KOMBUCHA SECOND FERMENT: FLAVORING & CARBONATING

Kombucha 2nd Ferment: Flavoring & Carbonating

So you have tasted your kombucha and it is the right amount of tart and the right amount of sweet for you. What's next? Flavoring & carbonating. My kombucha first ferment is usually done in about 7 days but your time will vary depending on your climate & temperature in your house as well as your personal tastes. Here are the steps I use:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly and sanitize all your bottles & utensils. Remove your SCOBY and place in a sterilized bowl. 
2. Stir your kombucha to evenly distribute all the yeasty bits.
3. Pour Into grolsch style flip top bottles. You want to use strong bottles that can withstand carbonation. Do not use dollar store type bottles. Fill to the below the neck. 
4. Add your fruit of choice. I have used raspberries, pineapple, blueberries, mango - the possibilities are endless. 
5. You want enough headspace so that your liquid level is about mid neck. If you fill too full you risk the bottles blowing.
6. Leave on the counter or in your pantry for another few days. You will want to taste it after 2-3 days. If it tastes good to you- tart but yet sweet - and is carbonated to your satisfaction, its time to refrigerate.
7. Place bottles in the refrigerator and they are ready to drink!

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Kombucha First Ferment

Kombucha First Ferment

So you have grown your own SCOBY. Now what? Its easy. When your SCOBY is large enough for a gallon you can really get going. Here are the steps I use:

1. Make sure all of your tools are sanitized and cleaned well. I use star san cleanser to ensure nothing funky goes into my brew.  
2. Boil a pot of water, add 8 tea bags and one cup of water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. I use black tea but you can use green or any tea that doesnt have oils added to it. Hibiscus is a popular tea I see used a lot but I have only used black. Let the tea steep to desired strength.
3. When the tea has cooled pour it in a gallon jar and add your scoby and 2 cups of your starter tea. Top off with water. Your starter tea is the tea you used to grow your SCOBY.
4. Cover your jar with a light cloth or coffee filter and secure with a rubber band. I always use a light cloth like muslin. Do not use cheesecloth - it is too porous.
5. Date & label your jar and set aside in your pantry or out of direct sunlight.
6. After about 5 days test daily by sticking a (reusable) straw into your kombucha until you get your desired taste. Kombucha should be slightly vinagary/ tart with some sweetness. You decide the level of sourness/ sweetness though so its ready when it tastes good to you. Mine is usually done in 5-7 days.
7. At this point you will pour your kombucha from your gallon jug into flip top bottles for your second ferment. 

I will post about your second ferment next week. I use fruit or fruit puree in mine. The options are endless. If you missed my -Create Your Own SCOBY post check it out here. You can also click the kombucha tab on my sidebar to see all of my kombucha posts.

Please see my disclosures page for details. Do not copy, in whole, or in part any portion of any postings on my blog. Do not repost my content on any other site without my explicit consent. All of my postings belong solely to lindsey8.blogspot.com.

Create Your Own Kombucha SCOBY From Store Bought Kombucha!

Check out my SCOBY!

Years ago I wanted to start making my own kombucha at home but the thought of ordering a SCOBY online & having it shipped to me was kind of gross so I sat the idea aside & continued spending $3+ a bottle at the store. Well I read a little online & saw that you can actually create your own SCOBY at home. I figured what they hey, if it doesnt work, Im only out the $3 bottle it cost me. Well to my delight- it worked and it was SO super easy to do.  Below is the method I used and it worked like a charm. Some people add sweetened brewed tea to the store bought kombucha but I didnt do that.

1. buy a store bought bottle of kombucha. Preferably unflavored but I couldnt find one so I got a flavored & it worked fine. It must be raw kombucha.
2. pour about 3/4 of the bottle into a mason jar and cover with light cloth or coffee filter secured with a rubberband. (If you choose to add sweetened tea you would brew 2 black or green unflavored tea bags and combine with 6 TBS white sugar. When cooled to room temp add to your kombucha & then cover)
3. leave it to sit on the counter or in your pantry until you see a SCOBY start to form. Please note the time will vary depending on the climate & temperature of your house. Mine grew much more quickly than the time frames I saw online. Our house is warm and our climate is dry.
4. When you have a good scoby formed you can now begin brewing your own kombucha using the guide I found online below. Because my SCOBY was relatively small at this point, I made small batches & moved to larger containers and my SCOBY continued to grow - it will form to the shape of your container until it was big enough to use a gallon jar

Thats it! Making kombucha at home is super easy! I will have follow up posts on flavoring, brewing, first& second ferments & more. Stay tuned. Below is whats left of my latest batch of boysenberry kombucha!

Please see my disclosures page for details. Do not copy, in whole, or in part any portion of any postings on my blog. Do not repost my content on any other site without my explicit consent. All of my postings belong solely to lindsey8.blogspot.com.