Finally, I have settled into a one gallon continuous brew system. I’ve been continuously brewing for over 3 months. I’ve cleaned the 1 gallon jar once and it did not necessarily need cleaning at the time. The vessel is a 1 gallon dispenser with stainless steel spigot (photo below). I leave a fresh tea batch to brew anywhere from 7 to 14 days depending on how busy I am and what time permits. Each time I cycle the KT, I prepare the fresh fruit, juice, and added sugar. I drain the KT into a 135.25 ounce fido jar (lock lid) and add the fruit. It then sits at room temperature for 2-3 days.
In the meantime, I brew a gallon of tea and allow it to cool to room temperature (ususally overnight) sealed with plastic wrap (use shot me now, I use plastic wrap) and seal with rubber band. Once cooled to room temp, it is added back to the 1 gallon continuous brew dispenser.
After the KT in the fido jar has brewed at room temp for 2-3 days, I get out the flip-top bottles and strain the KT into them. The strainer catches all the fruit and bits. Once the bottles are filled, they go into the refrigerator. Once chilled it is ready to drink. I like it over ice.
Bottom line, for me, is the taste. It tastes good to me. I pour it over ice. It has a special carbonation with a “tight fizz”. The flavor is not too sweet and has that fermented flavor and scent that I like as well. Since is is a probiotic, I don’t drink a great deal of it – about 6-8 ounces per day. Sometimes several times a day depending on the day.
I prepare a gallon of tea with 12 Lipton tea bags. It is inexpensive and is a good enough tea for me. Also, 1/2 cup of sugar is added. I usually pour some of the water in a pot bring it to near a boil, then add the tea bags. The remaining water is added to a 1 gallon jar and then the brewed tea is added to the sugared water, stirred and a plastic wrap “lid” placed on a secured with a rubber band. The tea needs to be 80 degrees F. or less when added to the SCOBY and starter KT.
There you have it. The only other thing that I pay a little attention to is my SCOBY hotel. Every 2-3 weeks, I drain it and add fresh tea. This is my back up SCOBY culture in case things go south for some reason. It is a quick way to recover and restart the continuous brew system.
