‘Russian Rose’ Kombucha Tea Strain Directions

  This is a newer strain obtained from Russia which uses beets, herbs, and sugar vs. traditional kombucha tea starter using black tea and sugar.

Instructions: To make a 1 gal batch of Kombucha tea

Ingredients Needed…

- 1 gallon of filtered or well water (No city tap water)
- 1 can of beets or fresh beets, sliced.  Sugar beets may also be used, however, most sugar       
   beets are GMO and not recommended of brewing kombucha tea.
- 1 cup organic cane sugar, honey, or other sugars
- 1 to 3 teaspoons of each…rose hips (seedless & cut) and elder berries.

This strain came from the need to brew tea with what was on hand. As restricted rations during WWII, things like sugar and tea were not always available.  Using sugar beets and herbs for flavoring was the only option for many people.

Directions…

1.  Start by bringing the water to a boil in a large pot.  Use filtered or bottled water - no city tap water.

2.  Remove from the heat and add the sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves.  Now add the beets, rose hips, and elder berries.  Allow this to set and steep until mixture has cooled to room temperature.

3.  Strain out the beets and herbs.  Place the strained liquid into the brewing vessel.  Add the ‘Russian Rose’ kombucha starter culture to the tea solution, cover with a cloth, and allow this to set of 7 to 14 days at a temperature of 70 to 80 deg F.  After 5 days start to sample the tea and "pull it" when it is to your liking.

  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!

Russian Rose Kombucha Culture

Helpful Notes & Tips:

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!