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Earl Grey tea and Bergamot oil

The breakfast teas "Earl Grey" and "Lady Grey" contain Bergamot oil. Bergamot oil comes from the Bergamot orange, an Italian variety grown solely for its extract - the fruit body is not usually consumed. It is used to make things flavorful and fragrantful, and I think you'll agree that it does a good job of that.

However, you can not ferment kombucha in teas that contain Bergamot oil - like other essential oils, it is a weak preservative. Kombucha brewed with Earl or Lady Grey tea will result in an incomplete ferment and an enfeebled culture.

Chlorine in drinking water

Chlorine is often added to public drinking water in order to sterilize it. For fermentation purposes, this can cause trouble. When you use chlorinated water in a brew, some of the microbiotic constituents will die or weaken. The kombucha will take much longer to ferment, and its taste will be unbalanced, or perhaps entirely unfamiliar.

Fortunately, chlorine is easily removed from drinking water. It will simply evaporate if you let the water for your ferment sit uncovered for 24 hours.

Alternatively, some kombucha fanatics use bottled water, or draw from a separate water line or well.