Kombucha with Golden Sail Puerh Tea

Golden Sail Puerh TeaBatch #4

Started 10/16/2016 @ 3:00 p.m.

  • 24 gm Golden Sail Puerh Tea
  • 1.75 liters boiling water

Let cool until 7:00 p.m. Then:

  • Pour tea through strainer into 1-gallon mason jar
  • Stir 1-cup organic white sugar into mix
  • Add original mother (from Kombucha Brooklyn, used to brew Batch #1 & #2, now sitting in 1.5-cups kombucha from Batch #2 since October 9th at room temperature).
  • Fill jar with filtered cold water until it levels out at 1-inch beneath the curve at the top of the jar.
  • Cover lid with cotton cloth and fasten tight with rubber band.
  • Place jar in cupboard fitted with new heating mat.

Update October 22nd:

  • Current Temperature: 78°
  • Current pH: 4.2 (desired brewing pH = 2.5-3.5; FDA requirement = <4.6)
  • Taste notes: Slight effervescence; sour black tea flavor (from puerh tea) but extremely sweet
  • Color: Very dark black — almost like ink!

Update October 29th:

  • Current Temperature: 80°
  • Current pH: 3.8 (desired brewing pH = 2.5-3.5; FDA requirement = <4.6)
  • Taste notes: Slight effervescence; sour black tea flavor. Ready to bottle!

Recipe: Coconut Pineapple Ginger Kombucha

  • 1 teaspoon Pineapple Extract
  • 2 teaspoons Coconut Extract
  • 2 teaspoons Ginger Juice

Because the kombucha was still a little sweet, I decided not to put extra sugar in with the extracts. This batch yielded six 16-ounce bottles. Put the bottles in a box on the floor for room-temperature second fermentation. Will check back in a week.