Adding lemon and ginger to secondary fermentation

I'm planning on bottling my kombucha for a secondary fermentation, and adding lemon juice and candied ginger. Do I need to steam sanitize the ginger and boil the lemon before adding it?

No, just peel the ginger, use organic lemons if you can.

To follow up on this, do you use lemon peel (zest) or the juice from the lemon?

Use the juice, but be careful. Lemon flavor is often amplified in kombucha. A little tends to go a long way. Same for lemongrass.

Thanks for the tips, I bottled yesterday, half with lemon, half with lemon and ginger. I'll crack one open tomorrow or the next day and see how we're doing

Maidenmet said:

I'm planning on bottling my kombucha for a secondary fermentation, and adding lemon juice and candied ginger. Do I need to steam sanitize the ginger and boil the lemon before adding it?

Click to expand...

I also use ginger, but add sliced fresh ginger when I add the tea, and then remove it. Even without the added sugar candied ginger has, the added ginger seems to enhance the final carbonation once bottled.

scobysurfer said:

To follow up on this, do you use lemon peel (zest) or the juice from the lemon?

Click to expand...

If organic you can use any part of the lemon you want. I use the whole slice. I want the oils and the juice. Experiment, do what works for you.

I also use ginger, but add sliced fresh ginger when I add the tea, and then remove it. Even without the added sugar candied ginger has, the added ginger seems to enhance the final carbonation once bottled.

Click to expand...

I see, so you steep the ginger. Any suggestions on tbps for gallon?

I finally made my first batch and here's my experience with lemon. Yes, it's really amplified!

I made it in a 2 quart jar (filled about 3/4). I split it up into 2 old GT bottles (16oz?) the rest I saved for starter in my nextd batch.

I put juice from 1/2 a lemon in each. As well as some ginger (that I had blended with buch in my magic bullet and added in). I also added 8 dried cranberries to each bottle.

First I tasted some store bought GT gingerade. Then mine.... woooo! A little too much lemon. And it seemed to also make the vinegar flavor a little stronger. I did blind taste tests on my family. My wife and one daughter picked store bought (but the wife was iffy). One daughter chose store bought, and the other mine (but she's my sweetie).

I mixed them together and they all chose that.

So I took one more GT bottle, split up the contents into the 3, added water, and re-chilled. will try it tomorrow. But next time maybe the juice from 1 slice of lemon for each GT bottle. It was good, but not as "clean" if that makes any sense. It was sweet, sour and a hint of vinegar. almost "thick". Knock you on your but flavor.. lol.