Kombucha, Part II

Today when I got home from work, I pulled my Kombucha out of it's hiding spot to see how it turned out. It looked great and had a nice second SCOBY forming. I pulled them both out of the jar and put them in a bowl along with some of the fermented tea.

Next I poured the tea into four 1-1/2 pint-sized jars, leaving about 1 to 1-1/2" from the top. Since I didn't plan ahead and really didn't know what to put in for flavors, I sliced up an apple and put several into three jars. I added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves to two of the jars, and added frozen blackberries to one of the jars of apples. In the fourth jar I put blackberries only.

I was really just winging it at this point. I just hoped they wouldn't turn out too vinegary tasting from adding the apples. I'll update this post once I find out.

The directions said to put covers on and let sit for a week, burping them occasionally.

I wasn't quite sure where to put them after having a conversation with my sister Laura. She had also started making her own Kombucha; however, she said she put her jars right out in the open light on top of the refrigerator. Not sure which way is best so I am experimenting with two in the cupboard, and two out on the shelf.

After taking care of the flavoring, I split the SCOBYs and made two more batches. One with black tea, and one with green tea. For directions, go to my post, Kombucha.

I may have to invest in another gallon canning jar or two after all, I'll need one for my SCOBY hotel!

Oops, I nearly forgot! I tasted the tea and it was pretty good; however, it had a yeasty smell to it, more than likely from the fermenting. After all, SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast!

I tried to get my husband to try it and he absolutely refused. Next I worked on my son. I really had to push him into it, because he didn't like the smell of it. I really thought he would like it since he occasionally likes to drink my tea, but he didn't. I haven't tried my daughter yet, but I'm pretty certain I'd have to hog tie her down and force it down her throat. So I guess it's all mine!

UPDATE: The apple-flavored tea did have a slight vinegary taste to them, similar to apple cider vinegar I suppose, only not nearly as strong. The cinnamon and cloves definitely helped with the flavor. While I didn't mind the taste, I'm not especially excited about it. I think I'll keep trying other flavors.

For more on the Kombucha making, go to Kombucha and Kombucha, Part III.


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