You now have in your possession something extremely valuable! And as such, this organism should be treated with great care & respect. For many centuries, the passing of the Kombucha culture from one individual to another has been considered a way to seal permanent friendships (see the other Kombucha links). Also, several socities still consider the Kombucha organism itself highly sacred. It is always with great reverence that the Kombucha culture is passed on from one to another, and in many places it's still considered bad luck to let the last of a Kombucha line die off. At the very least, the last healthy culture should be passed on to someone who's willing to keep it alive if the previous Kombucha steward is unable to do so. The Kombucha culture will grow & multiply, and it will forever reward those individuals who care for it responsibly.

Basic responsibilities are as follows: Above all else, never let anything metal come in contact with the Kombucha organism. Also, be sure to wash hands each time before handling the culture. You don't need a fancy laminar-flow sterile transfer hood to work with Kombucha, but general aseptic technique should be followed at all times! If your culture suddenly develops gray-green fluffy patches, throw the entire jug's contents out! It could be Aspergillus spp., and it could have contaminated the entire jug with aflatoxins!! Just removing the contaminant with a fork won't do the trick; drinking the contents would still be like playing Russian roulette. I always keep back-up cultures in case contamination occurs. I've been growing Kombucha since February 1996 and so far have been lucky enough to avoid contamination.

It's best to keep the Kombucha culture as close to room temperature as possible (about 25 degs. C). Resting cultures can be stored in the 'fridge for several months in ZipLoc bags, and I've also stored them in small jars (with some tea) on a clean shelf in a dark, dust-free cupboard. Old cultures may be slow to rejuvinate; they should be growing well by your second or third batch of tea however. The culture should always have a firm & rubbery texture: If it suddenly falls apart easily or starts to stink like all-get-out, it's time to get shed of it and use a back-up culture.

I usually keep 2 jugs of Kombucha tea running at a time (4 are better, resources permitting) in case a batch gets contaminated or just doesn't turn out well. You can always find people to give the excess tea & cultures to. Just explain to them the health benefits; show them the WWW literature dealing with Kombucha; have them try a glass of tea, and they'll be hooked!!! (Sound familiar?) For someone who's never drunk Kombucha tea before, I'd recommend starting out with no more than 6 oz. per day. That'll give one time to develop a tolerance to it and avoid any bad reactions.

Finally, always treat the Kombucha culture with great respect (as mentioned earlier). The Kombucha organism lives to provide a healthy & delicious beverage for those who care for it responsibly; therefore it's doing us a great service, and as such we should give it frequent & fervent thanks. To all you Kombucha growers out there, very best of luck and bon appetit!

Regards, A.H.I. :-)

*The Recipe*

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