To prevent problems with late- night caffeine, just use herbal tea instead of caffeinated.

Thanks for all the kombucha tips!

I have been making Kefir, and Kombucha Tea for years. The water Kefir is ok but it ferments so fast I decided I wanted something slower. I also cannot get over having a good probiotic results with water. This is for brewing Kombucha. DO NOT use plastic containers, they get scratches and can lead to problems with either Kefir and Kombucha.. As far as covers for your fermentation, use only tight woven cloth or coffee filters secured with a rubber band. Cheese cloth is a big no, no. I brew mine in gallon jugs and have a Kombucha hotel. I boil my water and it does fine. I don’t sterilize my bottles, I rinse them in hot water right after I empty them and turn them upside down. I know several others that do not boil them to sterilize them. I use fresh ginger and have started using organic pure fruit juice. So much easier than cutting up fruit. and straining it out. If I strain I use a stainless steel one because it is just running through. You can get a fine plastic mesh one at a Asian market. Very important is not to use tea that is not pure. I get my green tea from a dollar store for like 365 tea bags for like $12.00 and I buy Hibiscus Organic tea in bags at Walmart. You can mix tea but make sure you use good organic tea and maybe put a few black tea bags in with others, like White Tea, Oolong, and etc. READ how to make it from reliable sources, this is important. I buy my SCOBY from a lady called the Kefir Lady I think she is in Iowa or Ohio with goats. She sends it to you and you then send her the money. There is a Facebook group called Kombucha Life and Ferments and they are very helpful and many send you SCOBY at low cost. There is even files where you can learn how to make it. The members are very nice and give advice and look at photos that you have having trouble. IF You have never drank Kombucha, or Kefir DO NOT drink a bunch right away. This is strong stuff and it needs to set up shop and get your gut ready. Start with just a few tablespoons and then increase as you feel ready. I have a friend that is majoring in Medical Research and she says the Medical field is all over this. I just read an article from a major medical research journal saying they are finding the probiotics are helping people with Parkinson. Of course they are saying you can’t use the health store stuff. I do know the GTS Kombucha is one of the best out there in the market but the kind we make is stronger because they have to make it to where they sell it. All I can say is I and my family are so much healthier.

Hi, I had some of the same symptoms after trying water kefir. I’ve been making it for about 3 weeks and the past 2 weeks started getting severe migraines, lethargy, irritability, and exhaustion. My husband started telling to figure out what was wrong. I thought it was giving up caffeine at first, but recently discovered it was the kefir. Apparently I am sensitive to a compound called tyramine that is created by the kefir. It doesn’t bother anybody else in my family, but I reacted very severely to it. Kombucha does not produce it, so you may be better off trying that instead. I just found this out yesterday and immediately stopped drinking the kefir. I woke up today feeling MUCH better. Just food for thought.