Can I Brew Kombucha with Tulsi? November 15, 2009

I have just purchased the Deluxe brewing kit and will start my first batch this weekend using the ingredients supplied.

I am a big fan of Tulsi tea and I am curious if that tea can be used to as a base form Kombucha tea. Since it is not a real tea plant, it is the from the Holy Basil plant, does K Tea need to be based on the “real” tea plant?
Thanks for the information and video instructions as I jump into this project!

Mark

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Submitted from: http://www.getkombucha.com/askdave1.html

Hey Mark!

So here’s the skinny… you CAN brew kombucha with other herbs/botanicals besides tea (I travelled to south america personally to get the BEST yerba mate for my brew.. which is not tea along with Rooibos which I also recommend for brewing for those that wish to make caffeine free kombucha!***).

BUT (there’s always a but, but this is a skinny small but) – I recommend 2 things:

1. Brew for at least 2 months with tea (camellias sinensis to be fancy).. we have our organic secret fair trade tea blend on our site.. but in a pinch any TEA will be fine. After 2 months you can start experimenting with other things besides tea.. such as tulsi (which is great, I’m a big fan of Ayurveda!)

2. VERY IMPORTANT!! still keep a 50/50 ratio of tea in your mix. So for your specific question: use half tulsi and half tea (black,green,white,oolong,combination) — you will still get a different unique taste profile and benefits with the tulsi.. while ensuring you have enough nitrogen for you scoby provided from the tea.

Happy (tulsi) Brewin’,
Dave

*** shameless plug! we have both yerba mate and rooibos available on out site. CLICK HERE NOW FOR THIS DIRECT LINK TO GRAB SOME AND START ENJOYING SOME KOMBUCHA VARIETY IN YOUR LIFE!