kombucha - taking the plunge

26, September 2012

Not sure I want a kombucha pet right now, but a generous gift from Steven has me testing the (microbial) waters...

Since the biggest jar I could find was 4 pints (1/2 gallon), modified a gallon recipe as follows:

3 pints water
1/2 cup sugar

bring just shy of rolling boil, dissolve sugar

add black tea - used 1/2 ducky infuser (about 1 teaspoon) black current flavor black tea (from IsNat bulk)

turn off heat, let tea infuse while liquid cools

put sugar/tea solution in jar with SCOBY starter & its liquid

put towel on jar, put in dark place

should check in about a week

Liliko'i Season Records 2012

2012 season running tally:

wine: 34 L
jelly: 51 jars

Liliko'i Wine

general recipe:
4 cups liliko'i juice
4 cups sugar melted into 3 cups water
take 1/3 cup sugar solution with 1/3 cup water & add pinch yeast- put aside about 20-30 min to see if yeast grow
after sugar cools, add all to 1 gallon carboy and fill with water to the shoulder
put airlock on bottle
should start bubbling within ~24 hours

batch 1 - with bread yeast
started 7/30/12
mixed 8/16/12
mixed 8/22/12
bottled 8/30/12 - 3 L +
tasting notes: sour, lemony, dry, very drinkable
name: "nouvaeu"

batch 2 - with bread yeast
started 8/4/12
mixed 8/22/12
mixed 8/29/12
bottled 9/4/12 - 3 L +
tasting notes: sweeter, lots of liliko'i, yummy
name: "XX"

batch 4 - with EC-1118 yeast
started 8/19/12 - took longer to bubble, and bubbling lasted longer
mixed 9/26/12 (still bubbly)
mixed 10/1/12
bottled 10/4/12 - 3 L +
tasting notes: orange, fruity aroma + not as yeasty + slightly effervescent YUM!
name: "Dragon's Breath" or "Ha Mo'o"

batch 3 - 3 gallon carboy - tripled the recipe
started 8/15/12 - bubbling lasted longer
mixed 9/26/12 
bottled 10/13/12 - 9 L +
tasting notes: not yeasty, sweeter, "leggy," sweet-tart, slightly effervescent
name: "legolicious"

batch 5 - with bread yeast +pineapple
started 8/31/12
added 1 pineapple core 9/1/12
added 1 pineapple core 9/14/12
mixed 10/13/12
bottled 10/21/12 - 3 L +
tasting notes: quite dry&still, pineapple acid kind of cancels lilikoi tart, abrupt finish. like dry white grape wine. Might be good sparkling.
July 2015 - tried and it is smooth, fruity, sweet and wonderful! Different than I remember...
name: "Kona Winds"

batch 6 - with bread yeast
started 9/4/12 (with KIV-116)
added bread yeast 9/6/12 because no activity
mixed 10/13/12
bottled 10/22/12 - 3 L +
tasting notes: sweet & fruity, slightly effervescent, kind of boring, good with dessert?
name: "Fruitloop"

batch 7 - bread yeast and ginger in 5L carboy
(with 5.2 cups lilikoi and 5.2 cups sugar)
used about 3 oz ginger made into a tea by boiling about 30min
started 9/21/12 equinox
mixed 10/24/13
bottled Jan 2013 - 4 L +
tasting notes:sweet, not as much lilikoi taste, well-rounded, long lilikoi finish, with bite
name: "good kitty"

batch 8 - with EC-1118 yeast, banana + pineapple
4 cups sugar, 4 cups lilikoi, 5 ripe bananas
started 9/30/12
10/2/12 - add 1 pineapple core
bottled Jan 2013 - 3 L +
tasting notes: driest wine we've made, like a dry white, acidic
name: "hubba bubba" or "mai tai"

batch 9 - with EC-1118 yeast
started 10/4/12
bottled Jan 2013 - 3 L +
tasting notes: driest wine we've made, like a dry white, acidic
name: "parched"


Lilikoi-Ginger Jelly

8/12
batch 1 - unfiltered 5 jars
batch 2 - unfiltered 5 jars
batch 3 - filtered 6 jars
batch 4 - filtered 6 jars
batch 5 - filtered 5 jars
9/12
batch 6 - filtered 6 jars
batch 7 - filtered 6 jars
batch 8 - filtered 6 jars
batch 9 - filtered 6 jars (used too much pectin; used 4 squat jars)