Friday, January 17, 2014

Making Kombucha With No Starter Tea

 I have read alot of blog posts about making kombucha, but have not seen this information anywhere except Culture's for Health. Even my new book Mastering Fermentation: Recipes for Making and Cooking with Fermented Foods does not include it.

So, as I said in a previous post I was given two SCOBYs, but had no tea to start it with. Let me back up a minute, in order to make kombucha you need a SCOBY, starter tea, and sugar. However, you can still make some if you don't have a SCOBY, or starter tea.

If you have a SCOBY, but no starter tea, all you have to do is add vinegar. The chart above is from Cultures for Health, the starter tea amount is the same amount of vinegar that would be used if you do not have a starter tea. I made a gallon, so I used a 1/2 cup of vinegar. I am going to make a batch with the baby SCOBY in a quart jar.


It is very important not to use any metal tools when making kombucha, look I just made it and already there are bubbles, that is good.

My friend and fellow partner in crime blogger, Mary had no SCOBY, but starter tea stop by her blog to see what she did.


5 comments:

  1. Did this work? I am trying it tonight, but you said that you use the same amount of vinegar as starter tea, then said you used 1/2 cup for 1 gallon, when the chart says 2 cups starter for one gallon.
    H.

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  2. Sorry Heidi I just saw this. It has been a while since I have made this it could have been a typo on my part, sorry. It looks like I might have looked at the chart wrong. Let me know how yours turns out.

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  3. Can you use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?

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  4. What is the correct amount AND vinegar please? For one gallon.

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  5. I wish there were better directions. I was given a scoby but no starter tea. Very confused right now.

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