1. You don’t need a starter culture (often called a scoby). You can make one from store-bought kombucha. I let a cup of Rejuvenation kombucha sit in a wide-mouth jar at room temperature, covered with a paper towel. After two weeks, a thin film had formed on the surface, easily transfered to a tea-sugar mixture. More This didn’t work! The culture grew poorly. It might have worked to just pour the Rejuvenation kombucha into the tea-sugar mixture.
2. My friend Carl Willat has used empty Synergy kombucha bottles to bottle kombucha he makes himself. By bottling your kombucha, and leaving it at room temperature for a few days, you get carbonation.
Adding a little lemon (e.g. 1/2 tsp/bottle) seems to help add fizz.
I’m currently experimenting with boiling ginger slices in the water when I make the tea (i.e. before fermentation) to get the ginger flavor in the finished tea. I’ve added ginger slices when bottling and some ginger flavor does come out if you do a 10 day second fermentation in the bottle, but I’m hoping to get the ginger flavor without the long second fermentation.
Ok, here’s my ginger kombucha recipe:
When you boil the water to brew the tea, add some peeled, sliced pieces of ginger to the water. After brewing the tea (while letting the tea cool), spoon out these pieces of ginger and add them to the bottles in which you are bottling the previous batch of finished kombucha. I also as 1/2 tsp of lemon juice to each 12 oz bottle. The combination of the ginger that was released while boiling the water and the ginger that comes from the slices in the bottle gives it a nice gingery flavor even after just a day or two in the bottle (i.e. no need for a longer fermentation in the bottle). The longer the in bottle fermentation the more fizz. Personally, I like a little fizz, but not too much.
Have you tried any other flavors likr blueberry or raspberry and when and what part of the process have you added the flavor?
Dear David,
What is it about leaving the bottles at room temperature that helps add fizz? After the fermentation process I had some good fizz going on. But then I placed the bottled juice right into the fridge and since then I have had no fizz. I was wondfering if it was beecause I did not have equipment to make the seal airtight? But after reading your post about leaving the bottles at room temperature I am beginning to wonder.
Thanks for posting.
April, I haven’t tried other flavors. I don’t like them. You add them at the end.
Moon Maiden, the fizz (dissolved carbon dioxide) is produced by a second fermentation. The first fermentation is aerobic (needs oxygen); the second is not, which is why it continues when the bottle is sealed. But it only happens at room temperature.
When doing a second fermentation with a sealed bottle, don’t let it sit too long! It can explode.
I had a bottle with kombucha and apricot blow up on me in the middle of the night. I invested $20 in a food-grade bucket with lid and and airlock (gizmo that lets gasses out but no air in for the second, anaerobic, fermentation). Any home-brew store will be able to set you up. And they have glass options if you don’t want to deal with plastic.
Now I don’t worry about cleaning up glass chards from the floor or cleaning kombucha splatter off the cabinets, counters and floor!
Thanks for the recipe tips above!
Hi!
I have just bottled my first ever batch of kombucha. I’m really excited about it, but wary of drinking it. I left the bottles on the counter for the second round of fermentation, and when I opened them, there was a film on top. I’m assuming it’s more culture growth from the mother scoby, and I’ve seen hunks of it in store-bought kombucha, though never a complete new film on the top. Is this ok? If my jars were not completely air-tight, would this be dangerous to drink?
Thanks for any help you may have!
Courtney
yes, it’s more culture growth. I don’t worry about it.
Oh thank you! I’m pumped about this first batch!
I spontaneously generated my Kombucha mushroom!
I was keeping a sourdough starter in the pantry… just in case.
I keep it in an old pint jar.
When the old sourdough had crusted up.
I added in enough water to make a batter,
then added some fresh flour.
After a week, I had a layer of alcohol on top.
After another week, I had a rubbery mother on top!
I transplanted the mother to a cool jar of :
1/2C sugar, 1/2gal steeped wtr, via 2 teabags, 1/2C vinegar.
After 9-12 days later, i had an additional daughter membrane!
Maybe after a few more cycles the taste will mature and stabalize, There is a variance in shades of cream, and hanging snots of darker yeast.
Compared to others who have posted pictures… it appears to be normal. (Except for those who cleaned their scoby up for picture taking….. Geez, the vanity)