No not the alcoholic variety. Today's my first day trying out the Kombucha culture and this tonic seems terrible at first smell due to its pungent aroma. But when refrigerated and drank cool, the flavor is sweet with a hint of sour (kind of like sourish sparkling wine) and since I used green tea, it also had a refreshing aftertaste.
My successful culture is perfectly white and without any contaminations. I went so far as to wash every utensil that will come in contact with the brewing process and I even scrubbed my hands according to sanitary standards posted at hospitals. You can see the culture in small volume on the container to the right.
Let's see if the health benefits are as what has been claimed, I'll drink according to the consumption instructions I've compared throughout multiple sites I found online. One should consume 3 times a day. Morning before breakfast, noon after food, and evening. It is known in pharmacology that absorption of certain active substances (e.g., certain fungicides) into the bloodstream or lymphstream is reduced if taken before meals. The small amounts of antibiotic substances contained in Kombucha are rendered especially effective when the beverage is taken in the morning on an empty stomach whereas, for example, the organic acids stimulate a better functioning of the digestive processes when the beverage is taken after the more ample midday and evening meals.
Cover the top with a porous material, of either fabric or fibre. I used kitchen towels which is used to allow the SCOBY to breathe.
