In this week’s learning project update, I will explore the second fermentation process of kombucha, focusing on flavouring and using social media platforms like Reddit, Instagram, and Pinterest as sources of inspiration.
As the snow started falling outside, I found myself deep in a digital rabbit hole of kombucha flavour ideas.
I started my search on Reddit, where communities like r/Kombucha share tips, troubleshoot, and post pictures of their latest brew. I admit I initially went with the hope of maybe finding a copycat or “inspired-by” kombucha recipe of Parkerview Brews, my favorite brand of kombucha. Sometimes home brewers will post threads like “Anyone made Kombucha w/ kiwi juice like GT’s (THE kombucha brand)?” Unfortunately, while I did not find the flavour recreation I was looking for I decided I have to recreate this Ocean Blue one day (Coconut, Pineapple and Blue Majic). Oh wait, what is Blue Majic? And how can I find it?
Reddit is useful if you are able to find a community around a shared interest. Here people will share advice, questions and experiences. These experiences are authentic, personal, and often include practical tips. It can also be interactive where users ask and answer questions. I was inspired by one post to make a list moving forward of my batches and to rank them in flavour profiles. I also found this chart an interesting way this user came up with to describe flavours of various kombuchas to others. It can be a challenging to use Reddit to search for specific information. Sometimes information is not current, or mixed in with long discussions or tangents. What you’re searching for can be buried within the comments. Sometimes the comments are unreliable. Everyone has an opinion and not everyone’s version is great. Beginners to experienced brewers may be weighing in. While sometimes there are photos, like the Ocean Blue mentioned above, details are often missed. Reddit is conversational and often unfiltered.
I decided to start a Kombucha collection on my Instagram account perhaps to further influence the Algorithm to send me content that was useful. I like the visual, micro-learning that Instagram offers. I found it useful to have a visual refresher on how to make kombucha. I also thought it might be useful to save posts as stories disappear quickly and posts can be hard to find again. While I may not always find what I am looking for, often I am inspired or my curiosity is piqued.
I had this idea that I wanted to make a matcha kombucha as I had some matcha powder. Trying to find the matcha kombucha that was in my head on instagram proved impossible, but I did find some interesting ideas that I might want to try later. In this instagram post on Matcha Raspberry Kombucha salomelafermentee shows making the first ferment from matcha powder then later adding in the raspberries. I thought it might be interesting later to explore making other recipes/drinks from kombucha such as this mango matcha smoothie that looked delicious, or a kombucha ice cream float, or even mocktails.
As the snow continued to fall, I had less of a desire to brave the cold and source ingredients. What did I have at home? I turned to Pinterest as a digital file cabinet for recipes. Pinterest is also image focused with posts that often link to blog posts, tutorials or videos. I searched for recipes that could make use of what I had on hand: strawberries, frozen blueberries, frozen pineapple and kiwi. This allowed me to plan a second fermentation without leaving home. 
A challenge I found with curating a board was that there is an overwhelming volume of pins and often many are ads for products or unrelated. One of the pins that I tried to follow my computer informed me that it had malicious links attached which was a little shocking and I quickly clicked off. While the pins helped source blog posts often I found the blog posts were so cluttered with pop up ads.
Finally I sourced four recipes that would provide direction for my second fermentation. Mostly I was interested in the ratio of fruit/kombucha and hopefully, if this is a recipe that has been tested, how long ideally to let it ferment for the second fermentation to avoid a kombucha bomb.
Pictured below are the four types of flavours I made for my second fermentation and a review of the recipe.
- Buchabrewers Strawberry Cream Soda
This recipe, from Bucha Brewers, leads with a clear photo that shows the ingredients that are needed. I found this helpful to see quickly what was needed. The recipe layout is well organized and printable. The jump to recipe button improves navigation, even though the entire post is not cluttered. The author tries to make the post fun and engaging pointing out visual cues like carbonation building up in the bottle. There are links to resources and support that are subtle and unassuming offering convenience without overwhelming the reader. While the author provides the opportunity for feedback, “enjoy! Let us know if you like this one,” I do wish there had been a comment. It shows how a platform like Reddit or even Instagram shines in the opportunity it provides for users to discuss and review providing tips, variations, and troubleshooting advice.
- Grow Forage Cook Ferment Homemade Blueberry Kombucha
This blog prominently shows a toolbar indicating how many times the post has been pinned or shared which highlights its popularity and encourages further sharing. There are options to jump to the recipe or print which are helpful considering the lengthy post which includes videos, advertisements and descriptions. The photos are visually striking and clearly designed to be pinned. The photos make the recipe attractive and even inspired me to try this recipe. There are multiple links to other kombucha flavours and additional blueberry recipes which allow the readers to explore related content.
- Intuitive Food Design Pineapple Kombucha Tea Recipe
This blog was quite clean also. I liked that there were clear directions indicating how much pineapple in comparison to amount of tea and what size of flip top bottles were used. Also in the method it tells how to avoid gas build up and explosions. If I search Kombucha on the blog I can see several other posts about Kombucha which gives me some hope that this author, a holistic health coach, knows what she is talking about.
- Create Mindfully Kiwi Kombucha
While the first two steps of the recipe were clear making it easy to follow, the blog was less polished in other areas. One of these areas is the tip about straining out the mango which is confusing since the recipe never mentions mango. This inconsistency may cause confusion for readers especially beginners. I did not like this blog as much for all of the advertisements which distract from the main content. It impacts readability and makes the page feel cluttered. I thought the background information was basic. I question the nutritional information included as fermentation consumes some sugars so the numbers may not accurately reflect the final beverage. Accuracy, clutter, and clarity in tips and nutritional claims could be improved.
Today felt like an ambitious day as I attempted to make four flavours for the second ferment. I wasn’t completely done. The process of making kombucha is a cycle. I needed to rehouse my original SCOBYs and start the fermentation cycle again. I am happy to report my SCOBY’s are looking good (even the Amazon SCOBY batch actually formed a new SCOBY on top), my kombucha is bubbling (hopefully not a bomb in the making!) and I’m proud of what I created from what I had on hand. I am excited to see and taste how it will all turn out this week.
I really like how much analysis you clearly did in this post Rhonda! I would’ve thought Reddit would be a fantastic place for sharing recipes, but you make a very good point about how difficult it is to search for exact information and how the comments can be a bit of a mess. I can only assume it’s bringing to life the phrase “Too many cooks in the kitchen”. Some information might be good, some might be bad, some might be helpful for the taste you’re looking for, and others might lead towards an entirely different taste. Everybody has a preference and I’m sure those preferences aren’t always clarified among the comments.
I was also surprised to learn about the downsides of Pinterest. My mom and my sister both love to use it for recipes. I was unaware of the overabundance of ads and potentially harmful links appearing in pins. Does Pinterest have a paid version to block out ads, or is that simply just a part of the platform?
Your breakdown of each blog post was so thorough. It makes me realize I should have a more watchful eye when I’m searching for general recipes. I especially loved how you did a little extra digging to confirm that the author of the Pineapple kombucha blog was no amateur. I applaud your ability to avoid the snow and make use of what you had. It shows you have a great ability to adapt (and a general disdain towards winter haha). That strawberry cream soda kombucha is making my tastebuds dance! I hope they all turn out as delicious as they sound!