Big Daddy and Amber are my two Kombucha strains. One is from the brewmaster at the brew pub where I work (Big Daddy), the other is from Amber, the Portland Farmers Market volunteer coordinator (and all-around cool chick).
This is big daddy working on a batch of straight green tea.
Both have spawned a number of kids. Right now, big daddy is cooking a batch of tea that's a mix of green tea and white tea with pomegranate. One of big daddy's kids is cooking another batch.
Big Daddy may be brewing his last batch of tea. He's become sloggy, slow and flaccid. I'm told that when the SCOBY loses its elasticity, it's time to retire it.
Amber is chillin' in the fridge awaiting her next batch.
I also have four quarts of tea aging. The pink stuff is from the pom/green tea mix, the brown is straight green tea. Aging deepens the flavor of the tea. The jars below will age for about ten days. I'm desperate for more tea so only one jar of each will age the full two weeks. I'm experimenting with two strains and numerous varieties of tea. So far I like the pomegranate white tea/green tea mix the best. Here are the two batches working right now. Both are from Big Daddy and both are pom tea/green tea blends.
Next up is a batch of cranberry green tea/green tea blend.
It's a face only a mother can love:
Moving the SCOBY from one kind of tea to another gives it the mottled look. The babies that came from the pom tea blends are a lovely shade of pink.
Cheers!
