A (Slightly Schizophrenic) Kombucha Primer

[ferventbrewer]

@Aristotelian Great answer that makes logical sense. Thanks.

 

[ferventbrewer]

Nice write up. Reminded me I've been wanting to try this and gave me all the information I needed to start. Just placed an order for < $20 to get started, thanks!

 

[olephart]

Gotta try this... after my mead, and two different beers are done fermenting...I got the "Office Space" reference. Now if I could just find my red stapler...

 

[Hanna_Brewing]

It's my understanding that shelf safe food must be at 4.6 pH or less. Some drinks are much more acidic than that like wine which is usually 3.4 pH, Coca-Cola at around 2.7 and Kombucha which is usually >2.5 pH. As part of HACCP compliance fermentation of commercial Kombucha is stopped at 30g/L acidity (different than pH).
Awesome article! I think I'm going to make my own Kombucha and experiment with different flavors too! I'm curious to see what my final pH readings will be at the end of my 1 week fermentation period.

 

[ScobeyDoo]

CAUTION: When performing Kombuchery, it is important to add fresh tea to an existing mixture of already fermented Kombucha so as to keep the resultant PH level below 3.5 to 4.0 range. Not just add a scoby to sweet tea. This acidic mix will make pathogens highly unlikely to take residence, ruin your brew and make one sick. Once it is ready to drink, the PH will be in the 2.8 to 3.2 range depending on your desired taste. If achieving an acidic start is a problem, one can add some pasteurized white vinegar to get the PH below 4.