Kombucha Batch #23-03

updated 08/18/2023

July 2023

Immediately after bottling batch 23-2, I started this one, using the black tea I purchased last month.

07/19/2023

For the tea I used 2 rounded tablespoons of tea, to give the final result a bit more oomph. As with the last batch, I steeped the tea for 7 minutes, rem0ved the bag, then stirred in 1 cup sugar. I let the pitcher rest on the stove for an hour, then added ice cubes to cool it from 110 F to 74 F, before adding to the brewing jar.

I filled the jar a bit fuller this time to maximize my output. I’m also thinking of using 1/4 cup juice when bottling, to get a bit more output when I’m done. If I net 8 bottles, that’s an additional 2 cups of liquid, so I’ll net at least 9 bottles, maybe 10.

I’m likely to buy another jar, although all I need is a plain wide-mouthed jar. I expect that when “kombucha” is on the product, the price goes up, so any plain jar will do. I’ll also need to buy another SCOBY.

08/18/2023

I dragged my feet on bottling the kombucha as it was a busy week. I switched flavorings to a black cherry juice from Aldi’s. To each 12 oz beer bottle I added 2 tsp table sugar and 1/4 cup juice, then filled with kombucha.

Doing this I netted 10 bottles, although the last one was scant. Since I’m out of commercial kombucha, I capped 9 and drank the 10th. It was pretty good.

I  hoped the juice would dissolve the sugar, but that didn’t work. I had to shake each bottle after capping to dissolve the sugar.