http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99?format=rss Tribe.net. Local Connections http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#3ea95575-6799-4804-875d-dfbdd2709e33 Here it is May already. Yes the palm sugar works great... and without the stigma of additives, etc. Alot like pillioncillio but different. And as to maple syrup? I've been putting a splash of it in each 2nd fermentation bottle for an additional boost.... and the result is , yes, fizzy (but delicate-fizzy like fine champagne bubbles),... and lovely! Tue, 06 May 2008 00:23:29 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#3ea95575-6799-4804-875d-dfbdd2709e33 Briggi 2008-05-06T00:23:29Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#3ea68cc6-59dd-412d-8239-4051835c7c8c I have tried Honey with mixed results, brown sugar, white sugar etc. I find the browner (more molasses) there is, the more funk and sediment left in the bottom of the Jar. Honey has worked OK when used as half with other sugar. The best I have found is Maui Raw Cane sugar. A great buy at Costco 10lbs for $4.50. Can't beet that! Also, this sugar has a good mix of molasses, not too brown, not too white. Great over all flavor. I only use this sugar in everything, lemon-gingeraide is the best. --Dr. D Mon, 05 May 2008 23:45:11 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#3ea68cc6-59dd-412d-8239-4051835c7c8c Dr. D 2008-05-05T23:45:11Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#198327d8-b9b9-43f0-9463-76df67965283 excuse me B...i should have read some earlier posts before i proselytised... great beard.......... Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:56:06 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#198327d8-b9b9-43f0-9463-76df67965283 david 2008-02-17T10:56:06Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#bb3c69ad-04bf-4310-a4a1-dc9bba6f7fc7 I'm a believer! Now trying Thai coconut palm sugar, unrefined. .... only sometimes it's an availability issue. b! Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:18:51 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#bb3c69ad-04bf-4310-a4a1-dc9bba6f7fc7 Briggi 2008-02-14T17:18:51Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#f099f77b-d8b7-4adc-9a96-36c0858e1468 one serious advantage to using sugars that have less of the mineral nutrients removed is that the tea produced is of a higher quality for both us and our SMOBY cohorts...akin to using unrefined salts where it is the small percentage of buffer salts (potassium.magnesium,calcium mainly) that make all the difference. but it still makes a great drink with just sugar sweet.... Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:05:28 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#f099f77b-d8b7-4adc-9a96-36c0858e1468 david 2008-02-14T12:05:28Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#6f750666-3d8a-485e-9771-4688656fe2e8 I know very well that white refined multnational corporation supermarket sugar is Evil White Death.... but then I have a special pact with my chinese amoeba.... She eats it up, so I don't have to, and produces a healthful drink for me in exchange. So she gets what she wants, (an easier workload), ... and I get what I want... a great healthy beverage.! \ b! Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:24:14 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#6f750666-3d8a-485e-9771-4688656fe2e8 Briggi 2008-02-09T00:24:14Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#071533bf-b0a1-4a18-b4b6-691be8c9ba2c Brown, raw and turbanado (sp?) sugars are all pretty much the same, they just take them out at different stages of refinery. Sucanat and Rapadura sugar are just dehydrated can juice, that is what I've been using with my baby for a while now and my baby LOVES is, growing faster! If you get the organic kind then you've got a little bit more chance of not picking up evil sugar company vibes. It's more expensive but its the only thing I use sugar for so I don't buy that much. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:24:47 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#071533bf-b0a1-4a18-b4b6-691be8c9ba2c Ruth 2008-02-08T22:24:47Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#2e28a83d-c7ab-4478-ae56-fc2a69a40c93 just got back from Mexico last week. I was with a large group. We used pilloncillo exclusively in the making of two large 10 liter vats at a time.... keeping 150 people furnished with the occasional glassful. Taste is rich, full-bodied, tangy.... as only evaporated cane press can be. Use it for the taste only because it takes longer to ferment.. Because it's my hunch that the buuch would have assimilated and metabolized refined white alot more quickly than the crystalized cane, especially in the tropics. b! Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:44:57 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#2e28a83d-c7ab-4478-ae56-fc2a69a40c93 Briggi 2008-02-06T05:44:57Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#1d0b2510-f03e-4d9f-82a6-1255be4f9a6f Have you got luck with piloncillo only? Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:38:39 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#1d0b2510-f03e-4d9f-82a6-1255be4f9a6f Laura 2008-02-06T02:38:39Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#51e46203-aa19-4d25-89c6-d2b9ea4855b0 Piloncillo only? Has anybody tried brewing with piloncillo as the only type of sugar? Thanks! Laura Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:35:40 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#51e46203-aa19-4d25-89c6-d2b9ea4855b0 Laura 2008-02-06T02:35:40Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#e9a76681-9d29-4ec4-ad3d-234ebe279d12 At the Chinese supermarket, I've found some Thai coconut palm sugar... comes in a round hard cake with a texture resembling Mexican piloncillo cones, only more blonde. ... $1.29 for the 17.5 oz. cake. I'm brewing up a bucha batch now as we speak, using this unusual sweetner. It has a demure delicate flavor. Stand by for more news later next week. b! Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:58:10 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#e9a76681-9d29-4ec4-ad3d-234ebe279d12 Briggi 2008-02-05T16:58:10Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#7a6aa8c2-f40d-4272-8687-4af033ce6dd6 OF COURSE! I don't eat refined sugar at all anymore. I started my Kombucha with maple syrup and black assam tea and it's doing fine. It's never had any refined sugar involved in the process. I didn't use honey since it's an antimicrobial I thought it might inhibit the colony, but I'll probably try it at some point when I have babies. Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:50:02 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#7a6aa8c2-f40d-4272-8687-4af033ce6dd6 Ashley 2008-02-04T04:50:02Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#ddd9a95c-8eb4-44a7-af60-517f84f3c4a6 if people have been making kombucha for so long, even before the advent of refined sugar (this past century) what did they use to make it before refined sugar? cherries? Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:56:36 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#ddd9a95c-8eb4-44a7-af60-517f84f3c4a6 Jason 2008-01-29T19:56:36Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#07c69d73-b09f-45a7-b221-50a8c6570159 Ayola wrote: ...I have always heard that the mushroom needs refined sugar ... > It's not so much that it needs refined sugar, as that the culture seemingly performs better with a high ratio of sucrose. Essentially it depends upon how you define performance. For myself, I prefer using a sugar that performs similiarly to white sugar but doesn't contain animal by-products or sulphur dioxide, like white sugar - namely, evaporated cane sugar. I consider it a healthy investment in the kombucha I'm producing for my body to allow for, perhaps, a slightly longer brewing period as a reasonable trade-off to much more harmful, and risky, high performance additives, like refined white sugar. Pay your grocer or your doctor - one preventative, one curative - it's all your choice. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:07:16 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#07c69d73-b09f-45a7-b221-50a8c6570159 skooter 2008-01-17T07:07:16Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#79cbd2d7-fe10-4a0d-8b7f-c899ab6e0d6c I have always heard that the mushroom needs refined sugar etc... but I just got a Kombucha tea of a guy of useded ONLY agava!! not only that, he actually has a factory here in Norway and one of the products is this very Kombucha tea with only Agava. the tea is lovely, alive and kicking without any poison or anything. I got very inspired, and an now growing a new baby, Agava fed. so far so good. though I am still not sure what are the amounts to use. Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:46:33 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#79cbd2d7-fe10-4a0d-8b7f-c899ab6e0d6c Ayola 2008-01-16T22:46:33Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#e2f010cd-cfe6-4e1b-933d-6e40bff3b9f5 I totally agree, but there are also (at least in Europe) organic, fair trade or directly imported sugars to be found. some are even refined but not processed and bleached, just the sugar cristals growing for the sugar juice. Look in a health food shop. Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:24:08 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#e2f010cd-cfe6-4e1b-933d-6e40bff3b9f5 Ayola 2008-01-16T22:24:08Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#bb5be8d3-55d1-45df-aa9a-a9f4c84e1df8 I've used Agave with total success... it's just so darned expensive! Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:34:30 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#bb5be8d3-55d1-45df-aa9a-a9f4c84e1df8 Tyler 2007-04-26T00:34:30Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#c49ed0ad-e2e0-4d8f-ad25-d47afb6345b1 I have substituted 1/3rd of the unrefined regular sugar with organic brown sugar and it is delicious. I am way in the shade of what the actual difference between sugars are except i know that the the browner it is the more molasses is in it. i think all sugars have molasses in them except when its white it has all been remved. Any one know the actual difference? Wed, 04 Apr 2007 03:17:09 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#c49ed0ad-e2e0-4d8f-ad25-d47afb6345b1 $item.owner.firstName 2007-04-04T03:17:09Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#7bb99382-8e25-46df-82e2-5f99822af771 Currently I'm using organic, evaporated cane sugar from whole foods, $0.89/lb, but I often mix it up with other types. Turbinado, look closely as not all are incarnations are unrefined. Sucanat imparts a very nice flavor, similar to background flavors of ginger ale. Piloncillo works very well too and is very tasty. Piloncillo is pure natural cane sugar concentrated by boiling. There are no additives. In addition to being a food source as rich as honey. Piloncillo has been discovered to have some unique medicinal properties. It has the reputation of being a medicinal sugar and is prescribed for use in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Ancient Medical scriptures dating back to 2500 years state how piloncillo [also known as Jaggery in the Ayurvedic] purifies the blood, prevents rheumatic afflictions and disorders of bile and possesses nutritive properties. Tue, 03 Apr 2007 18:47:48 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#7bb99382-8e25-46df-82e2-5f99822af771 $item.owner.firstName 2007-04-03T18:47:48Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#4d3cd10e-b855-49e6-87e5-46a29e55b246 >Though I still find sugar companies to be very shady. Many use bone char to whiten it.< if you're concerned about this aspect (vegan or not) in sugar, just make sure you aren't buying CANE sugar and buy BEET sugar instead. here's a link on cane vs. beet and the refining process involved: http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qasugar.htm i have yet to use brown sugar, the kind with molasses. I have tasted a batch using this and it was yummy. Evaporated cane juice, turbanado and white sugars have all worked for me. I'd love to try sucanut but it's rather expensive. Tue, 03 Apr 2007 17:15:51 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#4d3cd10e-b855-49e6-87e5-46a29e55b246 elise 2007-04-03T17:15:51Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#5fab73a0-4461-40cc-8522-0cb68de3020b I have had success brewing with agave. I was just discussing it on this post: http://tribes.tribe.net/fabulousfermentation/thread/3669897e-84c2-4f7a-96d2-a954a09f8bcd i'm know expert... but i feel like i have a good relationship with my scoby mommy. Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:10:25 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#5fab73a0-4461-40cc-8522-0cb68de3020b Tyler 2007-02-23T10:10:25Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#cb111156-ef62-4171-8a54-338bed849661 I read a book that said..... The antibiotic effects of honey are a challenge to the kombucha. And to maintain and energetic culture you should swap buches out weekley and return them to a sugar tea mixture for "rehab" The book also pointed out that people have had a long medicinal history with kombucha that far predates refined sugar!!! Also all forms of smoke are detrimental to the colony. Some people swear that it loves the darkness! Good luck......... Fri, 23 Feb 2007 02:22:06 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#cb111156-ef62-4171-8a54-338bed849661 Roy 2007-02-23T02:22:06Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#aa3398de-0fb9-43d9-8254-2edb1763f625 i like to use organic unbleached sugar and organic green or black tea it creates a fine food for the booch healthy babies and bubbling fermentation potent elixer with fiz and kick What goes in is quality, it produces a quality elixer. Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:59:47 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#aa3398de-0fb9-43d9-8254-2edb1763f625 Liberty 2007-02-21T07:59:47Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#ab035f4c-733b-4bd2-9b0a-c1854b858b38 My experience is that raw honey works well, provided that a temperature of 80-85 degrees F is maintained during the brewing. Had great success with this through the summer, then when it got cooler, I added a heater pad below my jugs, which helped out. I greatly prefer honey kombucha to sugar brewed, plus honey can be locally produced, whereas sugar is always coming a great distance. Of course, most of the tea I drink comes from China....have to get some tea plants going! Mon, 19 Feb 2007 17:12:43 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#ab035f4c-733b-4bd2-9b0a-c1854b858b38 Ix-a 2007-02-19T17:12:43Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#628bf80d-fb24-4b48-9366-404c8ad94bcd Got that down. Though I still find sugar companies to be very shady. Many use bone char to whiten it. They also have a scandalous history involving war, conquest, slavary, disease, addiction, insanity, lies, and corporate monopoly. From the cane fields to the obesity epidemic, sugar has been nothing but trouble. A lot of "raw" sugars are actually refined, then colored again. If there really is no other alternative, I guess I'll have to go with the sugar, but there's got to be some way the brewers of the past kept the kombucha growing amidst a sugar shortage or lack of local merchants. Anybody know if maple syrup stands a chance? Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:46:06 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#628bf80d-fb24-4b48-9366-404c8ad94bcd Oliver 2007-02-19T11:46:06Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#95069438-17ae-44d7-a692-e3ceb257d2f5 ive been using sugar in the raw successfully....like i saw below, the culture uses the sugar for food, so there is little to none left when its done, depending on how long you let it sit. Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:24:32 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#95069438-17ae-44d7-a692-e3ceb257d2f5 jessica 2007-02-14T03:24:32Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#fe974b94-c3a2-4418-951b-2472c85b72f4 What about fructose? Mon, 12 Feb 2007 21:43:30 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#fe974b94-c3a2-4418-951b-2472c85b72f4 Lane/Scarlet 2007-02-12T21:43:30Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#6044ad7e-b0ec-41c9-9c67-b8d84c63cecc I have had good results with a half and half mixture of white sugar and sucanat (very brown, unrefined sugar). I am told by authorities I trust that using honey is a bad idea because it contains other bacteria and yeasts that may interfere with the growth of the kombucha culture. I haven't heard anything about agave nectar. Sun, 11 Feb 2007 23:42:30 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#6044ad7e-b0ec-41c9-9c67-b8d84c63cecc smoorefu 2007-02-11T23:42:30Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#c7033616-984c-426f-ab58-0598b5893a1e The yeasts really need sucrose to survive well. Honey or molasses are both sucrose-based sweeteners, but because they have all kinds of other stuff in them too, you may have mixed results. I have seen that brews made with honey (by people avoiding refined sugar) tend to mold much more easily, but some folks have had luck with it. Turbinado, rapadura, etc. are all less-refined forms of sucrose that will work well. Alternative sweeteners such as agave or brown rice syrup have other types of sugars that aren't as available to the yeasts for their food. Stevia won't work at all. Sun, 11 Feb 2007 17:26:17 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#c7033616-984c-426f-ab58-0598b5893a1e Mojohito 2007-02-11T17:26:17Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#de132c89-7728-47e0-b818-f222765f4884 Agave Nectar would be pushing it, Oliver. From what I hear, sugar is an important constituant on which the organism feeds. That is it's food. So, if you want to EXPERIMENT and let us know, it may be wise to begin with turbinado - unrefined sugar. The sugar really won't matter in the end. For instance, I'm allergic to caffeine - even chocolate & decaf effect me, but the black tea product in the culture does not bother me. Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:07:18 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#de132c89-7728-47e0-b818-f222765f4884 Star 2007-02-10T14:07:18Z http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#2e37259e-426d-483f-a2c9-57f6a8592904 Is it possible to cultivate kombucha without refined sugar? Can a replacement like agave nectar or something be used instead? Sat, 10 Feb 2007 12:53:43 GMT http://kombuchatea.tribe.net/thread/fcbfbf22-e5ae-4763-a636-8efa289fcb99#2e37259e-426d-483f-a2c9-57f6a8592904 Oliver 2007-02-10T12:53:43Z