Kombucha Batch #23-04

updated 09/21/2023

August 2023

Immediately after bottling batch 23-3, I started this one.

08/18/2023

After bottling the last batch, I immediately cleaned the jar and put the SCOBY and reserved 1 cup liquid in it. Then I brewed the tea: 2 rounded tablespoons of black tea in 2 quarts boiling water. After steeping 7 minutes, I pressed the bag and stirred in 1 cup sugar.

For the first few batches I added ice after an hour, to cool it down to 75 F. This time I just left it for 3  hours, then poured into the Kombucha jar, then topped with cool water.

This time I plan to flavor with a different juice, possibly pomegranate. We’ll see what’s available at Aldi’s in the next few weeks. Depending on what the last batch tastes like after carbonation, I may stick with 2 oz juice, or I may bump to 3 or 4 oz. Adding more juice extends the batch, but it also dilutes the kombucha, so it’s a trade-off.

09/21/2023

I got busy doing things and didn’t bottle this one at the 2 week mark. When I got around to it, the kombucha was over 30 days old. This one is more sour. I finished the bottle of cherry juice with 4 bottles, did a mixture of cherry and cranberry for the 5th, and used cranberry juice for the last 5.

For this batch I added the usual 2 tsp sugar and upped the juice to 1/3 cup.