which in a way negates the main purpose of making the Poolish which is to slowly develop taste through biochemical processes.
It is so ugly that I'll wait for the science to catch up. Also not fussed about the alcohol level - toxic to human body, so does the benefit of bacteria out way the alcohol and remaining processed sugar or honey (same thing really) content that is left after ferment? We need to wait and see. I won't be consuming until evidence is confirmed either way. But thank you for the info.
I know we can only speculate, but generally speaking, fermented things are healthy right? So we could give it some props for that, it helps digestion and its a naturally carbonated realitvely healthy beverage, wich you can flavor yourself, i've also read somewhere that acids are healthy (like brewed from fruit etc), but i can't say for sure, since there wasn't any evidence, what do you say?
A point of clarification, kombucha uses black tea almost exclusively, using green tea is a different (but definitely closely related) drink called jun. It also uses honey instead of sugar in that case. Jun isn't the same, both tastewise and pathologically, the scoby of a jun culture is different naturally given the different requirements to break down honey. Giving a green tea and honey to a scoby that grew with black tea and sugar will probably result in the scoby dying; you can "train" (ie. promote the growth of honey-consuming microfauna) by slowly replacing the sugar with honey over multiple feedings. A healthy jun culture will also ferment faster (around 7-10 days vs 2-3 weeks for kombucha) and at lower temperatures (low-mid 70s F vs the mid-70s to 80 for kombucha) that are more common in an average household.
It's also, in my opinion, tastier than kombucha; people call it the champagne of kombucha!
I make kombucha with half green tea and half black tea, I think honey is the bigger difference between the two.
Whatever name you want to put on it, I started with the traditional and now keep 3 different kinds going which I started with part of my 'real' stuff. I have a peach rooibos herbal jar and a coffee jar I drink every day, too. The odd flavors work and replicate just fine.
One of the reasons for there not being many studies is probably because there is not much financial motivation for non-drug and non-device health studies
Really impressed by the depth and detail-rich overview in this presentation. Standing ovation!
Thanks!
The inoculant--some of the last batch--that's added to a new batch does accomplish two things: First, it introduces the needed cultures. But it also does another job, bringing the pH down to a level that makes it very difficult for harmful organisms to grow. We always want the pH to be below 4.6 for safety, and my sugar/green tea solution alone is usually about 4. Once the backslop is added in my current setup the pH is usually closer to 3.5 at the start of fermentation and ends at 3. My particular culture has a lovely tart taste, with lower proportion of acetic acid bacteria to other acid producers, so It's not so vinegary. I love it.
This is what I tell people; if you're wanting to make kombucha, before being influenced by anyone else's opinion, mine included, do your research. I do make sure at least 1/4 if not 1/3 of my new batch kombucha is started with one or a combination of all three of the following things, to make sure I have enough good stuff to kick of the fermentation process as fast as possible.
1. The build-up you see at the bottom of your kombucha is simply tiny bits and pieces that have settled to the bottom of your bottle or jar. Though not the most palatable, this sediment is healthy to drink and contains nutritional benefits. It's recommended you stir it before decanting for a second ferment to help the second ferment work better and faster. Some sites say it is even better for you than the actual kombucha. These sediments contain everything you need to make kombucha; making it technically a loose, symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast/a SCOBY.
2. Strands that form and hang down from the top are also everything you technically need to make kombucha. Again it might even work faster than any floating thing on top. These strands also contain everything you need to make kombucha; making it technically slimy strings of a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast/a SCOBY.
3. The every popular floating, thin skin, membrane, film some people call a pellicle, is technically a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast/a SCOBY.
I like to be as sure of what I'm saying as the next person, though you don't really need to put a name on either one of these three things to make it work. I almost didn't start making kombucha because some videos were so high and mighty/I'm right and if you don't do it my way you're wrong! Anyone remember the Seinfeld show's soup nazi? Eventually I took a nice vinegar 'floaty thing' out of my 'floaty thing' hotel that has been in my fridge for at least two years and a quarter cup of a very fruity homemade vinegar, brewed a pot of sweet tea and I was off and running. It was delicious. Better than any store bought I ever tried. It made another even bigger floaty thing, some stringy things and stuff settled to the bottom. Start small. Have fun. Enjoy.
A companion video on Kefir both water and milk would be awesome!
Noted!
Thank you. You are Phenomenal . Congratulation on your teaching technique!
Thank you! Interesting!
You must spend a lot of time on research and stuff, its a pleasure to watch these for someone into fermentation. Could you make on on koji maybe?
Thank you for your suggestion. We're going to look into it.
Great Video!
Great information, and thanks for coming through with the video about the ferments :) My own conclusion on Kombucha, good microbes and many of the postbiotics are healthy for you. Too much sugar is bad for you, so moderation is the "sweet" spot.
I have seen some folks say that the pellicle (the jelly layer) is not actually the scoby, and that it's the fermented tea itself which is the scoby.
I did a basic experiment with my own kombucha, and it successfully formed it's own pellicle after feeding, without the need to add a pellicle at the start. It took about 14 days.
At 11:57 we said: "That white jelly-like layer is often called the SCOBY, but it's actually more accurate to say that it houses the SCOBY. "
Hi Seraphine. Love your videos. Question on a different video, 100% Hydration Ciabatta | Tangzhong and Poolish Method. What would happen if you added the poolish to the tangzhong and left it overnight.
Generally, it might not be a good idea. Basically, a properly made Tangzhong/Yudane contains increased amounts of maltose and other reducing saccharides. Feeding these sugars to the Poolish would most likely speed up the fermentation which in a way negates the main purpose of making the Poolish which is to slowly develop taste through biochemical processes.
Hello! Kombucha is also very popular in Japan. I hear it's good for your body. Have a good day!
Video on how to make kombucha please. Thank you
Watch from here: 13:52
It is so ugly that I'll wait for the science to catch up. Also not fussed about the alcohol level - toxic to human body, so does the benefit of bacteria out way the alcohol and remaining processed sugar or honey (same thing really) content that is left after ferment? We need to wait and see. I won't be consuming until evidence is confirmed either way. But thank you for the info.
basically it's nata de coco
So the only certainty is that Kombucha tastes good? haha
I would like to give it the benefit of the doubt but at the moment, that sounds like one of the few proven beneficial attributes of Kombucha 😄
I know we can only speculate, but generally speaking, fermented things are healthy right? So we could give it some props for that, it helps digestion and its a naturally carbonated realitvely healthy beverage, wich you can flavor yourself, i've also read somewhere that acids are healthy (like brewed from fruit etc), but i can't say for sure, since there wasn't any evidence, what do you say?
kombucha is loaded with pre and post and probiotics when done right, there's a test you can do
you are very pretty woman really and beautyful voice.
恐怖茶？
😅xswl
The CDC is no longer a reliable resource.