Loved this video.. ❤️ Gave so many answers... Thank you. 🌹. Now I feel it's OK if kombucha is to sweet to leave it..... Then smell if you open the bottle, after months. This was so awesome. 👌
First of all, you are so delightful to listen to and watch, your husband is a lucky man. Secondly, I'm pretty sure the only reason you can second ferment for so long is because those bottles aren't perfectly air tight. When the co2 pressure gets high enough it just seeps out of the lid before it could ever rupture the bottle. You might make a point to tell people NOT to second ferment for more than a few days with the swing top bottles as they are totally airtight and thus will definitely explode long before 2 months. Also - you can use your bowl method with swing top bottles too! Just put a ziploc bag over the top of the bottle before opening 😉 Thank you for the informative kombucha videos! You're so dang cute!
J Great info! Thank you! If I was double fermenting a kombucha with high sugar fruit, I wouldn’t be able to age it. When the lids round out, looking like they are gonna blow any minute, I put them in the refrigerator. Just yesterday I consumed a kombucha from my pantry that was dated 12/18. It was green tea w/ NO other additives. So good!
Really enjoyed that! I'm starting a first fermentation today from a scoby I purchased. My attempt to make my own scoby from scratch failed. I'm all about the fizz so your video is very helpful. I have a bunch of GTS bottles saved up.
Thank you so much for taking the time to record this information! You have given me peace of mind as this is all new to me. I have gone the Keifer route but grew tired of the process and a refrigerator full of half gallon jars and all that milk. I have been purchasing mine at the store and I'm getting ready to bottle my first round of Kombucha. My second round is steeping now with 14 bags of Jasmine tea, based on your recommendation, ready for the Scoby tomorrow morning after I bottle the first. The surprise is that my husband loves it and is on board and very supportive. My goal for now is to make enough for both of us so I can stop spending all the money it takes to buy it ready made. My energy level is through the roof and, after a couple of weeks of drinking Kombucha, I am loving it!! Thank you again for your help! Linda
Love your kombucha videos I’d love love to see your flavoring favorite video, I’m a new brewer and I love the stronger full flavored kombucha with lots of carbonation haven’t quite gotten mind there yet
Hear / Be Heard I remember those days of no carbonation, very frustrating. Brewing kombucha develops patience for sure. If you let me know your brewing process and both fermentations I can help you with getting that carbonation going. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ODH-HhC2d3w.html
I am kinda nervous now I used 1 cup of sugar to 3 qts hot water then 4 Black tea bags set for a few hours then took out tea bags added a scoby that someone sent me & 1 cup of their Kombucha ... covered with natural cheese cloth. I guess we will see
Angie's Pantry That recipe sounds like a good one. Black tea is so much stronger than green tea. As long as your brew was cooled to room temp or slightly warmer it should be good kombucha.
I'm new, and have made a handful of batches of second ferment, with little success of carbonation. I've used fruit and allowed it to sit for two days. I'm using the same bottles as you are. Should I be letting it sit longer? Everyone seems to say I'm supposed to release the pressure each day to prevent explosion, and only ferment for a day or two. Do you have any instructions with guides and tips you sell? You probably have the best and most professional sounding advice with good format and production. Thank you!
Michael Patterson Well thank you 😊 yes I have some great advice, DON’T LISTEN TO THEM!!! Lol Tell me what you’re adding to your kombucha, are you brewing green or black tea, and what is the temperature in your house. I will tell you exactly what to do. 😁
DT Wellness, Great! Thank you so much. I've brewed both black and green tea (separately). 4 cups well water boiling, then 8 bags of tea, letting it steep for 30 minutes minimum. Then, after cooling a bit, add 1 cup of raw sugar. Fill gallon glass container with about 10 cups of well water at room temperature and adding sweet tea and SCOBY. I cover with a breathable cloth handkerchief and rubber band. This goes into a room with a temperature of 68 degrees. I also set the gallon containers on a warming pad, the kind used for seed germination. The temperature on the jar reads around 72 degrees. I let this sit for one week. I have been using p.h. strips as well. Then I remove SCOBY and a cup of tea mix and set aside for next batch. I've been using a variety of fruit. Peaches, Kiwi, Pineapple, and Mango. I poor this into bottles just like you're using, and seal tightly. Then, I put these bottles (some large 48 oz. and some 16 oz.) into the same room as before. If there's room, I place them on the warming pad also. After 2 days, I put them in the fridge ( advice from other channels, there concerns for bottles exploding). The end product tastes good, just little to no fizz!! I was very pleased and impressed with your taste testing of product sitting for a couple of years. I was wondering how long this was possible. Great lesson! I was thinking the trick to fizz in the second fermentation, was the sugars from fruit, but is it just the sealing of the bottle? In other words, can you get a fizzy second ferment without adding anything if you wanted, by just sealing the first ferment? Thanks for your time and answers!
Michael Patterson the key is patience. I don’t know why everyone is SO scared of the second ferment. The more sugar and fiber added during second ferment, the faster you brew will carbonate- it will NEVER happen in 2 days. If I didn’t have the flu, I’d make a video for you. It’s gonna take at least a week. This is what you do... just watch it. It will be like watching grass grow, but then 🥳. If you’re using the Gt bottles, when the pressure begins to build up, the cap will begin to round out on top 😁 that’s my trick. And to answer your last question, yes plain Kombucha will carbonate, it just takes longer. It is my favorite. So to recap, all you need to add to your second ferment is more time 😉
DT Wellness, once I have the carbonation, do I relieve the pressure at all? And do you continue to babysit the bottles? I very much appreciate your time. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
PLEASE let me know when is the best time to make it cold for drinking or is it's best at room temperature. I really enjoy you but can you make your volume louder, and thanks for helping me and showing how to favor second fermentation 😊
gwendolyn floyd The best time to refrigerate all depends on what flavor you have added. The more sugar in the added flavor, the faster it carbonates. I’d say 5 + days, but that’s something you’re going to have to taste test for yourself. Since it’s a living beverage, it doesn’t always go by the same timing.
suffolkshepherd I use whole flower hibiscus and flavor per bottle. I like one flower per bottle. You can also use hibiscus teabags found in the Hispanic section of most grocery stores. Add a couple to your brew at second fermentation (after you remove your starter for next batch), let sit for 20 minuets, take the teabags out and bottle. 😉 Lemon-hibiscus is great too! So glad the videos are helpful!!
I have done one brew so far, for my second ferment I made two kinds, I used cranberry juice and pineapple chunks, and let both of them sit for about 3 - 4 days before refrigerating. They were amazing. I can't wait for my next brew to finish. What do you recommend to get the most probiotics?
Kombucha usually only has one strain of bacteria (may vary) and one strain of yeast. To get the most probiotics, I recommend that you consume different types of fermented foods. Sauerkraut, Kimchi, natto, kefir, and real yogurt.
I made kombucha almost two weeks ago with some old tea bags, cold brew type, because I ran out of the ones I like. The first ferment seemed weak and flavorless. Is it because of the age of the tea bags or the cold brew type? I may have used less sugar than I should have. My ferment jars are 2 and 1/2 gallon size. If the kombucha is this weak, will the second fermentation improve it? Its been on second fermentation about 3 days now. I'm not impressed. Can I improve this stuff or just chalk this up to experience and make new batches with fresh tea? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Rosesinbloom9711 The second ferment will improve your brew. Did you add any flavor before capping ? This brew, even though weak will be beneficial to your health. Drink it as you brew your next batch. Using my recipe, your brew will never be weak, always full bodied and flavorful. Boil water, turn off and immediately add a heaping cup of sugar per gallon, add 12-15 green tea bags per gallon. Let cool overnight with bags in. The tea will be bitter to begin with, but the final product will not. Add a cup of starter per gallon and ferment I hate weak anything, that's why I formulated this recipe.
Stacy Stalstone Bottle when there is a good balance between sweet and tart. If you think it’s getting close, you’ll want to check it daily. If you were drinking store bought before brewing your own, it should taste similar. You should feel some effervescence on your tongue.
Thanks for the tip. I'm currently at 10 days and after tasting it this morning I'm thinking tomorrow or Sunday to bottle. One other question if you don't mind...when I drink my favorite commercial brand GT's Dave Multi-Green it has a bit of a yeasty taste to it that I rather enjoy. However, my homebrew is clear and floral with a tart zing to it which is great but I'm wondering if I have missed something in my process. I ordered a scoby and starter from Kombucha Brooklyn and followed "standard" protocol for the initial batch; 2 gallon jar, cooled tea, starter, scoby, cover and wait lol. So I guess my question is do the yeasts develop over time or is it ok that my brew is clear?
Hello and thanks for a great video. Is your 2nd ferment bottles plastic or glass? I will have to get some accordingly. And also most people do their 2nd fermentation for 3-4 days when yours go on for months. How is this possible without explosions. I'm confused in that sense. Thanks
Erkut Gurun Regardless of what many say, bottle explosion is not a huge concern. I never put my kombucha in the fridge and I've only had 2 bottles explode in 3 years, probably due to flawed bottles. I do recycle GT Daves bottles, which are the best. Aging kombucha like wine is a beautiful thing! Just remember, the more sugar & fiber you add during 2nd ferment, the more pressure build up.
Hello, i've been making kombucha for a year now, my scoby looks healthy, but a couple of times i've noticed a "foul", not too strong, so i threw the liquid out but kept the scoby. What are your thoughts on this?, do you have a video that troubleshoots this problem and helps recognize the problem? many thanks in advance
Esther Angyal If you thought your brew was bad, I would have recommended tossing everything. I've only had one brew go bad in four years. The gasses pushed my SCOBY out of the brew and I didn't realize it. Kombucha doesn't go bad often. It will turn vinegary, but not spoil. I would recommend keeping healthy SCOBY's in a separate container-feeding once a month with sweet tea. Then, if you think there's a problem, you will have a fresh SCOBY for the next brew. 😉 Are you using plain sweetened tea? No flavors added? I met with a lady today that used green tea with lemongrass and spearmint. Her batch had a slight off smell, but it was safe to drink. She had forgotten that she needed to use plain non-flavored tea.
Many thanks for your reply. I bought a green tea that said "organic" but it was pretty cheap, so i wonder if it is a bad tea i'm using since the problem happened after i used this type of tea.
Hi, how are you? I noted that my second fermentation, still in the bottle, shows yeast at the bottle surface. Do you have any trick to produce a second fermentation with really good appearance, without yeast on the surface? Thank you!
marcelomendesp Hi! When you say yeast on surface, tell me exactly what it looks like. Also, what type of sugar did you first ferment with? what was your second ferment flavor? How long has it been double fermenting? What type of bottles are you using?
Its looks like a really small scoby, a litle dark, thin, dark brown. I'm using raw sugar. I'm using integral grape fruit juice. Its been fermenting in glass bottles for 24 or 48 hours. If you mail me I can send you a photo. Thanks! marcelomendesp@gmail.com
William Bounds Usually it’s because of the flavor you added during the second ferment. I have had some stinky smelling bottles, but the flavor is fine. Cranberry & cherry juice can do that. Those are the ones I put up for months and they transform into something beautiful. If the smell is too much for you, pour it out and avoid that flavor in the future.
No not the second ferment, I'm talking about the first ferment. When I was transferring my batch to the bottles for the second ferment, I noticed a stinky smell coming from the brew. It wasn't a good sour kombucha smell this time. I have since stripped off old layers of the scoby, strained the liquid, and filtered the water. If this doesn't work, I may have to start over...
William Bounds Ok. Let’s do some troubleshooting. Are you using city water? Is all the liquid room temp or just a little warmer when everything is combined? How long do you usually ferment? Did your SCOBY by chance get pushed out of the brew ? If it smells bad on first ferment- I’d discard everything. 😉
I've been using tap water because I'd seen a few other people do it and it hasn't killed anything yet... that could be my problem. When I first mix everything together, I pour hot tea in a two gallon glass vessel and add two cups of raw cane sugar. After the sugar is dissolved, I add cold water (I'll start doing filtered water again) until it's full of slightly warm water and add my starter and SCOBY. The SCOBY itself never climbs out of the jar, but the top of it does get dry because it floats a bit.
I never get more than just the minimal carbonation. Mine doesn't fizz much at all! WHY??! I even let one sit with fruit for 2 weeks after bottling before putting in fridge. I have a friend that loves mine because she hates the fizz....but, dangit, I want some fizz!
gallon of distilled water boiled, 16 organic green tea, 1cup white sugar. Cool, add to the scoby and starter. Very basic. I get great tasting stuff after 14-21 days or so. (I like mine really vinegary.) Thanks for the reply!
Gavin Hays You sound like you're doing everything right. Of course, the longer the first ferment, the less sugar left in the brew for second fermentation. I get the most carbonation when I add fresh fruit with the fiber. The probiotics go crazy! Fresh pineapple & puréed mango have been my most explosive flavors. Within 4 or 5 days you should have carbonation. I assume you are using caffeinated green tea. I remember being so happy the first time I got fizz! Try those fruits and let me know what happens.
The probiotics are still alive. The more vinegary you can stand it, the more beneficial it is for your health. Personally, I like to enjoy mine, not force it down just because its healthier.
No luck yet. (7gallons going at a time so far...no fizzy.) 33 pints in fridge and no fizz. I'm going to bottle a new batch tomorrow and fill right up to the lid. At least it tastes great!! Thanks!
PLEASE, PLEASE , PLEASE CHECK YOUR VOLUME BEFORE POSTING! you're as cute as a June bug' AND VERY PROFESSIONAL! but if you post again with low volume i will go elsewhere to get kombucha news and vlogs
dippster357 I have been making sure my volume level has been 500% on iMovie. Will you do me a favor and watch the one I posted last night on "Does you kombucha contain fluoride" I always watch it on my iPhone and Mac book after posting and volume is loud. Why do you think it comes through low on other devices? Help 😁
