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?
I made a wonderful first batch of Kombucha but then, as life got crazy, I never made a 2nd batch so my scobi (now with about 5 babies) has been sitting for about 3 months (covered with cloth at room temp) in about 1 cup or so of Komb. My question is…can I still use that to make more or has it been too long and now this Komb starter liquid would be too strong/over fermented for the next batch to taste right?? Thanks so much for any input!!!
Hi, can i store my kombucha in a plastic spigoted container in the fridge or does it need to be bottled under pressure? Thanks! My first brew is going right now… can’t wait.
Glass is best, but yes, you can store with plastic spigots container. It will not be fizzy if it isn’t bottled for the second ferment though.
Hello, normally once I bottle my kombucha I wait 3 days without capping them then, cap & refrigerate. This did not happen this time & they were left for 10 days; should I throw away the batch or will it still be beneficial to me? Thank you, Annette
So they were not capped. I would cap them when they go for the second ferment for 3 days max and then put in the frigerator. I probably would toss.
Why would you do that? If you want carbonation they need to be capped. If you dont want carbonation then cap them and put them immediately in the fridge. Bottling and not capping is the same as just leaving it in the large vessel.
I reuse old wine bottles for the second ferment and storing my kombucha in the fridge. I keep 2 gallons going at a time. I save corks from liqueur bottles – those that have a topper which makes it easier to pull them out. And I bought a bunch of those hinged bottle stoppers, too. For the brewing period, with the scoby, I use a 1 gal glass jar – you can find them on Amazon for under $20. Mine are older, from the days when restaurants got mayo in glass jars.
Right now I’m testing making a simple syrup infused with ginger to add to my next brew. I want to enhance that ginger flavor. Instead of adding ginger slices to the batch at day 7, I’ll also try juicing the ginger for the extra heat.
Sounds interesting! Love the idea for the wine bottles! Keep us posted would you? 🙂
So what’s the verdict on clear glass leaching chemicals into kombucha? Many sources say don’t brew in a colored vessel for this reason. Are all chemicals that leach harmful?
Hey Kim. Trying to do some research to quell my concerns. Metals are generally used to color the glass. They are typically unreactive, so beer can be stored in the glass, but any chemist knows that strong enough acids can react with usual unreactive metals. Kombucha is more acidic than beer. I don’t know where these reactive threshold begins and how it varies for each type of bottle with varying coloring metals. I just keep seeing “don’t use colored” but no scientific reasoning for it. That lack of a scientific explanation shouldn’t be evidence of safety. Anyone know any more about this? If so, please post a reference for everyone to know of colored safety or lack thereof. Thanks
Thanks so much Brad for your research on this. I am working on a post to tackle all of these questions!I am in the research stage of the post, so could be a few weeks before I post. Thanks again 🙂
Using colored bottles or fermentation vessel is completely safe. The clear-glass only rule is silly hysteria imo.
I just found 3 bottles of tea hiding in the back of my pantry. One has juice in it the other 2 don’t. They have been in there for over a year. Would they be safe to drink or should I just toss them? They all look and smell ok, little bit more of a vinegar scent.
Oh my goodness, I would toss them for sure! When in doubt, toss.
hi, I just finished brewing my first batch and the second brew cycle. I added blueberries and refrigerated The batch is too sweet. Is it too late to do anything about it?
After you add blueberries allow it to ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days then refrigerate. If it is too sweet, you did not ferment long enough in the first ferment. Unfortunately, I would toss this batch and just allow your next batch to sit longer to get your desired strength.
Thank you for the tips and recipes just finished bottling my first batch and will start playing around with your recipes I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
When storing the mother and baby scobies, do they have to be kept warm (over 70 deg) to prevent mold or is that not an issue in the scoby hotel?
Thanks!
That really isn’t an issue with a scoby hotel. I just put mine in a mason jar and store in pantry.
How long is Kombucha good for? Once in fridge,
somebody wrote 2 weeks?