First attempt - secondary ferment issue

[FooWho]

This my first try at making kombucha. I made 3.5 quarts of black tea and added a cup of organic pure grain sugar and 1 pint of GT's original organic raw kombucha.

After 3 weeks I had a healthy looking story and the drink tasted like kombucha, though a bit more tart / vinegary. I assume that was because of the long ferment.

I poured out 1 pint into a GT's bottle and added 1/4 teaspoon of the same sugar. I closed up the bottle tight and let it sit on the counter for five days and then refrigerated and drank it.

It tasted fine, but had no carbonation. I assume that means that 1/4 teaspoon sugar is not enough?

I am about to draw out another pint into a new bottle. This time I am going to add a full teaspoon of sugar. Should I also let the secondary ferment sit longer?

I am adding a picture of my setup with the scoby. Every looks correct to me.

My plan is to have something like a continuous brew where I periodically draw some booch off from the fermenting jar and replace with an equal amount of fresh sweet tea.

Does my plan seem okay?

 

[hunter_le five]

This my first try at making kombucha. I made 3.5 quarts of black tea and added a cup of organic pure grain sugar and 1 pint of GT's original organic raw kombucha.

Sounds like a good start.

After 3 weeks I had a healthy looking story and the drink tasted like kombucha, though a bit more tart / vinegary. I assume that was because of the long ferment.

Yup. The longer you let it ferment, the stronger it will taste. Personally I find ~1 week to be the sweet spot for me. At three weeks, it would probably be nearly unpalatable to me. But of course that all depends on your personal tastes, and other factors such as room temp, recipe, scoby strength, etc.

I poured out 1 pint into a GT's bottle and added 1/4 teaspoon of the same sugar. I closed up the bottle tight and let it sit on the counter for five days and then refrigerated and drank it.

Are you pouring the sugar straight into the bottle? I find I have better results with making a simple syrup (sugar dissolved into an equal volume of water).

It tasted fine, but had no carbonation. I assume that means that 1/4 teaspoon sugar is not enough?

1/4 tsp seems like a rather small amount to me. I would think 1 tsp would be a better starting point. Adjust up or down from there based on personal preference. Just be careful and watch out for bottle bombs (don't overdo it).

I am about to draw out another pint into a new bottle. This time I am going to add a full teaspoon of sugar. Should I also let the secondary ferment sit longer?

Good idea to up the sugar a bit. Time to carbonate depends on a number of factors. Normally I should think 5 days would be enough, but it may take longer depending on room temps and such.

My plan is to have something like a continuous brew where I periodically draw some booch off from the fermenting jar and replace with an equal amount of fresh sweet tea.

Does my plan seem okay?

That is how a lot of people do it, but I've little experience with that method. I prefer to make weekly batches and bottle the whole gallon at once.

 

[Hawgwild]

1/4 teaspoon of sugar is probably a little light. I bottle 3 gallons weekly using batch brew. Depending on the tartness of the brew I add 1 teaspoon or even a rounded teaspoon to each 16oz bottle.

I add the sugar straight to the bottles then add about 1/2 cup of the new brew. Shake the bottles a few times and the sugar is dissolved then fill on up and add the flavoring, if any. I've made simple sugar syrup in the past but this methods works for me just fine.

I've also found that bottles with either fresh fruit or herbs seem to have the most fizz. Many of downright geisers, ha. I've also added 4-5 raisins in the past to the bottles which helps with carbonation but doesn't change the flavor if you like a more natural brew.

Also when you pour up for secondary fermentation only leave a small amount of head space in the bottle..

As to tea I vary and mix different ones to get the benefit of all. Black tea, Green tea, and oolong teas. Don't use flavored teas as they contain some ingredients not good for brewing and the scoby.

You're on the right track with your brew. Just experiment and you'll find what works best for you.