Kombucha Carbonation Tips: How to Bottle, Flavor, & Second Ferment

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Last Updated on May 16 , 2023

Fizz . tonic . Bubbles . Spritz . That thing that all kombucha household beer maker thirst after : carbonation . Not too much though ! We do n’t desire booch turkey on our hands . Like so many thing in life , carbonation is all about that touchy equilibrium , which can be backbreaking to attain . Hopefully I can help you with that ! Not to toot our own horn , but we are known for some pretty fizzing brews around here …

And now I am thirsty.

If you are after that absolutely carbonated kombucha , look no further ! Read along to instruct all our tips and tricks for bottling , flavoring , and secondly - fermenting homemade kombucha – to achieve a deliciously bubbly finished potable . The top 8 factors that influence carbonation are revealed !

This office is geared towards folks who already understand the introductory unconscious process of brewing kombucha , include chief zymolysis . If that does n’t sound like you , see out our“How to Make Kombucha 101″post – and then come back here after !

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The Great Quest for Carbonation

“ How do I make my kombucha fizzy ? ”

Several gene influence how carbonate your ruined kombucha will be , include the metre , temperature , eccentric of flavor added ( if any ) , how you fill up your bottle , and more !

Let ’s break down all these variable , one by one .

But first , it will be helpful to understand thescienceabout what create carbonation in kombucha in the first seat . This foundation should help oneself clarify why the other factors are authoritative , and how they work together to achieve our destination !

How is carbonation created?

Here is the basic science behind champagne kombucha : When your kombucha goes through theprimary fermentationstage in its main crock , it is anaerobicprocess . TheSCOBYin your vessel is a symbiotic polish of bacteria and yeast . SCOBY refinement interacts with sweet afternoon tea and gentle wind to bring out beneficial bacteria ( probiotic ) , acetic acid , and yeast . In this process , the pH drop , a lot of the sugar from the sweet tea is recrudesce down and immensely reduced , but the kombucha is n’t yet carbonated .

In contrast , thesecondary fermentationstage , also known as “ second zymolysis ” , is done in ananaerobicenvironment;without air . This is accomplished by bottling your ruined kombucha in air - tight bottles . Most kombucha brewers like to add fruit chunks , fruit succus , or puree at this stage . The yield added to the feeding bottle act as a new sugar beginning for the bacterium and barm to feed on . Thus , the yeast will work to break down those moolah corpuscle into C dioxide ( CO2 ) and grain alcohol . In the absence of air , theCO2is trapped within the sealed bottles , and boom!Carbonation is comport .

Note : You should never “ flavor ” or add yield to your primary watercraft . It is not good for the SCOBY .

8 Factors That Influence Kombucha Carbonation

1) Kombucha Bottles

If I had to plunk justone factorthat influence the carbonation tier of kombucha the most , it would be the bottle used . Because no matter how dead you do everything else , if your bottles are not truly air tight , the carbon dioxide produced during secondary fermenting is going to leak out!Therefore , if you desire bubbly booch , you probably will not have the best of chance by using up - cycled A. E. W. Mason jars , remnant drink feeding bottle , or standardised . Even with a slopped screw - on lid , gasses can escape . They ’re sneaky little things . Especially under pressure !

The just way to contain the carbonation in kombucha is usingswing - top bottleful . They ’re the most air - crocked . However , not all lilt - top bottles are create adequate ! You need to get high - quality bottle that are made specifically for brewing carbonated beverage ! We use these16 ounceand32 ounce bottlesby EZ Cap . They ’re sold online or in homebrew fund , and are widely used for kombucha or beer devising .

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE

We need to address a VERY , very crucial safety concern in regard to bottle homemade kombucha . Here we are , talking about the shipway to obtain the best carbonation possible , right ? But sometimes , homemade kombucha can finish up right smart too carbonated ! We fondly refer to these as“booch bomb ” .

While it may be tempting to pick up basic swing - top bottles from places like Target , Home Goods , or the alike – I strongly advise against it .   99 % of the prison term , those are not the eccentric of high timbre bottles that are made to withstand pressure . The awry bottles CAN AND WILL EXPLODE under excessive pressure from carbonation . Literally . Like a scattergun of glass sherd .

In the midsection of the night years ago , a cheapo bottle of kombucha set off in our kitchen . It in earnest sounded like someone had fired a ordnance in our firm . The composition of glass and embarrassing kombucha were all over , deep down , and under everything across two entire way . It even ended up inside the deep-freeze somehow ! Can you reckon if we would have been in the kitchen at that second ? I do n’t require to . I have get a line similar repugnance stories from many citizenry . Therefore , play it good and get the right supplies .

Booch bombs are typically created when bottled kombucha is left too long in 2d zymolysis , under too warm of conditions , with too much fruit/ succus added , or some combining thereof . One way to prevent booch bomb is to get all of those things dial in , which we ’ll talk about next . Another way is to burp your bottles to check their level of carbonation . We will sing more about expert bubble techniques too !

2) How the Kombucha is Bottled for Second Ferment

So your kombucha has finished primary fermenting … It is tangy and work to your liking , and you have your bottles quick to go ! Now , it is time to get it bottle up , and if you desire to , flavored and carbonate .

We utilize the uninterrupted brew method , and ourprimary ferment vesselshave spigots . This makes it very gentle to pull off finished kombucha to bottle . We just invest apitcherunder the spouts and draw and quarter off about 2/3 to 3/4 of the crock , leaving the rest behind to leap commence the next batch . If you use the mountain method acting and do not have a dispenser on your carbon black , pull out your SCOBY , and coldcock most of your ruined kombucha into a pitcherful . For more info on the watercraft we use , see ourkombucha supply tilt .

Using a funnel shape , fill up your bottles most of the way full with kombucha . We in general fill ours up to the tip in the feeding bottle where the sides start to curve into the neck . See the pic above and below . Then , append a couple snow leopard of yield juice or puree . We ’ll speak about yield alternative more in a moment . We do n’t typically valuate come exactly . Over time , we ’ve learned how to eye it .

A good destination forkombucha - to - yield ratio is about 85 - 90 % finish kombucha and 10 - 15 % yield additions . For lesson , 1 - 2 ounce of fruit addition per 16 troy ounce bottle , or 3 - 4 ounces per 32 ounce bottleful . If we are total straight yield juice , I would stray on the lighter side , using around 8 - 10 % juice . When tot up whole fruit that has been pureed with a slight kombucha , we may add close to 15 % , since it is less sweet and concentrated than succus .

If you want near carbonation , do not satiate your kombucha nursing bottle altogether full!Leave an column inch or two of space in the cervix . We in the main entrust most of the neck opening empty . That small amount of strain in the feeding bottle at first helps to pass over originate the chemic reactions that contribute to carbonation . Also , that little fleck of space in the neckgives the carbonation somewhere to go!C02 slowly replaces the air in the neck during 2d fermenting .

On the other hand , do not leave a huge amount of empty space in your bottle . This can lead to too much carbonation construction up in the bottle . For example , we never fill a bottle just midway . If we have an leftover amount leftover during a bottle session , we either add it back to the main crock or simply imbibe it plain the right way then .

And now … options for yield , flavors , and more !

3) Choice of Fruit or Other Additions

The next factor that has a pregnant impact on carbonation is how you flavor it , if at all . Both thetype of fruit(or vegetable ! ) andhow you addit bring in a deviation .

The high the natural pelf content of the yield or vegetable , the more carbonated the kombucha will become – and faster . For example , nicely ripe , sweet hemangioma simplex will make a more carbonated kombucha than sorry under ripe hemangioma simplex . what is more , things like beet , mangos , and watermelon usually produce more of a fizz component than blackberry and lemon . That is , if you were to compare those flavors side - by - side , with all other factors constant . It is possible to find a similar stage of carbonation , no matter the fruit or vegetable added , if you pull off the time – as discussed below .

Figuring out which flavors raise the most carbonation is a bit of a conjecture - and - check off , learn - from - experience type of thing . But you ’ll get it !

yield is n’t the only thing you could total to kombucha!We have made slayer Daucus carota sativa , fresh turmeric and powdered ginger booch before ! Ginger always seems to help carbonation , not to mention make the kombucha extra tasty . We ’ve also tincture kombucha with reinvigorated lilac buds , basil , and other goodies from the garden . I have also heard of masses using food - grade crucial crude oil to flavor kombucha , though that is n’t something we ’ve ever tried . The options are seemingly endless!I will put together a post of our top kombucha savor combining soon .

Sometimes we do leave kombucha completelyplain , with no flavoring add at all . This produces the least carbonation . That is , unless you take to introduce a fiddling unused clams to wake up the yeast . For example , by bottling plain kombucha andadding just a pinch of organic cane sugar or a wring of honey to the bottlealong with it . If you ’re work with slightly underripe fruit or other flavoring additions that do n’t have much natural sugar , a little pinch of wampum or honey could be contribute to increase carbonation in those situations as well .

4) How You Flavor Your Kombucha: Whole Fruit, Juice, or Puree

We have find thatadding yield succus or yield puree to kombucha creates more carbonation than adding whole fruit chunk to your bottles . yield chunk also provide less infusion of their smell . opine about it … By blending up or juicing fruit , you ’re breaking it down and therefore freeing up all those sugar atom to go party with the yeasties ! When fruit is left more whole , there is less mixing and airfoil area for the essential chemical substance reactions that guide to carbonation to take place .

95 % of the time , we append yield puree to our kombucha to flavor it . Our flavor choices largely depend on what is in season , readily useable locally ( or from the garden ! ) , ripe , clean , and organic!Meaning , we make a flock of Beta vulgaris kombucha in the winter , strawberry , melon vine or endocarp fruit kombucha in the summertime , and Malus pumila in the fall . Sometimes we apply fruit juice . We do n’t have a juice reamer , but we do “ juice ” our homegrown passionfruit to remove the seeds . In a jot we utilize store - bribe constituent fruit juice , which we generally have on hand for my pinch low profligate sugar penury .

To create a fruit puree to add together to bottled kombucha , we simply go raw , organic , seasonal fruit or veggies with a little finished kombuchafrom the elementary ferment vas . Or , blended with a piddling fruit succus . For example , chunks of beetroot with some fresh - squeeze orange or stinker juice . That way , it can be blended into a bland and pourable puree , but does n’t get watered down .

I honestly do n’t measure total , so I ’m afraid I wo n’t be extremely helpful there . We throw some fruit in the blender , more or less chopped , and then add in enough finished kombucha ( or yield juice ) to allow it to blend freely . TheVitamixdoes anexcellentjob at creating a super smooth , creamy , undifferentiated puree ! It can also handle blending up tough raw beet like a champ .

Most of our puree end up the consistency of a thin rubbish , but deep than pulpy juice , if that is helpful … See the example below . For that bottling session , we used 4 very small local apples , about 4 - 6 ounces of ruined kombucha , plus a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon . This created enough to puree to flavor ( 4 ) 32 - ounce bottles and ( 2 ) 16 - ounce nursing bottle .

After we add finished kombucha and a little fruit puree to our bottles in the ratios line above , we cap the bottles . If all of the fruit puree seems to be float on top , I willgently rock and reverse the bottle to good commix it .

Yes , the pureed yield method will result in aslightly pulpykombucha . We do n’t heed it that style ! Also , a little“fruit cap”(mini SCOBY with fruit bits ) will work in the bottle . We generally discard this blob after we rain cats and dogs our bottles , feeding it to the volaille . Sometimes , we do wassail it . If you prefer your kombucha more fluent and clean , you could always choose to pour out the ruined ware through one ofthese nifty funnel screensto filter out it before drinking ! Or , use succus instead of puree .

And now , we wait … .

5) Temperature

Store the bottled kombucha in a moderate location to second ferment . It is hunky-dory if they ’re exposed to some ambient room light , but test to keep them out of direct sunlight . Providing steady fond conditions is n’t as essential now as it was during chief fermentation . At this stage , there really is no risk of mold . The in good order fermented kombucha is nice and acidulent , and will not allow the fruit that you tot up to clay sculpture .

Kombucha that go through 2d fermenting incooler temperatureswill be less carbonated , ortake longerto carbonate . In line , very lovesome condition will produce carbonation much more apace . Therefore , you could expect your wintertime brew to take longer to attain the same stratum of carbonation as your summer brew do in a much shorter period of time . By stash away your second ferment bottles in warm or cooler locating in your house , depending on the season , you’re able to fake your carbonation story and time .

When kombucha is amply fizzing from second unrest , move it to the refrigerator . This is n’t just to make it nice and cool to drink , though that is part of the purpose . The cold temperatures immensely reduces the fermentation activity , basically halting it . Kombucha may persist in to very slightly increase in carbonation in the electric refrigerator , but not much .

6) Time

Generally mouth , thelonger duration of time that bottled kombucha sits in 2d zymolysis , the more carbonated it will become!However , there is no cut - and - wry timeframe I can provide you . The time take to create the ideal carbonation tier is run short to vary wildly depending on all the other factors we are discussing today , including the amount and type of fruit added , conditions and temperature in your house , and so on .

Some kombucha flavors may become absolutely carbonated in four or five days . Others may become deadly carbonated and nearing booch - dud condition in just two or three day . Certain flavors under cooler consideration may be capable to sit in their bottles for weeks on end without get explosive ! The only path you are going to be able to severalise is by giving your bottles a little burp .

7) Bottle Burping Technique

When your kombucha bottles are sitting out in second fermentation , it is significant to keep an eye on them . The best way to assess their carbonation grade is to lightly burp them . However , I trust some peoples less - than - idealistic burping methods play a vast role in their struggles to gain good carbonation . So let ’s mouth about the good way to burp your booch !

The primary aim of burp kombucha is to check and see how fizzing they ’ve become . To do this , you desire to only very more or less , scarcely at all , raise the swing music - top door latch and lid . See the video below ! Are they hiss ? Does the kombucha start to lift and roil ? Can you experience pressure pushing back against the lid as you gently start to lift it?Burping does NOT think of fully open your bottles . By doing so , all of the build up carbonation will easily take to the woods and be lost !

A C. W. Post shared by Deanna ~ Homestead and Chill © ( @deannacat3)onDec 28 , 2017 at 3:24pm PST

We typically begin gently bubble bottleful after 2 to 3 days of being in 2nd unrest . If there is no polarity of activity at all , I do n’t chafe eruct again for several days to a hebdomad . If there is a slim fizz to it , I allow them sit another few days and then move them into the refrigerator . Often times , I do not re - eructation . belch too much leads to less carbonated kombucha . After that initial check , I commonly can gauge the activity of that plenty and know when it is undecomposed to halt the second tempestuousness process by move them into the fridge – whether it is the next day , or a few days later on .

Unless it is insanely fizzing , I never move the bottle in the fridge immediately after burping . By allowing it to sit out another twenty-four hour period or two after burping , it provide the kombucha to recover that little piece of carbonation that was lose . I ca n’t tell you how many time people have message me say “ I burped my feeding bottle and they seemed really fizzy , so I moved them into the fridge . Then they were flat when I opened them again afterwards ! ” I retrieve they either opened the bottles all the style , or move them into the electric refrigerator too shortly , or both .

With time , experience , and playing with various nip combos , you ’ll get into your own vallecula and be able to better gauge your brews time and belching needs .

Another way burping can be used is to slowlyrelease pressurefrom a frisky great deal of booch . If you begin to burp a bottleful and it ’s apparent that it is past “ ready to go ” and excessively carbonate , do not to the full open up the bottle!It will regurgitate like a volcano , or bad . light give the bottle a tad , but keep pressure on the palpebra so you may rapidly clamp it shut out again . Let it hiss and rise until it ’s about to come out , then fold it up again . Let it take root a few minute , then repeat . you may continue this process as much as needed until it is dependable to open .

Or , here is another style todetonate a kombucha bomb . See the video below . I suggest to do this outside . Especially if Beta vulgaris is involved ! Side tone : do you believe Google is going to red - flag me for using the word “ turkey ” several time in this Emily Price Post ? ! ? 😳

How to safely detonate a turkey 💣 Valencia Ginger Beet is frissssky ! 😄 # deannakombucha

A station portion out byDeanna ~ Homestead and Chill © ( @deannacat3 ) onFeb 25 , 2016 at 4:45pm PST

8) Strength of Primary Ferment Booch

You know the saying “ timbre in , quality out ? ” . Well , the same applies to kombucha!The carbonation floor of your ruined second ferment is going to also depend on the strength , maturity date , style , and condition of your primary ferment . Not to say that some elementary ferments are necessarily more “ character ” , than others … but there are surely some factor that will kick in to a more or less carbonated booch .

essay and true , it has been well - documented by home - brewers that usingblack teaproduces the most active SCOBY , andmost carbonatedfinished kombucha .   That is n’t to say you need to utilise black tea alone ! We always use half black-market afternoon tea and half light-green tea ; a combination of constitutive loose - leafblack breakfast blend tea , and eitherjasmine greenorgunpowder green tea .

For a scant time we switched to only green afternoon tea , and did see a little drop in our carbonation horizontal surface . Ido live many beer maker that get great carbonation with green , lily-white , oolong , or other tea leaf as well!The bottles may simply need to sit around out a little longer , or , they may turn out just slenderly less fizzy than they otherwise could . If you choose other tea types , no great raft !

Ideally , you require to bottle your kombucha when it is skillful and work , but still pleasantly balanced . Experts say that decent fermented kombucha has a pH between 2.5 and 3.5 . Here are somepH test stripsif you want to get scientific about it ! If you do a taste - examination from the primary ferment vessel , it should shouldtaste sharp-worded and vinegary but slightly sweet still at the metre of bottling .

If kombucha is bottle too betimes , when it is still quite sweet , there is less of an established population of good bacteria and yeast within it . Not only is this less healthy for you to consume , but it will in all probability also be less carbonated . The friend are taken from their mother SCOBY before they ’re strong and breed enough to do the job well .

On the other hand , if kombucha is allowed to over - ferment in to very acidickombucha acetum , it will sort of be past the point of return . For example , kombucha that has gone for month in primary ferment . There are some great uses for kombucha vinegar however ! I will compose a Emily Price Post on this before long .

I mistrust that thecontinuous brewage method acting can more easy make extremely carbonated kombucha . The reason is this : when you do uninterrupted brewage , the vas and liquid is n’t disturbed or “ turned over ” most as much as the batch method . More participating starter liquid is left behind after each bottling session , resulting in faster - turn booch . Additionally , a layer ofyeastcommonly physique on the bottom of the primary ferment vessel .

barm are cardinal players in convert loot into C02 and ethanol . Thus , a more yeasty booch from uninterrupted brewing lead to more fizz . I notice that after we do a cryptic clean of our crock , which dispatch built up yeast , the subsequent few plenty of kombucha are less quickly and less smartly carbonated than the previous few .

Scenes from bottling day …

Bottling Clarence Shepard Day Jr. scenes with Beta vulgaris rubra , brisk squeezed Valencia orange tree juice , and ginger 🍻 ❤ 🍃 🍊 # deannakombucha

A Charles William Post shared byDeanna ~ Homestead and Chill © ( @deannacat3 ) onJan 15 , 2017 at 12:03pm PST

When you are about to pour a bottle of fizzy booch , have your glasses there and look . Pop the bottleful , and mildly pullulate it correctly away . If you bolt down it opened and allow it sit around there , it can very easy lift and overflow . But pour it justly out contain that , and captures the carbonation in your chicken feed – right where you need it .

A office shared by Deanna ~ Homestead and Chill © ( @deannacat3)onMar 3 , 2018 at 5:23pm PST

sunshine !