Our Kombucha Series
We are half way through our kombucha series! In a few days, you will be enjoying some delicious and healthy kombucha.
Here is a list of our full kombucha series:
- What is kombucha and why is it so healthy for you? {Part 1}
- Learn how to brew kombucha with this easy step by step tutorial. {Part 2}
- My kombucha is done, now what?…And how to bottle kombucha tea {Part 3}
- A collection of kombucha recipes {Part 4}
Where To Purchase A Kombucha Starter Kit
If you are just getting started, make sure that you buy your kombucha starter kit from a reliable source.
- I got one of my starter kits here.
So let’s dive into today’s lesson, my kombucha is done, now what…and how to bottle your kombucha tea.
Your Brew Is Finally Done Fermenting, Now What?
Yes, your brew has FINALLY finished fermenting and you have the desired taste that you are looking for…now what? There are several simple steps to follow and in a few short days, you will be enjoying your first homemade kombucha!
There are several things to note:
- Do not use anything metal from this point on. Use plastic utensils and a plastic funnel. Metal will react with the kombucha.
- Before you remove your SCOBY, sanitize your hands with white vinegar. Do NOT use soap, you could kill your SCOBY.
- Sanitize your bottle with hot water or white vinegar. I ran mine through the dishwasher with no soap, just hot water.
- Clear glass ONLY! You can buy clear bottles here. These bottles are the exact bottles that I use, and I love them!
Ok, now that we have the basics covered, let’s start bottling some kombucha!
Removing the SCOBY
The first thing you want to do is remove the SCOBY from your kombucha.
Note that I have the “mother” SCOBY and a “baby” SCOBY. The original SCOBY that you used has created a baby. You need to remove both of these. Simply reach in with your clean hands and remove the two SCOBY cultures.
Your mother and baby might still be attached, like this one. You can either leave them attached or pull them apart.
Here is what your SCOBY will look like after you have removed it from the kombucha tea.
Simply put it in a clean jar with 1/2-2/3 cups of tea from this batch cover with a lid and store in your pantry until you are ready to brew your next batch of tea. This is called a SCOBY hotel.
I just take my SCOBY and 2/3 cups starter (tea from this batch) and place it into a clean jar and start the process all over again and start brewing a new batch.
What’s That Stuff Floating In My Kombucha?
When you are adding starter tea to your SCOBIES, you might notice some sediment in your jar of tea or some stingy like substances hanging off your ladle…This is NORMAL and is harmless!
If this bothers you, simply run your kombucha through a sieve or sifter and this will remove all of your floating objects from you kombucha. I leave mine in the tea. You get used to it the more you drink the kombucha! 🙂
Bottling Your Kombucha
Now place a funnel into your clean bottle and pour your kombucha right into the bottle. Fill the bottle almost to the top, leaving a maximum headspace of 1″ or less. The less you have the more carbonation that you will have.
Please note, NEVER shake kombucha, as it can explode. The higher you fill the bottle, the more likely you are going to need to burp your kombucha to relieve the gas bubbles a bit.
Once you have filled your kombucha bottles, place the lid on your kombucha. You have three options from this point.
- You can drink the kombucha as is and put in the refrigerator. It will have less fizz with this method but still taste amazing.
- You can cap the kombucha and store in a warm, dark place and allow it to sit for 2-3 days. This will create a really fizzy kombucha.
- You can make kombucha soda (recipe coming in the final post in this series).
If you decide to ferment your kombucha to get it a bit fizzier, simply place the cap on the kombucha and store in a warm, dark place for 2-3 days. I stored mine in the pantry.
Where Do I Store My Kombucha?
After 2-3 days remove your kombucha from the pantry (or your dark warm place) and place in the refrigerator. If your kombucha developed a baby SCOBY in the bottle, remove and toss and then drink.
Do not leave your kombucha in the pantry past the 2-3 day period. It is very important to move it to the refrigerator. This will stop the fermentation process completely.
That is it! You now know how to make your own kombucha! Not hard at all, was it?!!
Later this week we will dive into making kombucha “soda” (so easy to make) and I will also have a great list of amazing kombucha recipes for you all to try.
Share Your Thoughts
As always, let me know if you should have any questions!
How about it, are you ready to tackle brewing your first kombucha?
Have you ever had a glass jar explode, or will those jars pop their capper off before they’d explode?
@Meghan I have not had one explode. Just make sure that you don’t shake them and to refrigerate after a few days in pantry (if making kombucha soda)
Aren’t you supposed to burp them everyday until you refrigerate?
I didn’t find the need to burp them, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt the process to burp them either.
@Meghan I had 2 bottles explode on me, i left them out a couple days too long, i allow 3 days for the second fermentation and then transfer them to the fridge, be carefull, we had glass all over the kitchen, this does not stop me from continuing with a great healthy drink that has helped me so much.
I just finished my first time batch and when removed the scobys the “mother” scoby has a couple of small holes in it. Is this normal or OK?
HI i recently got a gift a nice big healthy scoby. when i got home (i live very remote and the nearest store is an hour away by boat) i had nothing to properly keep it in, and put it in a sterilized tub that is about 1.6 litres big. that was 3 days ago. I have found a nice 2 litre jar now and am wondering if i should move it now or wait till the week is up to move it? the tub its in is food grade plastic and i am not super worried about the plastic leaching, i am more worried about the scoby being unhappy. any advice is greatly appreciated and needed asap. btw the scoby is doing fine in there and looks to be doing its job so i am reluctant to move it but i also want it to be in the best environment for long term brewing! thank you in advance!
can I use a store bought bottle of kombucha to grow a scoby..It is organic raw kombucha that I have had for 2 weeks
l if I put it into the pantry or warm area will it start to grow a scoby!
That’s what I did, it just a takes longer to grow from scratch but it works
QueenSacheen you can easily move it, it doesn’t mind; it’s quite adaptable! Just wash you hands off, soak them in white vinegar, then grab it, put it in the new 2 liter jar, and pour the liquid in. I’m pretty sure glass is better than plastic, btw
just bottled my first batch. it tastes so good. I’m so excited. Gonna let it sit so it gets the fizz. I like a fizzy beverage. Now I’m working on my next two batches.
Tripp
I’ve been brewing and researching kombucha for about 5 years. This is the first I’ve heard of colored glass leaching and I’m very curious to learn more. I’ve always believed colored glass to be better, as the bacteria is sensitive to light. Any more information you can share about colored glass leaching would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Nick F.
nfulwiler@hotmail
Nick you are correct re: bacteria & light. No issues at all with colored glass. Beer is also a fermented product and is never bottled in clear glass, always colored due to light.
Hi I need advice from the experts;
I just bottled my first batch of Kambucha using my empty store-bought bottles that I’ve collected with time. (Buying them daily gets expensive!)
I will leave out the brand name of the kambucha product I used for specific reasons, since I don’t feel qualified to promote myself.
Your recipe is very straight forward and self explained. Now that I’m in the bottling step of the process I need your advice since I feel I could have let the kambucha sit a bit longer to gain that extra oomph of flavor to my batch. I think it is still a bit too sweet for my taste and ‘weak’ for lack of a better word. Two weeks into the process and already took out the scoby and made a fresh batch which is now brewing. The baby scoby looked great and that is part of the reason I went ahead and bottled the fist batch (with out sampling first…grrr!) Will the extra 2-3 days bottled in a warm, dark place give it some extra taste I’m looking for?
I think I’m better off waiting for my second batch to brew to get the flavor I’m expecting. Any advice, please?
Yes, the second brew (the soda kombucha) will add in a tremendous amount of flavor. Try adding some berries too! Also if it is to sweet, allow it to brew a bit longer.
I have a question regarding the second fermentation process.. I have one recipe I want to try called chai spice. But.. after the 3 days are up, do I again strain it..? I would imagine the spices would not dissolve and would be rather distasteful..? Any thoughts..?
I just made my first batch. I fermented it for 11 days. It tasted fine so I decided to bottle it. Doesn’t appear to have developed much of a baby scoby…is that normal? It looks like I could pull one off of it but I don’t want to tear it. I added about 25oz pure blueberry juice to it. I put some in the fridge right away and some in a second ferment.
I put the mother in a canning jar in a cupboard with some of the regular kombucha. How long can I store the mother before I have to do another batch? Thanks for all your help!
Great article… just a thought…how do you sanitise the jars and equipment?
I’m wondering where the best place to purchase bottles is?
I found my bottles on Craigslist. Green, Grolsch beer bottles. Sanitized and soaked in a vinegar water solution rinsed then put in the dish strainer. This article explains why, during the second fermentation, my bottles barely fizzed when I burped them. I didn’t fill them to the top! It was my first batch, so I’m okay with that. I’ll be transferring them to the fridge tonight. Thanks for the insight!
Hi there! Love your site first off! Second, I just bottled my Kombucha, but do not have any plastic lids. Should I NOT use metal. (I am using mason Jars) If not can I just store them on a shelf or fridge uncovered for a bit, or should I cover with cloth?
Yay, I wouldn’t use metal at all! It is best to cover them with the lids. Here is where you can buy them http://amzn.to/1mmmXWd
If you need to cover them while you wait, I would use a cheesecloth or even some plastic wrap until the lids arrive. Enjoy your first kombucha batch! 🙂
Help! I just finished my first batch of Kombucha. I removed the scoby and flavored the entire batch with organic juice and chia seeds, forgetting to keep some for my scoby. Now what do I store my scoby in? Can I just some of the tea that is flavored? Arrrgggg.
I wouldn’t add in the flavored tea. I would add some sweet tea and some vinegar to store it in.