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.

The usual amount of sugar is about 4 or 5 grams, or a level teaspoon, of brewing sugar per pint or 500 ml bottle. When scaling this measurement up for a 5-gallon barrel, you will need 160g-200g of dextrose for secondary fermentation.

If you want carbonated kombucha, you need to add a form of SUGAR to your second fermentation kombucha bottles. Otherwise, there is nothing that you need to add—it is just a matter of picking the flavors you want.

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.

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.

No additions to the secondary vessel except to thoroughly clean and sanitize. You could add a little sugar or dissolved extract when you rack to secondary to give the yeast something to do with any aeration that occurs in the beer during racking to secondary so you don't oxidize the beer.

While it's safe to add sugars at any time in the process, adding them late can be very beneficial to your cause. This is because of two reasons. First, yeast can get lazy if offered simple sugars up front, and stall out early or ferment slower than normal once they have to convert more complex sugars.

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.

Can I add honey to 2nd fermentation kombucha? ›

The fun part is that the sugar you add to the bottles can basically be any sugar you want! This means you can add strawberries, mango, ginger, passion fruit, tomatoes, honey, maple syrup, etc… You can really get creative and make whatever kombucha flavors you want!

This is fine if they're getting too large or if you'd like to split them up to move some to a SCOBY hotel/share with a friend. You can't hurt your SCOBY by ripping it or cutting it. Its shape doesn't matter since new ones will always take the shape of the surface of whatever container you place it in.

Yes! During each ferment, the mother scoby (the one you added) will produce a baby scoby. Every scoby can be used four times before it gets too old and needs to be discarded. With each batch of kombucha a baby scoby is produced and the process starts again, you will have a fridge full of scobys before you know it.

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.

With proper care, SCOBYs can last many generations. But when you see excessive, dark yeast growth on a SCOBY layer, or if it starts producing Kombucha that tastes bad or overly acidic, it's time to get a new one. New kombucha recipes can be made.

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.

What is the recommended ratio of tea, sugar, water, and starter tea for making kombucha? For a 1-gallon batch of kombucha, you'll need 1 cup of sugar, 6-8 bags of tea, and 12 fl oz of starter tea. The rest should be filled up with clean, filtered water.

Steps to follow to store a kombucha scoby at room temperature: Place the kombucha and, if you like, the film, in a jar (about 10% of the volume of your next recipe).