🛠 Equipment
Container
The main container is used for the first fermentation.
How to chose a good container:
- Big enough (more than 2L). There no container that is too big!
- Material: glas or ceramic, but preferably glas, so that you can see what's happening inside!
- A big enough opening on the top
Use a jar that has tap. This makes it easier to taste the kombucha to see if it is ready or needs more fermentation.
Our choice: Bormioli Rocco - 3L Fido Glass Jar
🇨🇭 Advice for people living in Switzerland
The Bormioli Rocco - 3L Fido Glass Jar can easily be found in (big) MIGROS stores. Link.
SCOBY
SCOBY is the commonly used acronym for "Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast".
Learn more on Wikipedia.
To get a SCOBY, best is to find someone that you know who could give you one.
Else you can very easily find one to buy online for a fair price.
Once you started your own Kombucha brewing, your SCOBY will grow and you can either increase your brewing quantity or give away pieces of your SCOBY to friends and family!
To take of a piece of a SCOBY that grew fat you just need to gently peel of a layer.
If giving it away don't forget to give also roughly one cup of already fermented kombucha so that the SCOBY stays safe and so that the person can easily start his brewing.
🇨🇭 Online chat group for sharing SCOBYs in Switzerland
Join this Telegram group chat to find and share free SCOBYs locally!
Bottles for storing kombucha
(Or for doing the 2nd Fermentation)
Use only glas bottles!
Size doesn't really matter, best are bottles from 0.5L to 1.5L.
IMPORTANT: Use bottles that are able to hold a good amount pressure! (Especially if you plan to do the 2nd Fermentation)
Our choice: Bormioli Rocco - Officina 1825 - 1L Bottle with hermetic lid
🇨🇭 Advice for people living in Switzerland
The Bormioli Rocco - Officina 1825 can easily be found in (big) MIGROS stores. Link.
Something to cover the container
While doing the first fermentation, the container needs to be protected from dust, insects, mold and foreign bacteria...
Also the fermentation process need to breath so it is not good to completely close the container in wich the first fermentation is happening. Not allowing sufficient airflow causes higher levels of alcohol in the kombucha. And closing the container completely will prevent the kombucha from fermenting properly.
Options for covering the container:
- A cloth (tight-weave is better, else small things might get through!)
- A paper filter (big coffee filters work well)
=> this is most likely the best option ✅
To avoid:
- Things that are not letting enough air flow through
- Textiles that might drop their own dust into the kombucha
Make sure that what you use stays clean and dry.