Questions on Kombucha Tea Starter Culture

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• From Ashley at 1/2/11 12:00 PM
  • I know brewing Kombucha requires a starter liquid, is this included in the culture or available?
  • We have you use vinegar and sugared tea to rehydrate the culture. Once it rehydrates, you can use the rehydration liquid as the starter liquid for your first batch of Kombucha. If it helps, we have a video on activating (rehydrating) the culture and a video on making kombucha here: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-videos#kombucha_videos.
    
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• From Tom at 2/26/11 6:42 PM
  • I was wondering if the fermenting process reduces or eliminates the caffeine that is naturally in black and green tea?
    
    Thank you,
    
    Tom N.
  • The amount of caffeine in kombucha is up for debate. Some sources claim that the caffeine is reduced by as much as 60% from what is in the tea originally; other sources say that there is no change in the tea. In any case, tea is usually on the low range for caffeine-containing beverages, although the caffeine content will vary with the type of tea used. Here is a website that has quite a bit of research on the subject: http://www.happyherbalist.com/analysis_of_kombucha.htm
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• From Verna at 4/15/11 11:59 AM
  • I am wondering if it will be safe to make kombucha in my house if it has kind of a musky smell? Will it create mold in my kombucha? We are wanting to take care of the musky smell but at this point we don't have the finances.
  • Hello Verna,
    
    If your house has a musky smell, it may not be good for culturing. However, if you keep the area around the Kombucha very clean and follow the directions, you will most likely have no problems. It really depends on how musky your house is.
    
    Hope that helps,
    
    
    Erin
    
    Customer Support
    Cultures for Health LLC
    13023 NE Highway 99 Suite 7-4
    Vancouver WA 98686
    1-800-962-1959
    customersupport@culturesforhealth.com
    www.culturesforhealth.com
    
    Information provided in this communication is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided in this site, or through linkages to other sites, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. Cultures for Health, LLC is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain through Cultures for Health, LLC.
    
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• From Adrienne at 6/8/11 4:29 PM
  • hi - is there any way to use decaffeinated tea to make the kombucha? thank you.
  • Yes, you can use decaffeinated tea to make kombucha - but make sure it is naturally decaffeinated, not chemically processed, as the processed teas may contain chemicals that can harm the kombucha culture.
    
    You can get rid of caffeine yourself by pre-steeping the tea. About 80% of the tea's caffeine content is released from the leaf within the first 20 to 30 seconds of steeping. You can have virtually caffeine-free tea, without sacrificing much flavour, by discarding the water after the first 30 to 60 seconds of steeping and adding fresh hot water to the now-decaffeinated leaf. Let the second bath steep for at least 5 or 10 minutes to release the flavenoids and flavors in the tea.
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• From Rach at 8/2/11 12:08 PM
  • What exactly does this kit include? Is it just the cultures?
  • Hello Rach,
    
    The kit includes the Kombucha cultures, a plastic mesh strainer and the directions for making Kombucha.
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• From Val at 8/31/11 8:40 AM
  • I have followed the instructions for hydrating my mushroom. And it has been almost five weeks and nothing has happened, except that it swelled a little and only half of it. what should I do now?
  • Take a look at our Scoby Activation Troubleshooting Checklist: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/kombucha-scoby-activation-troubleshooting-faq for tips on what might be wrong and how to correct it. If that doesn't help, email us at customersupport@culturesforhealth.com for individual troubleshooting.
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• From Philip at 10/10/11 11:29 PM
  • What are the strains of yeast and bacteria found in your Kombucha tea starter SCOBYs. I understand how important and intricate the relationship is between the yeast and bacteria; and I am particularly excited about the potential benefits of the S. Boulardii strain of yeast. Many of the Kombucha products sold in stores involve this yeast. My hope is that your product (which I am currently brewing) involves the same strain of yeast. Thank you in advance for any information you might be able to provide. Philip.
  • Following is a link to our page describing what is in Kombucha http://www.culturesforhealth.com/kombucha-yeast-bacteria The Saccharomyces boulardi is not always present in komucha and we don't have an analysis of our particular scobys however all kombucha including ours has various Saccharomyces strains. The scoby you are currently using will produce Kombucha comparable to what is found in stores.
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• From Kathy at 10/27/11 11:27 AM
  • I bought your tea, and your kombucha starter. My first batch smells like rotten eggs. I made a second batch, it too smells like rotten eggs. Both times I used filtered water, natural sugar and Braggs ACV.
    I am now making a 3rd batch with the same scoby using filtered water and Heinz ACV.
    Thinking maybe I might be having contamination going on and wondering where its coming from. I'm using very clean gallon jars. What do you think?
    Am I using the wrong vinegar? Is the scoby bad?
  • Hi Kathy,
    
    Sorry you're having trouble with your scoby. A rotten egg smell does not sound good. I believe Braggs ACV is raw, and contains bacteria that may compete with the kombucha bacteria strains. If so, try a pasteurized ACV or white vinegar. Let me know how it turns out.
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• From Dallen100 at 12/28/11 6:21 PM
  • I have flip top bottles. How full do I fill them? I've heard some say to the very top to keep air out, but your picture shows bottles filled just to the neck.
    
    Thanks!
  • We at CFH have much better luck getting a carbonated beverage when there is a little headspace. There is probably a scientific explanation for that :) A bottle filled to the very top probably won't end up carbonated and nicely.
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• From Kelly at 2/15/12 11:27 AM
  • Does it matter what size glass jar is used to rehydrate the scoby? I understood from the directions that it did not necessarily matter. I had a 1 gallon glass jar that I bought to make the kombucha, and that is what I have my rehydrating scoby in. I just watched the Kombucha videos and am concerned I should have just used a quart size jar. My scoby has been in the rehydrating process for 20 days at this point, and I don't think much is happening.
  • The size of the glass jar does not make a difference in rehydrating your scoby or in brewing kombucha tea. If you need assistance with rehydrating your culture, please contact customer support directly.
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