I became enamored of kombucha a few months ago, my wallet doesn't share the opinion of my mouth, stomach and bowel. I am lucky enough to have a coworker who has been brewing her own for several years, and gave me a scobie and some black tea she really likes to use in conjunction with this particular breed. I've made one batch of lemon-ginger kombucha so far, fermented 10 days instead of the recommended 14. Turned out great! How long do you ferment yours? I thought the 10 day was perfect for me. Still some sweetness, lots of sour, not a touch of the vinegary-ness that overwhelms some brews. Kombucha beer is still a no-go for me oddly. I like sour beer, but I don't wanna get drunk on vinegar.
the first (and only) batch was somewhere around 10 days. It was pretty sour. After bottling the first batch, I noticed it was quite sour. I added a star anise to each individual bottle (that were put into the refridgerator) the day before consuming them. This cut the sour-ness a lot. It also added a great taste to them. I'll have to try it with black tea on my next brew. My current one is like 8 days or something, I dunno I just kind of taste it and see what I think haha. Raisins sounds like an interesting way to put in some sugar/flavor.