Kombucha Carbonation Tips: How to Bottle, Flavor, & Second Ferment
Fizz. Pop. Bubbles. Spritz. That thing that all kombucha home brewers lust after: carbonation. Not too much though! We don’t want booch bombs on our hands. Like so many things in life, carbonation is all about that delicate balance, which can be hard to achieve. Hopefully I can help you with that! Not to toot our own horn, but we are known for some pretty fizzy brews around here…
If you are after that perfectly carbonated kombucha, look no further! Read along to learn all our tips and tricks for bottling, flavoring, and second-fermenting homemade kombucha – to achieve a deliciously bubbly finished beverage. The top 8 factors that influence carbonation are revealed!
This post is geared towards folks who already understand the basic process of brewing kombucha, including primary fermentation. If that doesn’t sound like you, check out our “How to Make Kombucha 101″ post – and then come back here after!
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The Great Quest for Carbonation
“How do I make my kombucha fizzy?”
Several factors influence how carbonated your finished kombucha will be, including the time, temperature, type of flavor added (if any), how you fill your bottles, and more!
Let’s break down all these variables, one by one.
But first, it will be helpful to understand the science about what creates carbonation in kombucha in the first place. This foundation should help clarify why the other factors are important, and how they work together to achieve our goal!
How is carbonation created?
Here is the basic science behind bubbly kombucha: When your kombucha goes through the primary fermentation stage in its main crock, it is an aerobic process. The SCOBY in your vessel is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. SCOBY culture interacts with sweet tea and air to produce beneficial bacteria (probiotics), acetic acid, and yeast. In this process, the pH drops, a lot of the sugar from the sweet tea is broken down and vastly reduced, but the kombucha isn’t yet carbonated.
In contrast, the secondary fermentation stage, also known as “second ferment”, is done in an anaerobic environment; without air. This is accomplished by bottling your finished kombucha in air-tight bottles. Most kombucha brewers like to add fruit chunks, fruit juice, or puree at this stage. The fruit added to the bottle acts as a new sugar source for the bacteria and yeast to feed on. Thus, the yeast will work to break down those sugar molecules into carbon dioxide (CO2) and ethanol. In the absence of air, the CO2 is trapped within the sealed bottles, and boom! Carbonation is born.
C6H12O6 (glucose) → 2 C2H5OH (ethanol) + 2 CO2 (carbon dioxide)
Note: You should never “flavor” or add fruit to your primary vessel. It is not good for the SCOBY.
8 Factors That Influence Kombucha Carbonation
1) Kombucha Bottles
If I had to pick just one factor that influences the carbonation level of kombucha the most, it would be the bottles used. Because no matter how perfectly you do everything else, if your bottles are not truly air tight, the carbon dioxide produced during secondary fermentation is going to leak out! Therefore, if you want bubbly booch, you probably will not have the best of luck by using up-cycled mason jars, leftover beverage bottles, or similar. Even with a tight screw-on lid, gasses can escape. They’re sneaky little things. Especially under pressure!
The best way to contain the carbonation in kombucha is using swing-top bottles. They’re the most air-tight. However, not all swing-top bottles are created equal! You want to get high-quality bottles that are made specifically for brewing carbonated beverages! We use these 16 ounce and 32 ounce bottles by EZ Cap. They’re sold online or in homebrew stores, and are widely used for kombucha or beer making.
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE
We need to address a VERY, very important safety concern in regards to bottling homemade kombucha. Here we are, talking about the ways to obtain the best carbonation possible, right? But sometimes, homemade kombucha can end up way too carbonated! We lovingly refer to these as “booch bombs”.
While it may be tempting to pick up basic swing-top bottles from places like Target, Home Goods, or the like – I strongly advise against it. 99% of the time, those are not the type of high quality bottles that are made to withstand pressure. The wrong bottles CAN AND WILL EXPLODE under excessive pressure from carbonation. Literally. Like a shotgun of glass shards.
In the middle of the night years ago, a cheapo bottle of kombucha exploded in our kitchen. It seriously sounded like someone had fired a gun in our house. The pieces of glass and sticky kombucha were all over, inside, and under everything across two entire rooms. It even ended up inside the freezer somehow! Can you imagine if we would have been in the kitchen at that moment? I don’t want to. I have heard similar horror stories from many people. Therefore, play it safe and get the right supplies.
How to Prevent Kombucha Bombs
Booch bombs are typically created when bottled kombucha is left too long in second ferment, under too warm of conditions, with too much fruit/ juice added, or some combination thereof. One way to prevent booch bombs is to get all of those things dialed in, which we’ll discuss next. Another way is to burp your bottles to check their level of carbonation. We will talk more about good burping techniques too!
2) How the Kombucha is Bottled for Second Ferment
So your kombucha has finished primary fermentation… It is tangy and fermented to your liking, and you have your bottles ready to go! Now, it is time to get it bottled up, and if you want to, flavored and carbonated.
We use the continuous brew method, and our primary ferment vessels have spigots. This makes it very easy to pull off finished kombucha to bottle. We simply place a pitcher under the spouts and draw off about 2/3 to 3/4 of the crock, leaving the rest behind to jump start the next batch. If you use the batch method and do not have a dispenser on your crock, pull out your SCOBY, and dump most of your finished kombucha into a pitcher. For more information on the vessels we use, see our kombucha supply list.
Using a funnel, fill your bottles most of the way full with kombucha. We generally fill ours up to the point in the bottle where the sides start to curve into the neck. See the photo above and below. Then, add a couple ounces of fruit juice or puree. We’ll talk about fruit options more in a moment. We don’t typically measure amounts exactly. Over time, we’ve learned how to eyeball it.
Q: How much fruit should I add to my kombucha?
A good goal for kombucha-to-fruit ratios is about 85-90% finished kombucha and 10-15% fruit additions. For example, 1-2 ounces of fruit addition per 16 ounce bottle, or 3-4 ounces per 32 ounce bottle. If we are adding straight fruit juice, I would err on the lighter side, using around 8-10% juice. When adding whole fruit that has been pureed with a little kombucha, we may add closer to 15%, since it is less sweet and concentrated than juice.
Q: How full should I fill my kombucha bottles?
If you want good carbonation, do not fill your kombucha bottles completely full! Leave an inch or two of space in the neck. We generally leave most of the neck empty. That small amount of air in the bottle at first helps to jump start the chemical reactions that lead to carbonation. Also, that little bit of space in the neck gives the carbonation somewhere to go! C02 slowly replaces the air in the neck during second fermentation.
On the other hand, do not leave a huge amount of empty space in your bottles. This can lead to too much carbonation building up in the bottle. For example, we never fill a bottle just halfway. If we have an odd amount leftover during a bottling session, we either add it back to the main crock or simply drink it plain right then.
And now… options for fruit, flavors, and more!
3) Choice of Fruit or Other Additions
The next factor that has a significant impact on carbonation is how you flavor it, if at all. Both the type of fruit (or vegetable!) and how you add it makes a difference.
The higher the natural sugar content of the fruit or vegetable, the more carbonated the kombucha will become – and faster. For example, nicely ripe, sweet strawberries will create a more carbonated kombucha than sad under ripe strawberries. Furthermore, things like beets, mangos, and watermelon usually produce more of a fizz factor than blackberries and lemon. That is, if you were to compare those flavors side-by-side, with all other factors constant. It is possible to obtain a similar level of carbonation, no matter the fruit or vegetable added, if you tweak the time – as discussed below.
Figuring out which flavors produce the most carbonation is a bit of a guess-and-check, learn-from-experience type of thing. But you’ll get it!
Fruit isn’t the only thing you can add to kombucha! We have made killer carrot, fresh turmeric and ginger booch before! Ginger always seems to help carbonation, not to mention make the kombucha extra tasty. We’ve also infused kombucha with fresh lavender buds, basil, and other goodies from the garden. I have also heard of people using food-grade essential oils to flavor kombucha, though that isn’t something we’ve ever tried. The options are seemingly endless! I will put together a post of our top kombucha flavor combinations soon.
Sometimes we do leave kombucha completely plain, with no flavoring added at all. This produces the least carbonation. That is, unless you choose to introduce a little fresh sugar to wake up the yeast. For example, by bottling plain kombucha and adding just a pinch of organic cane sugar or a squeeze of honey to the bottle along with it. If you’re working with slightly underripe fruit or other flavoring additions that don’t have much natural sugar, a little pinch of sugar or honey could be added to increase carbonation in those situations as well.
4) How You Flavor Your Kombucha: Whole Fruit, Juice, or Puree
We have found that adding fruit juice or fruit puree to kombucha creates more carbonation than adding whole fruit chunks to your bottles. Fruit chunks also provide less infusion of their flavors. Think about it… By blending up or juicing fruit, you’re breaking it down and therefore freeing up all those sugar molecules to go party with the yeasties! When fruit is left more whole, there is less mixing and surface area for the essential chemical reactions that lead to carbonation to take place.
95% of the time, we add fruit puree to our kombucha to flavor it. Our flavor choices largely depend on what is in season, readily available locally (or from the garden!), ripe, fresh, and organic! Meaning, we make a lot of beet kombucha in the winter, strawberry, melon or stone fruit kombucha in the summer, and apple in the fall. Sometimes we use fruit juice. We don’t have a juicer, but we do “juice” our homegrown passionfruit to remove the seeds. In a pinch we use store-bought organic fruit juice, which we generally have on hand for my emergency low blood sugar needs.
How We Flavor Our Kombucha With Fruit Puree
To create a fruit puree to add to bottled kombucha, we simply blend raw, organic, seasonal fruit or veggies with a little finished kombucha from the primary ferment vessel. Or, blended with a little fruit juice. For example, chunks of beets with some fresh-squeezed orange or lemon juice. That way, it can be blended into a smooth and pourable puree, but doesn’t get watered down.
I honestly don’t measure amounts, so I’m afraid I won’t be extremely helpful there. We throw some fruit in the blender, roughly chopped, and then add in enough finished kombucha (or fruit juice) to allow it to blend freely. The Vitamix does an excellent job at creating a super smooth, creamy, uniform puree! It can also handle blending up tough raw beet like a champ.
Most of our purees end up the consistency of a thin applesauce, but thicker than pulpy juice, if that is helpful… See the example below. For that bottling session, we used 4 very small local apples, about 4-6 ounces of finished kombucha, plus a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. This created enough to puree to flavor (4) 32-ounce bottles and (2) 16-ounce bottles.
After we add finished kombucha and a little fruit puree to our bottles in the ratios described above, we cap the bottles. If all of the fruit puree seems to be floating on top, I will gently rock and invert the bottle to better mix it.
Yes, the pureed fruit method will result in a slightly pulpy kombucha. We don’t mind it that way! Also, a little “fruit cap” (mini SCOBY with fruit bits) will form in the bottle. We generally discard this blob after we pour our bottles, feeding it to the chickens. Sometimes, we do drink it. If you prefer your kombucha more smooth and clean, you can always choose to pour the finished product through one of these nifty funnel screens to strain it before drinking! Or, use juice instead of puree.
And now, we wait….
5) Temperature
Store the bottled kombucha in a temperate location to second ferment. It is okay if they’re exposed to some ambient room light, but try to keep them out of direct sunlight. Providing steady warm conditions isn’t as essential now as it was during primary fermentation. At this stage, there really is no risk of mold. The properly fermented kombucha is nice and acidic, and will not allow the fruit that you added to mold.
Kombucha that goes through second fermentation in cooler temperatures will be less carbonated, or take longer to carbonate. In contrast, very warm conditions will create carbonation much more quickly. Therefore, you can expect your winter brews to take longer to achieve the same level of carbonation as your summer brews do in a much shorter period of time. By storing your second ferment bottles in warmer or cooler locations in your house, depending on the season, you can manipulate your carbonation level and time.
When kombucha is amply fizzy from second fermentation, move it to the refrigerator. This isn’t just to make it nice and cool to drink, though that is part of the purpose. The colder temperatures vastly reduces the fermentation activity, essentially halting it. Kombucha may continue to very slightly increase in carbonation in the fridge, but not much.
6) Time
Generally speaking, the longer duration of time that bottled kombucha sits in second fermentation, the more carbonated it will become! However, there is no cut-and-dry timeframe I can provide you. The time needed to create the ideal carbonation level is going to vary wildly depending on all the other factors we are discussing today, including the amount and type of fruit added, conditions and temperature in your house, and so on.
Some kombucha flavors may become perfectly carbonated in four or five days. Others may become insanely carbonated and nearing booch-bomb status in just two or three days. Certain flavors under cooler conditions may be able to sit in their bottles for weeks on end without getting explosive! The only way you are going to be able to tell is by giving your bottles a little burp.
7) Bottle Burping Technique
When your kombucha bottles are sitting out in second fermentation, it is important to keep an eye on them. The best way to assess their carbonation level is to lightly burp them. However, I believe some peoples less-than-ideal burping methods play a huge role in their struggles to gain good carbonation. So let’s talk about the best way to burp your booch!
Burping to check carbonation
The primary purpose of burping kombucha is to check and see how fizzy they’ve become. To do this, you want to only very slightly, hardly at all, lift the swing-top latch and lid. See the video below! Are they hissing? Does the kombucha start to lift and churn? Can you feel pressure pushing back against the lid as you gently start to lift it? Burping does NOT mean fully opening your bottles. By doing so, all of the built up carbonation will easily escape and be lost!
We typically start lightly burping bottles after 2 to 3 days of being in second ferment. If there is no sign of activity at all, I don’t bother burping again for several days to a week. If there is a slight fizz to it, I let them sit another few days and then move them into the refrigerator. Often times, I do not re-burp. Burping too much leads to less carbonated kombucha. After that initial check, I usually can gauge the activity of that batch and know when it is best to halt the second fermentation process by moving them into the fridge – whether it is the next day, or a few days later.
Unless it is insanely fizzy, I never move the bottles in the fridge immediately after burping. By allowing it to sit out another day or two after burping, it allows the kombucha to regain that little bit of carbonation that was lost. I can’t tell you how many times people have messaged me saying “I burped my bottles and they seemed really fizzy, so I moved them into the fridge. Then they were flat when I opened them again later!” I think they either opened the bottles all the way, or moved them into the fridge too soon, or both.
With time, experience, and playing with various flavor combos, you’ll get into your own groove and be able to better gauge your brews time and burping needs.
Burping to release excess carbonation
Another way burping can be used is to slowly release pressure from a frisky batch of booch. If you start to burp a bottle and it’s apparent that it is past “ready to go” and excessively carbonated, do not fully open the bottle! It will spew like a volcano, or worse. Lightly open the bottle a tad, but keep pressure on the lid so you can quickly clamp it shut again. Let it hiss and rise until it’s about to come out, then close it up again. Let it settle a few minutes, then repeat. You can continue this process as much as needed until it is safe to open.
Or, here is another way to detonate a kombucha bomb. See the video below. I suggest to do this outside. Especially if beet is involved! Side note: do you think Google is going to red-flag me for using the word “bomb” several times in this post?!? 😳
8) Strength of Primary Ferment Booch
You know the saying “quality in, quality out?”. Well, the same applies to kombucha! The carbonation level of your finished second ferment is going to also depend on the strength, maturity, style, and condition of your primary ferment. Not to say that some primary ferments are necessarily more “quality”, than others… but there are certainly some factors that will contribute to a more or less carbonated booch.
Type of Tea Used
Tried and true, it has been well-documented by home-brewers that using black tea produces the most active SCOBY, and most carbonated finished kombucha. That isn’t to say you need to use black tea alone! We always use half black tea and half green tea; a combination of organic loose-leaf black breakfast blend tea, and either jasmine green or gunpowder green tea.
For a short time we switched to only green tea, and did see a little drop in our carbonation level. I do know many brewers that get great carbonation with green, white, oolong, or other teas as well! The bottles may simply need to sit out a little longer, or, they may turn out just slightly less fizzy than they otherwise could. If you prefer other tea types, no big deal!
Time of Bottling
Ideally, you want to bottle your kombucha when it is nice and fermented, but still pleasantly balanced. Experts say that properly fermented kombucha has a pH between 2.5 and 3.5. Here are some pH test strips if you want to get scientific about it! If you do a taste-test from the primary ferment vessel, it should should taste tart and vinegary but slightly sweet still at the time of bottling.
If kombucha is bottled too early, when it is still quite sweet, there is less of an established population of beneficial bacteria and yeast within it. Not only is this less healthy for you to consume, but it will probably also be less carbonated. The friends are taken from their mother SCOBY before they’re strong and multiplied enough to do the job well.
On the other hand, if kombucha is allowed to over-ferment in to very acidic kombucha vinegar, it will sort of be past the point of return. For example, kombucha that has gone for months in primary ferment. There are some great uses for kombucha vinegar however! I will write a post on this soon.
Style of Brew
I suspect that the continuous brew method can more easily produce highly carbonated kombucha. The reason is this: when you do continuous brew, the vessel and liquid isn’t disturbed or “turned over” nearly as much as the batch method. More active starter liquid is left behind after each bottling session, resulting in faster-fermenting booch. Additionally, a layer of yeast commonly forms on the bottom of the primary ferment vessel.
Yeast are key players in converting sugar into C02 and ethanol. Thus, a more yeasty booch from continuous brewing leads to more fizz. I notice that after we do a deep clean of our crocks, which removes built up yeast, the subsequent few batches of kombucha are less quickly and less vigorously carbonated than the previous few.
There they are! The 8 factors that will ultimately influence the carbonation level of your kombucha. Put all these things together, and that perfect fizzy lifting drink is just around the corner!
Scenes from bottling day…
One last tip I have for you is this:
When you are about to pour a bottle of fizzy booch, have your glasses there and waiting. Pop the bottle, and gently pour it right away. If you pop it open and let it sit there, it can very easily rise and overflow. But pouring it right away stops that, and captures the carbonation in your glass – right where you want it.
Now you can get to brewing, bottling, and flavoring your booch! See our list of favorite seasonal kombucha flavor combinations here. I hope you enjoyed this post and find it helpful in your brewing adventures, and helps you achieve that perfect kombucha carbonation. Please feel free to ask questions, leave a comment, and spread the love by passing it on! Thank you for reading.
Cheers!
97 Comments
Heather
Ack! I did something wrong! My test taste of my brew was great. I added fruit and bottled it for the second ferment. I think it’s been out for about a week and a half and it only gets lightly carbonated. But it came out way too vinegary.
So my takeaway is that I am probably letting the second ferment run for too long. But if that is the case, how do I get a little carbonation. Is it possible I added too much fruit? Any other thoughts? I am (sadly) about to ditch this batch and try again.
DeannaCat
Hey Heather! Sorry for the delay! I am finding a bunch of comments got sent to spam… Anywho, if it is super vinegary, the first ferment may be going a tad long too. If you like it the day you bottle it, keep in mind it will continue to ferment in second ferment (which is needed if you want carbonation). Consider bottling it a couple days earlier next time, when it is just a hair sweeter than the last. That extra sugar left in the primary ferment will also help it better carbonate in the 2nd ferment. Too much fruit wouldn’t cause not enough carbonation. If this is a brand new kombucha crock and culture, just be patient! It takes a bit of time for them to mature and be able to give good carbonation. Our newest batch (that we made for the Kombucha 101 tutorial, several months ago) still isn’t carbing up nearly as much as our years-old batch did. I hope that helps!
Heather
No worry about the delay. I’m solo here and still have a bunch of bottles to drink before I bottle my next batch. I have the scobies just hanging out until then. I’ll try bottling earlier. I think the lack of fizz suggests that it needs to sugar to carbonate. I am not a lover of sweet things so I’ll have to train myself to bottle before I like the taste. Thanks for the detailed info! I feel like I can definitely do better next time!
Heather
I think I am seeing some positive signs this batch. One thing I changed was I left less booch in the bottom of the container when I started a new batch. I was probably leaving in a quart when I should have only left a cup or 2. Going into my second ferment, mine looks like yours, so I am keeping my fingers crossed!
Nicole ford
I think I let my first ferment go too long bc my second ferment isn’t getting bubbly and carbonated at all and it’s been over a week. Anything I can do to save it?!
DeannaCat
Hmmm… Unless you let your first ferment go for a really really long time, like several weeks or months, I somewhat doubt that is the primary cause. There are so many other factors that lead to less bubbles, and we’ve gotten pretty bubbly second ferment even with very vinegary booch. What flavor did you use/add? Some of ours take well over a week to get very carbonated. Have you been burping frequently to check? As I mentioned, doing that too much can also prevent bubbles. Of all the tips in this article, do you still think that is the probable cause? Anywho, don’t fret about it too much – there is no need to “save” anything! It isn’t a goner. Just enjoy it flat. Not all of our kombucha is crazy bubbly. We drink plenty plain and un-carbonated too. Maybe the next round will be different. If you just started brewing, it is unlikely to get strong bubbles at first. It needs to mature a bit! I hope that helps. Just keep experimenting 🙂
Amber
Thank you for this post!! But now I have Booch ready to be second fermented and I’m terrified of “Booch bombs”. 😳😳😳😳. I’m scared.
DeannaCat
Don’t be too worried! It is more of a joke for the name… As long as you have good pressure-rated bottles, there is no real “danger”! Just a little risk of mess… but you learn to feel and sense as soon as it is going to be a really carbonated one. Then you can slowly burp it over and over until it dissipates. You don’t need to “detonate” it like I did – also sort of a joke! 🙂
brewdrkombucha
hi thanks for the information and posts
linnie
Thank you so much for this thorough and inspiring article, Deannacat 🙂 I have made basic booch using home grown and harvested Rosella tea for quite a while now, and it’s actually quite fruity and tasty due to the Rosella (to help with my tendency to hypertension), but I’ve been wanting to add ginger and beetroot into the mix.
Fresh Turmeric rhizomes would be blended in the same way as the ginger and beetroot, wouldn’t it, for additional medicinal benefit? I’m growing Turmeric and Ginger (Turmeric thrives and is abundant, but ginger seems more water hungry, surprisingly) but I need to plant way more beetroots 🙂 I am really appreciating your blog and generous sharing, thank you!!!! 🌻❤️🌻
DeannaCat
Yes! We grind up fresh turmeric just the same as ginger. Thank you for the kind feedback! Cheers!
Nadine
What is your recipe for beet ginger booch and how does it taste? How do you make beet juice? Ginger juice? Or is it whole pieces? Do you strain out your second ferment, or eat it out of your drink? I don’t prefer bits of fruit or floaters in the booch, so I’m planning my methods to avoid that without sacrificing carbonation.
DeannaCat
We make it exactly the way I showed/explained for apple. Put raw beet chunks in the vitamix with some finished kombucha, and this time with chunks of raw ginger, and blend until smooth. It won’t be chunky (when you use a vitamix) though it will be a little pulpy. You can always choose to strain it with a funnel strainer combo as you pour it, as I described in the post 🙂
Joan Broderick
I was looking forward to this blog – Kombucha Part 2. Did not disappoint! My daughter brought me some of her SCOBY when she came to visit for the December holidays. I’ve been making it regularly since. Really appreciated the details on burping – probably explains my less than perfect carbonation.
I’m going away for 2 weeks and want to wait until my return to start the next batch. What is the best way to “store” the SCOBY until then?
Thanks for all you do!!
DeannaCat
Hey! I am so glad you found it helpful. We just leave it in its crock when we are away. Often times, our brew goes for about 2 weeks time anyways. Put your crock in a cooler darker place to slow it all down if you need to. The resulting booch may be a little stronger than usual, and you can choose to discard most of it and save the “starter culture” still for the next fresh batch. There are also things called SCOBY hotels, which are basically just very fermented kombucha vinegar where extra SCOBY are stored for longer period of time. All they need is a little sweet tea every few months, but otherwise very low maintenance. Cover like a normal crock. 🙂
Dianne Peel
Thank you for this informative article! I am a novice; have a first batch in 2nd fermemtation. I didn’t add fruit as I just want to learn a good technique before experimenting with flacours. Looking forward to making many more batches and reaping the benefits of this special drink. Thanks again.
Vivienne
I have followed your instructions for the primary fermentation to T and I have swing top bottles (the ones you suggested) ready to go. I have to say that I am feeling anxious about the second fermentation and the idea that they could blow up on me. That really freaks me out. I might keep them in a closet just in case, but I don’t want to forget about them. I guess that’s what google cal reminders are for.
A question about the initial fermentation … I purchased the SCOBY you recommended and have it doing its thing. I was careful to cool the tea and I have a heating wrap on my crock (the temp is between 75-85 degrees), but I’ve noticed that my SCOBY sank. It looks like another one is forming on top, it’s a thin film but it has that rough look, plus bubbles. There are a couple jellyfish-like looking growths also. Nothing looks like mold and I tested the Ph. Is this okay?
DeannaCat
Oh goodness, I don’t mean to worry people! If you have the right bottles, you have nothing to worry about! We have let very, very carbonated kombucha go long forgotten (oops!) in those high quality bottles and had zero issues, except for needing to slowly release it’s carbonation during opening. But NO glass explosions! Also, keep in mind we have very carbonated kombucha – while most people have the opposite issue and have trouble getting enough. I only wanted to warn people about the cheap knock-off bottles so no one gets hurt. I have also had a lady get really mad at me for “causing” her to get beet juice kombucha all over her house from it being over-carbonated (like that was my fault??), so… fair warning. Lol.. You SCOBY situation sounds totally find and normal. They’re funny and move around some times. But the new layer forming is the new SCOBY. It’s all good!
Cassandra Hoer
I love this post!! I’ve always struggled with getting my home brew as carbonated as my beloved GTS booch brand, and whenever I searched for carbonation tips the only tip I would come across was to use a flip top. But I loved how detailed your post is! The burping techniques, the different types of fruit and their sugar content, the quality in bottles!!— this is gold!! Thank you so much! After reading your first kombucha post, I ordered the high quality bottles off amazon (previously, I was using one flip top from Target and one from Ikea) while my booch was in the first ferment stage. Just bottled it yesterday and before I read your post today I burped in the wrong way 😭! Other blog posts I had read suggested burping them every day, and didn’t mention any other details. Have I ruined it by opening it all the way and only 24 hours after bottling ? Or can it still gain more Co2 if I leave it alone for a few days? I also didn’t use as much fruit purée as you suggest, dang it! But I did use mango and ginger, so hopefully that helps!
DeannaCat
Hey there! No, no…. You didn’t “ruin” anything! Carbonation will totally rebuild. Just leave them closed for a few more days and then do the “barely burp” to see how they’re doing then. Any time the bottles are opened and the carbonation is released, it can come back if they’re allowed to sit longer at room temp. The issue is, a lot of people full-open burp and think it is carbed nicely and ready to go, then stick it in the fridge, but they’ve just let out all their c02! It won’t continue to gain much in the fridge, so then they’re disappointed when they go to drink it. I am glad you found this helpful!
Curtis
Lots of great advice. I’m still a noob at the booch brewing. I made a batch about 2 weeks ago. I decided to use frozen black cherries in the second ferment. I pureed them in a blender but I was impatient and added them to the bottles with the kombucha while they were still cold. I think this has a negative effect on the second ferment because there was no carbonation after letting it set for 4 days. Maybe if I use frozen fruit in the future, I’ll let the fruit come up to room temp before adding in the kombucha
DeannaCat
You know, I have found that frozen fruit doesn’t usually give the same kind of carbonation as fresh… I don’t know about you, but I also find that when eating frozen fruit, it seems less sweet? I think a lot of “sub par” or early fruits are used for freezing, so that may be playing a part in it. But yes, really cold liquid will sort of shock and slow your culture. Try again when it’s warmed up and see if it helps, then report back! Maybe I am wrong about frozen fruit. We have only tried it a few times, so I am certainly no expert there.
Naomi
You are awesome. Thank you for all the info. Would you do a post on jump starting and maintaining continuous brew? Thanks!
DeannaCat
Did you see the Kombucha 101 post I linked here? This is the “how to” start making kombucha, and since we use continuous brew, that is mostly what I teach 🙂