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🍾 2nd Fermentation

🗝 The principle​

tip

For flavour ideas, jump down to that section immediately.

After 7 days of fermenting your kombucha, you have a very nicely tasting drink. But there is more, and there is better!

It is very easy to add custom flavors to your home-made kombucha. All that needs to be done is let the kombucha ferment for a few days more with some added fruits or anything that might give a nice flavor to your kombucha.

In addition to flavor, the second fermentation will make the drink more sparkling! You might end up inventing the nicest, healthiest and fanciest soda-like beverage that ever existed!

📖 Instructions​

  1. Make some kombucha and fill it into a bottle that holds pressure.

  2. Prepare your flavoring ingredient(s). Check out some ideas here below.

    • For fruits, slice them so that they fit into the opening of the bottle.

  3. Put your ingredients into the bottle. Using a funnel might be very handy here.

  4. Leave the bottle to ferment for 2 to 3 days.

  5. Enjoy 🍾🍺

⚠️ Cautions​

The process of second fermentation can generate (a lot‼️) of pressure.

For that reason, to avoid accidents, take core of a few things while proceeding in this fermentation process:

  • Check the bottles several times a day and carefully let out some pressure if there is any.

  • Before serving kombucha that is ready, open the bottle very carefully. Sometimes it needs some patience to release all the pressure that has been built up.

    • You need to find out for yourself how to best open those bottles that have a lot of pressure without having a mess in your kitchen. One option is to use a big bowl, holding the bottle downwards and slowly let everything out and then putting it back into the bottle. Use your hand to contain the sprays that come out of the opening of the bottle.

  • Put the bottles that have finished their fermentation into the fridge. This will help to lower the pressure.

🍾 You have been warned!

💡 Ideas​

Here is a list of ideas of what kind of ingredients could be used for flavouring your kombucha during the second fermentation:

  • Any kind of fruits (cut in pieces, smashed or blended)
    • Orange / Tangerine / Clementine / Lemon... (you can use the peel too, which has a different flavor)
    • Peach
    • Apricot (⚠️ lots of gas!)
    • Apple
    • Cherries
    • Strawberries
    • Mango
    • Pineapple (⚠️ lots of gas!)
    • Kiwi (⚠️ lots of gas!)
    • ...
  • Elderflower (my favorite!)
  • Ginger
  • Turmeric (Kurkuma)
  • Cinnamon stick (avoid powder)
  • Cloves
  • Mint leaves
  • Hop (will make your kombucha taste like beer!) (⚠️ lots of gas!)
  • Hibiscus
  • Sirup
  • ...

Obviously you can put multiple ingredients at once and make all kinds of mixes!

Avoid anything that has a lot of fat, like avocado.

Now get creative!