So you made your kombucha tea and you’re ready for the next step: Second Fermentation. Cool. This is the fun part. Much less waiting!
Kombucha: Second Fermentation
What you will need:
- 2-3 pressure-holding glass bottles
- pop-top bottles, glass bottles with a screw cap, etc. Any glass bottle that can hold pressure.
- Fruit of your liking
- try our favorites: mixed berry, peach, or ginger (or a combo!)
- Kombucha tea
- Coffee filter or tea strainer
- Funnel
- Measuring Cup
- Start by adding flavoring to each bottle. I puree fruit with an immersion blender and add it my empty glass bottles.Typically I add about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of pureed fruit. Put them aside.
- Take the SCOBY (or multiples) out of your kombucha and put them aside in a bowl. Scoop out 1-2cups of your tea and add it to the SCOBY. That is food to keep your SCOBY alive.
- Place your coffee filter in your funnel. I usually have to fold the filter a bit in order to get it to fit. It will still work. Place the funnel into one of your glass bottles.
- Scoop tea into the filter and slowly strain your tea into your glass bottles. You made need to replace the filter a few times as it gets clogged up with yeast bits. It’s all good.
- Once you are done straining your tea into bottles, cap them and give them a good shake to disperse the fruit.
- That fruit helps create a second fermentation. The healthy bacteria and yeast will now eat the sugars in the fruit, creating extra carbonation.
- Let these bottles sit on the counter for 2-3 days, popping their tops nightly to release pressure. After a few days the carbonation will get so great, that they might spill over when you pop them. Thats a great sign! Pop them in the fridge to slow further fermentation.
- Enjoy over ice!
- Some say the best time to enjoy your ‘buch is first thing in the morning to ‘prime’ your gut with healthy probiotics. I think it’s great anytime. But don’t go drinking a full bottle a day. Too much of a good thing can upset your stomach too.
To start a new back of ‘buch, simply take your SCOBY and spare tea and repeat the steps outlined in Kombucha Basics: Part 1.
I hope this empowers you to make your own kombucha! Tell me what your favorite flavor combinations are… mine are peach and mixed berry, but I’m always testing new ones!
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Crafty Bridge 