Organic Cultures
General Delivery
Buckley, MI 49620
United States
ph: 1+ 231.631.1012
This is a newer strain obtained from Tibet region. It varies from the traditional kombucha tea culture due to the use of honey vs. sugar and using Pu-erh aged tea and berries.
Instructions: To make a 1 gal batch of Kombucha tea
Ingredients Needed…
- 1 gallon of filtered or well water (No city tap water)
- 1 'Monk Strain' kombucha starter culture
- 2 cups RAW honey or other sugars
- 6 tsp of aged Pu-erh tea
- 1 to 3 teaspoons of each…rosehips (seedless & cut), goji and elder berries.
Directions…
1. Start by bringing the water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Remove from the heat and add the Pu-erh tea. Steep for 10 minutes and remove tea.
Allow to cool to 100 deg F. Add the honey, stir until dissolved. Now add the goji berries, rose hips, and elder berries. We have a pre-made Berry Mix in our web store. Allow this to set and steep until mixture has cooled to room temperature.
3. Strain out the berries and/or herbs. Place the strained liquid into the brewing vessel. Add the ‘Monk Strain’ kombucha starter culture to the tea solution. Cover with cloth and allow this to set of 7 to 14 days at a temperature of 70 to 75 deg F. After 3 to 5 days, start to sample the tea and ‘pull it’ when it is to your liking.
Note: The honey will break down faster than cane sugar, so the sweetness can change quickly from sweet to sour very.
Allow tea to set undisturbed in a warm location. The tea will be ready to drink after 5 to 14 days of fermentation, depending on temperature (around 75 -85 deg F is ideal) and amount of sugar added (more sugar = more time).
When checking pH of a finished batch of tea, it should be around 3; a reading of 4 is to high and 2 to low. If you don't have pH strips, the finished brew should have a vinegar smell and have some carbonation. Some like the finished brew sweeter and others more towards the sour side, so when the brew is finished is up to your taste. Checking pH can greatly reduce the chance of contamination of the culture & highly recommended! It helps by checking the starting and finishing pH.
See more information on kombucha tea pH.
Once the tea is ready to drink, simply pour off what you wish to consume, saving some of the old tea for a 'starter' for your next batch. You may bottle this to prolong the shelf life or store in the refrigerator. If left at room temperature the brew will become stronger in taste.
4. To make new batch of tea, make sure to save 10-15% of the old tea solution (as a starter to lower pH below 4.6) and one or two layers of the kombucha mushroom. When it is time for a new batch, just follow the directions above to start the process again.
For more details, see the instructions for the traditional kombucha starter.
Happy Brewing!
1. Number problem for most people is getting the temperature at the correct range of 75-85 deg F.
You may need a heating device.
Use a reptile heating pad or seedling mat as a Kombucha heating pad
2. Using organic ingredients will keep the Kombucha cultures healthy & strong as most non-organic food is highly processed, contains anti-caking agents, chemicals, pesticides, and preservatives that may weaken the culture over time.
3. Always keep liquid tea covered with
a tight weave cloth to prevent contamination via molds or insects.
4. Always use distilled, filtered water, or high quality well water (city water contains chemicals added & well water may contain many bacteria that the Kombucha cultures will have to fight against). Boiled well water may
be fine if it is good quality &
free from pathogens.
5. Always use food grade lead-free glass container -
a Pyrex bowl or gallon size pickle jar works well. Following these basic safety & hygiene guidelines will keep your Kombucha culture healthy, strong, & safe to drink for a lifetime.
Notes:
Make sure not to fill the brewing jar
too full (it should be level with the straight side of the jar not up into
the rounded edge). Make sure that
the smoother white side of
mushroom faces upwards, it may
float or sink, and this is O.K. either way.
However, by gently placing the culture on top of the tea it should stay towards the top. If it does sink, the culture should start to rise to the surface as gases are forming in the fermenting tea. Securely cover container with cloth (the culture needs to breath) and allow the inoculated tea solution to set undisturbed in a warm place
out of direct sunlight.
Happy Brewing!
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Organic Cultures
General Delivery
Buckley, MI 49620
United States
ph: 1+ 231.631.1012