Tea for kombucha fermentation – what you should consider

We will help you find the right tea for your kombucha fermentation at home

Good and tasty tea is a basic requirement for a tasty kombucha . Even in ancient China, kombucha was made with the tea plant Camellia Sinensis. The tea plant belongs to the camellia genus (Camellia) and the tea plant family (Theaceae). Either black or green tea is made from all parts of the tea plant (buds, leaves, stems and flowers). Black and green tea come from the same tea plant. The variations in tea types arise from different processing and the different conditions during plant cultivation.

Why do you need tea for kombucha?

The tea fungus consists of various yeasts and bacteria and various small microorganisms. It needs nutrients such as caffeine, nitrogen and theanine to grow and thrive. These are found in the Camellia Sinensis teas described above. The tea also contains vitamins C and B and provides the Scoby with various antioxidants and polyphenols.

Possible types of tea for delicious kombucha

Black tea

If your Scoby could talk, he'd probably advocate being paired with black tea at all times. A particularly nutrient-rich base with which he can work quickly and ferment quickly.

Our favorites:

• Golden Monkey
• Darjeeling
• Friesian Mixture (Assam, Ceylon, Indian Himalaya)

Green tea

With green tea you can usually ferment your kombucha a little faster. It gives a sweet note that is a bit sour on the finish. However, the Scoby with green tea does not grow quite as fast as that with black tea.

Our favorites:

• Sencha & Matcha
• NewSpring
• Chun Mee

White tea

White tea has less caffeine and is high in antioxidants. It has a slightly sweeter taste than green tea. It is particularly suitable for mixing with green or black tea. You should not only ferment with white tea. Your Scoby could suffer from this.

Our favourites:

• silver pin
• Shou Mei
• Oolong tea

Oolong tea

Oolong tea is a Chinese semi-fermented tea with a long tradition. The tea dried in the sun gives a unique taste. Sometimes it tastes a bit smoky or has a sweet honey note. It can be a perfect base for the Scoby and is also a perfect kombucha companion when mixed with other types of tea.

Our favorites:

• Red robe
• Iron Goddess
• Phoenix Mountain
  
  

Which water to boil the tea?

It's hard to believe, but the quality of the water plays a major role in fermentation. The rather inconspicuous ingredient can influence your tea mushroom positively and negatively. Conventional tap water may have residual chlorine and chemicals, as well as fluoride. These substances can harm the Scoby. It is therefore best to always use filtered water.

Which tea is not good for your kombucha?

Important! There are a few simple rules to keep in mind when choosing tea.

• Do not use tea with a high proportion of essential oils or artificial flavors (e.g. fruit tea, sage tea or lemon balm tea).
• Use loose tea rather than bagged tea.
• If you use fruit tea or tea other than black, green or white tea - only mix it - not pure!