KombuchaCHIC

I bottled up a new brew last night and as I have written before, I bottle my kombucha in 16 oz. glass bottles. This makes them convienent for traveling and grabbing some kombucha when I am in a hurry. So this morning, I grabbed a bottle and put it in the side pocket of my bag where it fits quite nicely. I jumped on my bike and rode the few blocks to work.

I got off my bike and walked it into the elevator. By this time my bag had been resting against the top of my thigh. When I got out of the elevator I noticed a rather large wet spot had appeared on my pants! I sat down at my desk and inspected my kombucha.

I must not have screwed the lid on all the way or maybe it had warped, because it had leaked though my bag onto my pants! It wasn't too much, I still have plenty to drink today, but I will probably smell like kombucha all day! This brew packs quite the punch as well! It has a very distinct vinegary flavor and is much more tart that my recent brews. Its yummy, but its a little bit more tangy I'm used to! Maybe I should replace my bottles or at least the lids after a while so this doens't happen again!

I have found out that a good way to cool down kombucha is to actually not use as much water during the brewing process. On my next brew, I am going to only boil 1/2 as much water. After the tea has steeped, I'm going to add the rest in as cold or at room temperature. This should cool down the tea mixture much faster!

I was having to let my tea sit and cool for at least a few hours before I could start the fermentation process. If the temperature of the tea is too hot, it will kill the kombucha culture. So this will definitely cut down on my prep time as well as make for a higher quality brew. I have heard that letting the tea mixture cool down for long periods can inhibit the culture growth. Perhaps this will make my brew ferment faster as well?