Still Here and Still Healthy

Ok - a full quart of the home-brewed kombucha is consumed and I am still kicking. Honestly, I feel pretty good and, whether psychosomatic or not, I kind of felt a spike in my energy level yesterday as well. That is truly saying something for me, especially on a Monday, because it is one of my longer days at school and well, it is Monday for crying out loud. I managed to not only blog, but also to finish about half of the week's worth of laundry, do a little school work and cook dinner for last night and for tonight as well. Really - that is a LOT more than I typically do on a Monday afternoon/evening. I am usually wiped out by my class and it is like pulling teeth just trying to get the bare minimum done for the day and to prepare for a very early morning on Tuesday.

I am still not digging on the lack of fizziness in my first batch here, but the flavor is definitely growing on me. It is nicely tart with just a little hint of sweetness and it really looks pretty in the glass. I get that sour, fermented smell off the liquid, but it is not as off-putting as some of the store-bought varieties that I have tried. (Please see the entry entitled, "Oh, the horror!" Geez - I just gagged a little reliving that experience.) Also, I am not sure if I did it right, but my kombucha is lacking the snotty strings of culture that typically float around in the store bought bottles. Maybe that is why it is not effervescent, but if so, I can live with that. Those cultures may be the key to bubbles and the most healthful benefit of kombucha, but I am not a fan of chewing my drinks, so, like I said, I can live with mine being less snotty than most.

Anyway, on with the experimentation (or the "snake-oil" as my mother is fond of saying these days). I have a little more time this morning to see if I can figure out how to carbonate my next batch because I have a new gallon of sweetened tea sitting on the stove, awaiting its "mothers". I think I am going to go tropical with this batch - maybe acai, tamarind or guanabana. We shall see what I feel like when I get to the store this afternoon or tomorrow. Here's to not poisoning myself and keep your fingers crossed for fizzy next week!! Til next time....

Addendum (posted 2 minutes later): I figured it out. I refrigerated my kombucha during the second fermentation process. I should have left it out on the counter because I think I made the culture go dormant by chilling it. Ok, well, it obviously didn't hurt ME and I know better for next time.