Guide to Kombucha Second Fermentation Process Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Guide to Kombucha Second Fermentation Process Recipe? ›

You'll want to fill your vessel up with 80%-90% kombucha and add 10%-20% flavoring. All you need is 1-3 tsp of my herbal kombucha flavoring to make delicious kombucha. You will want to leave 1-2 inches of air space at the top of the bottle between the liquid and the cap.

You'll want to fill your vessel up with 80%-90% kombucha and add 10%-20% flavoring. All you need is 1-3 tsp of my herbal kombucha flavoring to make delicious kombucha. You will want to leave 1-2 inches of air space at the top of the bottle between the liquid and the cap.

-Remove any pellicles from your brew jar and place aside in a container. -Measure 1.5 – 2 cups of kombucha for your next gallon and add to the container with the pellicles (this is your starter tea). If you don't plan to start another batch right away, see this article on how to take a break from brewing kombucha.

1. Add 1/4 - 1/3 cup of pureed/juiced fruit into each 16 oz. bottle*.

Burping is essentially just opening your bottles ever so slightly during the second fermentation process to release air or “excess pressure” in the bottle. Many brewers recommend burping bottles every day, or every other day while your bottles are fermenting at room temperature.

I'm not getting carbonation in my kombucha after secondary fermentation. Don't worry too much; carbonation can be finicky. Often temperature has much to do with it, but sometimes the yeast just don't want to perform for you. Just keep on brewing, and it should come with time.

Temperature. Kombucha is happiest fermenting in temperatures between 72° and 84°F (22° and 29°C), and secondary fermentation works best especially in the warmer half of that range. If it's too cold in the room where you are fermenting your bottles, it may take longer to ferment and build up carbonation, if at all.

The Basics. Any time that you are handling your kombucha culture/kombucha SCOBY, you will want to make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap (regular soap, NOT antibacterial) and water. Be sure to wash all of the soap off before handling your SCOBY, as soap can actually harm your SCOBY.

If you've been able to produce a successful batch of first fermented kombucha and you've gone over a week without any mold in your brew vessel, it's very unlikely that you'll develop mold during second fermentation in the bottle.

If a SCOBY forms during the second fermentation, you can filter it out when serving, eat it, save it, or toss it. It's up to you; let's go over each. If you notice a new SCOBY in your bottle, you can easily filter it out of your kombucha before drinking.

What fruits are good for second fermentation kombucha? ›

Some popular fruit juices used during second fermentation are: Apple juice, grape juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, and pomegranate juice. Again, the sky is the limit! You can even juice fruits on your own and add a custom juice combination to your brew!

Yeast has this habit of settling down at the bottom of our brew vessels during first fermentation. So if you don't stir your kombucha liquid before you bottle, that yeast won't be evenly distributed throughout your liquid or throughout your bottles.

Burping kombucha is designed to alleviates excess pressure as this can get ugly if we allow this to build for too long. An essential step in this process is to “burp” your bottles after one day. This is done to check on how the pressure is building and releases any excess co2.

A kombucha scoby is a starter culture that enables you to start fermenting kombucha. The beauty of it is that it can be reused endlessly!

The ideal temperature range for kombucha fermentation is between 60°F and 85°F (16°C and 29°C). For best results and flavors, aim for a range of 75°F–80°F (24°C–26°C), especially during the first three to seven days of the fermentation process.

If the CO2 does not have a way to exit (e.g. if it is stuck in a bottle), it will dissolve in the liquid. This is how kombucha becomes fizzy! If your kombucha sprays out of the bottle as soon as you open it, it's because there is too much pressure inside.

When brewing kombucha, the most important rule of thumb is the sweet tea to starter tea ratio. The sweet tea to kombucha starter tea ratio is 9:1 or 90% sweet tea to 10% kombucha starter tea.

The continuous brew kombucha method involves removing only some of the liquid each time and replacing with the same amount of fresh brewed sweetened tea. Leaving at least 30% of the brew after each decant is ideal, but you can drink a little at a time and add tea when the level gets low.

For each gallon of sweet tea, use 1 large SCOBY (5-6 inches across, ½ – 1 inch thick) and 1-2 cups strong starter liquid.