#7 - Second Fermentation of Kombucha - Adding Flavor & Effervescence

#7 – Second Fermentation of Kombucha – Adding Flavor & Effervescence

There are a variety of ways you can manipulate the flavor of your kombucha. One of them is through a second fermentation process that will also add more effervescence.

To Create Good Effervescence

There are two factors that come into play with secondary fermentation, and that is a tight fitting lid and yeast strands. I bet you thought I was going to say sugar. Well, yes, sugar is needed as well, but without the other two, sugar will remain sugar. The yeast eats the added sugar which created the effervescence and naturally a tight lid holds it all in.

So how do we get that yeast from our brewing vessel to the bottle? Simple, regardless of you are doing a single brew or a continuous brew, you will want to stir the kombucha while it is in the brewing vessel. This process will “stir” up the yeast strands which will transfer to your bottles. Be sure that the spoon reaches the bottom of the brewing vessel. And if you have a large container, you will want to stir it a few times during your bottling session.

This process will also help with maintaining a balanced continuous brew since it helps to remove some of the yeast, which will also decrease how often you need to cleanse your brewing vessel. It’s a win-win type of situation.

Make sure that you fill you bottle up full! No headspace is necessary at this point. Do not slip the bottles in the fridge, unless you are skipping the bubbling process. Cap them, place them in a dark spot, with a cozy temperature of 74-78 degrees for about four days. It may take longer if the ambient room air is cooler than that temperature.

To Create Even Better Effervescence:

If you want more of that tingling feeling when sipping on a cold glass of kombucha, add a little something for it to eat. Add any of these right before capping. When using anything other than straight sugar, be sure to check the bottle perhaps once a day and burp them, so the bottles don’t explode.

Here are a few ways to add flavors:

Sugar – 1/2 tsp per 16 oz bottle
Fruit – roughed chopped fruit, fruit juices, even fruit purees can be used, this will vary the taste so have fun and experiment.
Ginger – 1 tsp minced fresh ginger per 16 oz bottle
Fruit Juice – Add 1 to 2 ounces of fruit juice to clean sterilized bottles, topping it off with kombucha.