TIPS
Good for you, good for the planet
Jarring News
  • Do not use metal containers. Wide mouth glass jars are best for primary and secondary fermenting.​
  • Do not use cheese cloth as a cover for the primary fermentation jar because fruit flies can get through the holes. Instead, use an unbleached coffee filter or breathable material, such as thin cotton, which will allow aerobic exchange. Secure the cover with a rubber band.​​
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​Almost a half gallon larger than standard wide mouth gallon jars, the ​​Northern Brewer Little Big Mouth Bubbler will yield a full five quarts, plus a pint of starter tea for the next batch.
Upgrade wide mouth canning jar lids to waterless airlock ones, such as the Nourished Essentials Easy Fermenter. Oxygen is pumped out and carbon dioxide is vented during secondary fermentation. The built in one-way valve releases gases and prevents oxygen exposure. The airlock lids fit wide mouth pint, quart, and half gallon jars.
To minimize the mess of removing adjuncts after the secondary fermentation, pour the contents into a French Coffee Press. Then, just press and presto, the expended flavorings are at the bottom and the kombucha is above the filter.
Swing cap bottles are a.k.a. EZ caps, for good reason.
  • Easy to open and close
  • Thicker and sturdier glass than regular beer bottles
  • Ceramic cap with secure airtight gasket seal
  • Reusable
Keep It Clean
  • Soap is a kombucha culture killer.​​​ Sanitize jars and equipment with hot water and distilled white vinegar. 
  • Kombucha can taste vinegary, but vinegar is not an ingredient of kombucha. Do not use distilled white or apple cider vinegar as a substitute for primary fermenter starter tea.
Buy the more economical gallon size because you'll go through vinegar like water
S.C.O.B.Y.
​S: Symbiotic
C: Culture? Colony? Community? Cohort? Concoction?
of 
B: Bacteria 
& 
Y: Yeast
  • Do not move the primary fermenter jar during the first seven day. This disrupts the colony formation.
  • If you see mold growing on the pellicle, do not rinse it off and reuse it. Throw out the contaminated batch and start over.
  • Liquid from the SCOBY Hotel can be used as an extra strong starter tea.
  • Never store kombucha SCOBYs in the fridge--the bacteria may go dormant, grow moldy, or gasp, die.​​
Carbonation
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​A secondary fermentation with fruit, especially berries, makes bucha fizzier.
To brew a gallon batch, a large capacity tea infuser easily holds 12 grams of organic loose leaf Camellia sinensis, and is more sustainable and economical than six individual bags.

​To accurately measure the dash, pinch, or smidgen of spices in recipes calling for heat, invest in a mini measuring spoon set that has 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 tsp. sizes.


Remove waxes, pesticides, chemicals, soil, and residue from standard and organic fruit used as adjuncts in your secondary fermentation.