What to expect during 1st fermentation | You Brew Kombucha (2024)
What to expect during1st fermentation
So, you’re waiting for your kombucha homebrew to ferment. It’s an exciting time! It can also be really nerve-wracking if you’re not sure what to expect. So here’s what I’ve consistently been able to observe in my homebrews, so you can use it as a point of reference.
Remember:Everyone’s SCOBYs are different and a lot ofvariables can cause changes, but usually, the best thing to do is just wait it out and let it do its thing.
People are most afraid of mold happening during 1stfermentation (F1), but those fears are largely unfoundedand blown out of proportion. Check out my Real Talk: Moldpost for more info.
So don’t jump to the worst conclusion if things look a little weird as your brew progresses. Fermentation is a strange and uniquely beautiful process. Give it the time it needs to do it’s thing! More often than not, it’ll turn out just fine.
Here's what to expect during F1
When you first put your SCOBY into your sweet tea in the brewing vessel, it might sink. Or it might float. Both are OK. Oftentimes, it’ll end up making it’s way to the top of the brewing vessel in the next few days, where it’ll conjoin with the new SCOBY that’s forming. But if that doesn’t happen, that’s just fine as well.
At around day 3, you’ll start seeing some opaque white specks dot the top. This is usually when people get nervous, thinking it’s mold. It’s really just the SCOBY starting to get into formation. Don’t agitate the vessel because it could inhibit SCOBY growth or cause your new SCOBY formation to sink. That won’t hurt the brew, but it could freak you out if you’re not familiar with the process and wondering if something went wrong because your SCOBY doesn’t fully form.
By day 4-5 you'll likely see a new, thin layer of SCOBY grow across the top. It’ll take the shape of whatever vessel you put your liquid in. If you don’t see a SCOBY yet, it may be because your average roomtemperature islower than mine is. It doesn’t mean something has gone wrong. Just give it more time. Sometimes a new SCOBY won't form at all, or sometimes it'll be super thin. That happens to mine sometimes in the winter. In that case, you should just base doneness on how your brew tastes.
You might see some brown stringy yeasty bits. They might look scary or “dirty” but that yeast will actually help make your kombucha nice and bubbly. It’s your friend. No need to clean it off or remove it from your SCOBY.
You might also see black specks trapped in/on the SCOBY if you didn’t fully strain all the tea dregs out. That’s OK. They usually look like little poppy seeds embedded under or throughout the SCOBY. If you’re using loose-leaf tea and a big leaf/twig got stuck in there, that’s not a huge deal too.
If your SCOBY starts pushing out of the vessel, that’s OK. Just push it back down. Don’t worry if you think it’s been hanging out in the air a few days. It’s OK. This sometimes happens as carbon dioxide starts building up in your liquid under the SCOBY. It can sometimes push the SCOBYout of the liquid. It can also happen if your brewing vessel narrows at the top — the SCOBY can bump up against the sides as it grows. In either case, next time, you can just push it down or try to use less liquid in your brew vessel.
The liquid will lighten in color over time.
You might see some cloudiness at the bottom of the vessel where the yeast settles. That’s totally normal — just make sure to stir your brew vessel well to distribute this yeast throughout the liquid before you bottle it.
You might notice an acidic/vinegary smell coming from your brew vessel. That's totally normal and a sign that your brew is fermenting properly!
Mold is pretty unlikely as long as you take steps to do this properly. If you’re really concerned about mold, though, I’ve got a whole video and a blog post dedicated to it. Check ‘em out here.
You can monitor the average room temperature really easily using temperature stickers. Ideal temperature is mid/high 70s, though the 65-85 range works too. The cooler it is, the longer it’ll take to get more acidic. So just adjust your brewing time (a.k.a. waiting length) accordingly. In the winter, it might take 2 weeks instead of a week and a half to get to the right level of acidity that you like. In the summer, it might only take 7 days.
But in the meantime, don’t stress about your brew. What it needs most is time, so the less you futz around with it, the more it can just do its thing.
If you’re antsy and just want to consume as much kombucha content as you can (I hear you!), be sure to poke around this website to learn more about the brewing process and watch the videos on the You Brew Kombucha YouTube channel.
Find out how to tell when your 1st-fermented kombucha is "done" and ready to flavor + bottle here.
SCOBYs can take a variety of shapes and colors. If you want to see a sampling of healthy, but interesting-looking cultures from fellow home brewers that shared them with me, you can go here.
F1 typically takes around 7-12 days, though some people like to go longer. During that time, the sweet tea
sweet tea
Teh manis adalah minuman yang terbuat dari larutan teh yang biasanya diberi gula tebu atau pemanis. Variasi rasa manis pada minuman yang khas ini sangat merakyat di Amerika Serikat (terutama bagian Selatan) dan Indonesia.
ferments and is transformed into kombucha by the starter tea and a kombucha culture (a SCOBY
SCOBY
A SCOBY is a cellulose mat that houses the bacteria and yeast cultures that turn sweet tea into kombucha. A new or “baby” SCOBY is produced each time you make kombucha, and the SCOBY also helps turn sweet tea into more kombucha. It's basically the means through which kombucha replicates itself.
You might see some cloudiness at the bottom of the vessel where the yeast settles. That's totally normal — just make sure to stir your brew vessel well to distribute this yeast throughout the liquid before you bottle it.
When you taste it, it should still have a bit of sweetness to it and a pleasant amount of acidity. If you want it to be more acidic, then keep fermenting it longer. If it tastes sour enough, then you're ready to bottle.
A vinegar-like smell indicates that your kombucha is fermenting and is a result of the building acids that can be measured by pH testing. If you're able to detect a pleasant, slightly sweet, and fruity aroma, this is a good sign that fermentation is progressing nicely.
Once you've finished fermenting your kombucha, simply recuperate the scoby and store it to start a new kombucha recipe. The easiest way to store a kombucha scoby is to start a new fermentation just after bottling. However, you can space out two fermentations if you keep the scoby at room temperature or in the fridge.
This is fine if they're getting too large or if you'd like to split them up to move some to a SCOBY hotel/share with a friend. You can't hurt your SCOBY by ripping it or cutting it. Its shape doesn't matter since new ones will always take the shape of the surface of whatever container you place it in.
If this sounds familiar to your own experience, rest assured that a sinking SCOBY is a common occurrence, and there's no need to panic – it's completely normal! The position of the SCOBY pellicle doesn't matter during the fermentation process. So don't use its location as a gauge of your kombucha's health.
You will see the layers underneath are the original mother and the layers above are the new baby scoby layers. Do not worry if your scoby sinks to the bottom of the jar and a new baby grows on the surface of the brew.
If you leave your jar alone throughout the fermentation, the baby SCOBY should be happily grown in across the top of the jar after your 7-21 day fermentation. If it sinks while you are “test-tasting” your kombucha, you need not worry.
Mold can be white, green, black, blue, red...if you're seeing interesting bright colors, that's a bad sign. SCOBYs are usually white/cream to brown in color, but fuzzy, snowy white is bad, especially if it's a layer on top of your brew vessel.
The surest way to establish whether or not a fermentation is complete is by measuring the specific gravity. You can do this using either a hydrometer or a refractometer.
If your kombucha has been stored in the refrigerator or an iced cooler and still has a strong vinegar smell or flavor, it's completely safe to consume. If you find the vinegar flavor isn't to your personal preference, all is not lost! Kombucha is great for cooking, too.
The only way to know if your kombucha scoby is dead is to test it in a new kombucha batch and wait a few weeks. If your sweet tea has not become acidic after 15 days, then you can definitely conclude that your kombucha scoby has died.
With a young kombucha scoby, the production of CO₂ may not be active enough and the scoby will remain at the bottom of the jar. Indeed, yeast colonies need a few brews before they are sufficiently vigorous to create enough CO₂ to keep the scoby at the surface. So, everything is normal!
The caffeine in kombucha, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea and symptoms of IBS. Surgery: Kombucha seems to affect blood glucose levels. This might interfere with blood glucose control during and after surgery.
Allow an additional 7-14 fermentation days and store somewhere with relatively consistent temperature and low light while the ABV climbs. You'll know it's working when you see bubbles forming and rising to the surface!
Completing a second ferment is not necessary to get all the benefits of kombucha and enjoy its tangy taste. If you don't have time or haven't got any bottles yet, we recommend a shot of kombucha from day 25 of the first ferment in a glass of sparkling water.
If you have a bunch of kombucha that is over-fermented and tastes like vinegar, don't throw it out! We have lots of ways to use this special tea. Everything from marinades to facial toners. Check out the podcast to learn more.
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