It is imperative that you add 10% fermented Kombucha Tea at the start of each new batch to help reduce the risk of mould. This fermented tea that is added to each new batch makes the solution acidic, and moulds tend to not grow well in an acidic solution.

Never use metal containers to ferment your Kombucha colony, because the Kombucha Tea is very acidic and could react with the metal and cause some of it to leach into the tea and cause heavy metal poisoning.

If you have a large container there is no problem with putting in more than one colony. Many people don't separate the colonies but just let them stack up in the fermenting vessel, while periodically removing the oldest one from the bottom of the stack. However, a single colony is sufficient to ferment Kombucha, additional colonies will just take up volume in your container.

No. The herb Stevia cannot be used to ferment Kombucha Tea because it is non-fermentable.. The yeasts feed on sugar, and without it fermentation cannot take place. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is based, in part, on the personal experiences of the members of the Kombucha mailing list. It should not be regarded as a complete or definitive manual on Kombucha but rather as a collection of practical everyday answers to questions that come up when starting to make Kombucha Tea.

It is recommended not to place the Kombucha in a room where smoking takes place because tobacco smoke tends to produce mould on the Kombucha and in the fermenting tea. This happens because this smoke is very alkaline and when it settles on top of the fermenting Kombucha, mould will be able to grow because of the change in pH . Mould will grow under alkaline conditions.

No. Sometimes it grows on its side, sitting on the bottom, or floating halfway up in the container. It doesn't make any difference. A new colony will form on the surface no matter where the old one is situated.

Mold is usually hairy or fuzzy looking--like the mold on cheese, bread, or fruit--and can be either black, green, yellow, gray, or white and usually grows in circular patches.

Yeast, boraxo, powdered sugar-William L. a subscriber to the Kombucha list says, " he heard that equal parts of active dry yeast, boraxo, and powdered sugar works good on ants. One thing they do is carry food to the queen, and if you kill the queen, they move on--or something.

You need to cover the fermenting Kombucha Tea with a cloth, or unbleached paper covering, to prevent air-borne dust (which may be laden with mould, bacteria and wild yeast spores) from getting into your fermenting Kombucha. These covers will also allow oxygen to reach the colony, and allow carbon dioxide gas to escape. To stop fruit flies etc., from crawling in under the cover, make sure the edges are held tightly to the container with an elastic or rubber band.

People using porcelain containers should be very cautious. Make very sure there are no cracks, breaks, or chips in the porcelain finish of your pots that may come into contact with the fermenting liquid. In public health circles it has been known for some time that leaving acidic liquids in long-term contact with cracked or chipped porcelain can lead to heavy-metal poisoning.

In response to the query about the carbohydrate content of Kombucha, the following was found in Christopher Hobbs book: In tea made with 1 cup of sugar to 3 quarts of water, fermented for 7 days -- there are about 4 grams of sugar in a 3-1/2 oz. glass. That's about a teaspoon or 16 calories. The analysis was done by a certified food lab. A test done by Kappa Labs in Miami Florida, for John M. Novar of "Kombucha Power" was as follows:

There have been some reports stating that bottled Kombucha has remained viable for up to one year, as long as it is kept in the refrigerator, or another type of cold storage. If not kept in cool, the microörganisms will not survive, although many of the other components found in the ferment will remain stable.

Kombucha Tea can become toxic if it becomes contaminated by pathogenic moulds or bacteria, such as C. botulism. However, these organisms will not grow in an acidic medium below pH 4.

Although heating will destroy the enzymes, microörganisms and some of the vitamins which are found in Kombucha Tea, many of the other components remain stable.

No. It doesn't appear to make any difference. Kombucha can be fermented in full daylight, total darkness, or anywhere in-between. Some people living in far Northern climates such as Alaska, have reported very good results when fermenting their Kombucha Tea in full morning and afternoon sunshine during the winter months.

Some people only drink 4 ounces once or twice daily others are drinking 30 ounces or more per day without any ill effects.

The amount will vary, depending on growing conditions and amount of sugar used. Usually less than .5% on up to 1.5%.

Clean cotton muslin, cheese-cloth, unbleached paper coffee filters, fine plastic strainers, or anything of this nature will work equally well.

Michael Roussin, Director of the Kombucha Consumer Research Group ™ says: "Until today (4 Jan 1996), I would have recommended that Kombucha not be given to pre-puberty children. The reasons are iffy, and propounded in several books and papers, but the basis for those iffy suggestions are not valid, therefore, the suggestions are not valid either. In short, there is no reason (except concerns about caffeine) not to give Kombucha to children.

No. It was previously believed Kombucha ferment contained heparin (a compound found especially in liver that slows the clotting of blood and is used medically), however, according to recent scientific research reported by Michael R. Roussin, Director of the Kombucha Consumer Research Group ™, there is no heparin found in Kombucha. No. It was thought previously that Kombucha ferment contained heparin (a blood thinner).

This is done to prevent air-borne contaminants from getting into your fermenting container and contaminating the contents. Never use a solid lid, (the bacteria and yeast are aerobic--need oxygen to survive) use only a tightly woven cloth, disposable unbleached paper coffee filter, unbleached paper toweling or similar material held closely to the edges of the container with a rubber band.

Never cover your fermenting tea with a metal or any solid lid. It is best to use a tightly woven cloth, disposable unbleached coffee filters, unbleached paper towels, or similar type covers. Do not use cheesecloth, as it has too loose a weave--this allows dust and vermin (fruit flies, ants etc.,) to enter the fermenting container.

Be sure to thoroughly clean your hands (or use latex gloves) and the equipment used in fermenting the colony. This is very important.

Boil 96 ounces water, plus 2 cups extra to allow for evaporation during the 5 minute boiling period. Cover with a lid while boiling. After 5 minutes remove cover and add 1 cup of white sugar. [use measuring cup] Remove pot from heat add 5 -6 regular size tea bags--or the equivalent amount of loose tea--in a tea-ball or tea holder. You can use either black tea, green tea, or oolong tea or a combination of teas.

Yes. Mould growth appears on continually damp areas. A dehumidifier will remove the moisture that is the root cause.

Pure refined white sugar is the sugar most recommended to use when making Kombucha Tea. White sugar produces a Kombucha Tea that tastes like Apple Cider and it is completely fermentable.

Brown sugar contains molasses. While some people consider molasses to be a contaminant, many others still use brown sugar with excellent results. They also report that brown sugar produces a very tart Kombucha Tea, tasting strongly of vinegar.

Honey can be used to make Kombucha, however, it should be pasteurized first to kill any wild yeast cells as well as the enzymes which are responsible for the production of hydrogen peroxide in honey.

There have been a few reports posted over the Kombucha Mailing List by a very small percentage of people--just starting to drink Kombucha Tea--who appear to have experienced unusual reactions such as headache, rash, wakefulness, intestinal gas, and nausea. However, most symptoms have been alleviated by increasing their intake of fresh water; while in some cases--such as headache for instance--by also cutting back on the amount of Kombucha Tea consumed daily.

No. Capping right away will keep the effervescence (CO2) in the bottle. As long as the bottled Kombucha is kept cool in a refrigerator, the fermentation process will be slowed way down, and excessive pressure should not build up inside the bottles.