Check this out

[Deleted User #6978]

Hi there,

My mom recently brought home this weird looking thing that's in a glass jar filled with brown water and smells like overdue budwiser beer. Take a look here.

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/1712 ... 001mq6.jpg
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/9009 ... 002rm7.jpg
http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/6631 ... 003eq3.jpg


I don't know what the heck it is but my mom says you can make tea out of it and that it can help your blood problems. The weird thing about it is you can actually grow it. Have any of you ever seen this before? Anyway, my mom got it from my cousin and she said that one of that thing cost about $800 bucks. I just couldn't believe that so I'm here asking you all what the hell this thing is and have you seen it before, oh yea and they say it grows underwater in the amazon or somewhere I don't know.

By the way there is a recipe for this to make the tea. For starters, it's not quite accurate because my mom didn't hear that well over our cheap phone. Here it is:

1. Big pot(roughly 1ft. high and 1ft. wide)

2. Poor 13 cups of water

3. 1 small bowl of brown sugar(one of those chinese mini bowls)

4. Mix it together and boil it. Wait until it boils and wait for 5 minutes then turn it off.

5. throw in 3 bags of lipton tea and let it sit for 10 minutes and then throw away the 3 tea bags.

6. Let the water sit until it is cold(recommended to leave indoor for one day)

7. Now take out the "thing" and put it onto a flat pan and firmly but slowly water it down with some tap water.

8. Transfer it into the water that you were doing earlier on step 6. Now try to find a lid that will close the top tightly(no air must be released in or out) and leave it indoors for 1 week. The longer you leave it, the bigger it will get. But it's better to leave it for 1 week for best results and taste.

9. Now when it is ready just poor some of the tea into a container or a 2 liter bottle as much as you want as long as you have plenty but do not poor out the "thing"(just leave it) and store it in your fridge.

You can drink it hot, warm, or cold like ice tea.

ps, I never drank it before so I don't know how it taste like. But I heard it is sweat and a tiny bit sour, and if anyone know the right recipe or what this thing is and where it came from please post asap thanks in advance =)

[eddyd84]

That looks like a kombucha scoby(symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). The taste of the fermented tea is sweet/sour like cider. More info
http://www.kombuchatea.co.uk/
http://www.happyherbalist.com/kombucha_ ... _guide.htm
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/original_kombucha/
Some things in your instructions seem off and very conducive to mold formation.
Sufficient acidity is needed to prevent mold. Rinsing the colony in water would dilute the acid.
I would not drink it hot. Most people drink kombucha for it's live bacteria/yeasts. Heating will kill them. Slightly warm on a cold morning is yum though.
Also do not store the culture in the fridge. It is best at room temperature in its own tea.
Air flow is important too. A tight lid on your fermenting vessel would block this A tightly woven cloth or paper towel over the top of the jar held with a rubber band is recommended.

I've been brewing kombucha for over a year and these recommendations come from my experience and a lot of reading that I've done. Kombucha is an acquired taste and becomes addicting. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[tomasini]

thats the most disgusting thing ive ever seen next to the pu erh spongebaths space samurai used to pay me to give him...

[Wesli]

Being convinced that a hunk of bacteria from the bottom of the amazon is worth more than gold -
$800

Taking 5 hours to Explain to homeland security it's health benefits -
Priceless

Watching your child brew bacteria using a nine-step, week-long process -
Priceless

Buying a new cooking pot - $30

[Eastree]

Recently a coworker found a bottle of Gatorade with broken seal. The contents looked quite similar to your pictures. Except they were Fruit Punch.

[Mary R]

EWWW! I never want to hear that Gatorade story again! Ever!

But yeah, this looks a lot like kombucha. The Wall Street Journal was obsessed with it a few weeks back. (And by obsessed I mean published an article or two.) It is vile, but intriguing enough that I might write something on it.

[Space Samurai]

I sell the hell out of kombucha in my store, which is proof people will drink anything to "be healthy." We ran out once, and I feared for my life until I could get some back in. Its crazy.

The taste could be worse. Imagaine if you combinded almost equal portions of vinegar and club soda.

[scruffmcgruff]

oh... my... *BLEEECCHHHHHHH*