greetings /ck/
I've been enjoying kombucha a lot recently, and have decided to start brewing my own.
my general process will be as follows:
boil 1 gal of water in a pot for ~5 min to kill any bacteria/nasties that I don't want in there
add 1 cup of sugar, stir to dissolve
let cool to appropriate steeping temperature (dependent on tea)
add tea bags, steep until I reach desired taste (probably 10ish minutes)
cool pot to ~80F in an ice bath in my sink
transfer tea to 1 gallon, wide-mouthed plastic fermentor (previously sanitized with iodine solution)
pitch a bottle of my favorite unpasturized kombucha
cover with sanitized cheesecloth, secured by a rubber band
allow 5ish days to ferment
remove SCOBY, transfer kombucha to storage/drinking containers
drink delicious kombucha
a couple of small things I was curious about, if anyone could shed light on them are:
cheesecloth vs airlock. is there a reason why I would use a cheesecloth and allow continuous oxygen exposure throughout the entire fermentation process? I've brewed a lot of beer and understand that yeast needs oxygen to get going, but then creates a primarily CO2 heavy environment which suppresses bacteria/mold growth. I assume since I'm only fermenting for 5 days that it would be alright, still a little concerned about mold.
how does one go about getting consistent carbonation in their final product? or do you just typically drink still? I have bottles and a capper, as well as swing top bottles. I feel like bottling before fermentation is completely finished would be an option, but probably an inconsistent one. perhaps I should let the product ferment longer and then add priming sugar before bottling? any specific quantities/ratios/timeframes would be tremendous.
thanks for reading! if anyone has any beer-specific questions, I'd be happy to discuss... otherwise, kombucha thread!
I used cheesecloth/open air, its fine if you put it in a cupboard. Not sure about carbonation, never cared for it really.
>>7874879
how long do you usually let it ferment? do you have a set schedule or take cues from sight/smell?
I ask about carbonation because the ones I've been drinking recently are carbonated. not sure if I've had a still one. happy to try it though.
>>7874934
I was letting it go for a week give or take, just watching it. I think most kombucha in Storrs is carbonated as a result of the bottle process. Otherwise it'd have to be pasteurized in which case no probiotics
>>7875250
I know breweries force carbonate their beer with Co2, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of kombucha is bottle conditioned. Either way, I won't be making enough to be worth force carbonating, so bottling seems the only way to go.
>>7874704
Is this the fermented shit and piss African drug?
>>7875334
No, that's jenkem.
I usually ferment for 7-10 days, in a glass gallon jar with about 2 inches of breathing room and I lift the lid about once a day. I keep the windows open so I keep the lid on primarily to keep it away from bugs and such.
For carbonation I add some sugar or fruit (cherries seem to work especially well for some reason) after bottling and let ferment in the bottle and additional 4 days, plus however long it takes me to drink all of it (remember to burp the bottles or they'll explode if left for too long).
I find that fruit + sugar (about a half teaspoon per 250ml bottle) produces the best carbonation. Opened a bottle today and fizzed everywhere. I have limited carbonation in my unflavored kombucha, and not much to none in unflavored and unsugared.
I'm on my third batch now, and I've never had a problem with mold. It's surprisingly hardy.
Just remember to sterilize all your equipment too.
Can I get kombucha out of thin air by fermenting tea and sugar alone? I don't have a scooby.
>>7876432
No, but you can make a scooby using a bottle from whole foods or whatever health store near you
>>7875334
No, its a skeevy hippie drink.
Not OP, but another anon who just happened to gain a recent interest in kombucha.
Is there any potential risk to look out for when making homemade kombucha?
I know that with a lot of other stuff that requires fermentation (such as making your own beer, wine, etc.), people always warn you about how things can go horribly wrong, but are there any similar risks with kombucha?
Some people like to keep multiple SCOBYs at the same time. Why would anyone need more than one SCOBY? And if you do have more than one SCOBY, do you just rotate one per batch?
I made several thousand dollars brewing and selling Kombucha several years ago. Your scoby needs oxygen so using an airlock it no good. I fermented mune for about 3 weeks, because I didn't like the sweet taste. I liked it a little more tart. I started drinking it because I had horrible acid reflux and someone told me to try Kombucha and it worked like a charm.
I haven't made a batch in about a year but may start up again.
>>7876709
You're over here thinking about SCOOBYS while Chad is eating PIZZA and getting chicks with HEIGHT, FACE, and FRAME
