Fermentation School: Learning from Others
On Tuesday of this week I went over to Madison’s to watch her make her second fermentation. Second fermentation is when you flavour and add carbonation to your Kombucha brew. She shared a bottle of her second ferment with me that I am anticipating trying. 
I wish I had been more proactive in taking photos or a video to document this learning journey as I only took two photos and they are not that great of quality. In this photo on the left she is showing me that you need to leave at least an inch in the top of the bottle. She also recommended these air-tight, glass, flip-top bottles. When pouring in the Kombucha from the first brew she strained the kombucha and filled the bottles about half full before adding different flavours of juice. 
The photo on the left shows the type of juice she adds to her second ferment. Her favourite juice flavour to add is Raspberry Juice. Madison recommended leaving the bottle for about 7 days at room temperature. After about 7 days the bottle can be transferred to the refrigerator to halt fermentation and prevent over-carbonation. Refrigeration, she shared, prevents it also from becoming too sour.
Madison also shared with me a SCOBY that she separated from another SCOBY. I was a little worried about my previous Amazon SCOBY as it is living on the bottom of the jar, (and later a comment from Matt) so I was excited to try this time a version with Green Tea.
On Wednesday, a new jar arrived as well as some pH strips. Wednesday evening, I brewed a new batch of Kombucha and changed out the cheesecloth covers for a thicker weave of bamboo cotton material.
Scrolling for Answers: Overthinking the Bubbles
Thursday, in reflecting on TikTok’s potential for education I thought I would explore creators who posted about “second fermentation”. Simply Moods by Ida was an interesting account as well as Cakebrain. Another creator recommended burping Kombucha once every day or every other day after three days of fermentation to prevent Kombucha bombs. There is a lot of crazy content on TikTok also. #burpingkombucha. There is a lot of content about exploding kombucha which makes for dramatic content. I was a little worried about a Kombucha bomb, so I tried opening the flip-top bottle, but there was only a little carbonation. Perhaps I should have waited 7 days as Madison suggested. I closed it up again and thought I would look further into tips about flat Kombucha on TikTok, manifest.kombucha had an interesting TikTok about decarbonating Kombucha that was in your refrigerator. Searching “kombucha flat” did not give me the search results I was looking for rather it was mostly about flat stomachs. I discovered that searching for specific content may not be the intended use of TikTok. Rather coming across interesting content creators such as the Cultured Guru, a food microbiologist teaching people how to ferment, and following those tangents seemed to be a better use of my time. My questions/concerns about second fermentation I realized were best answered outside of TikTok. I am a little apprehensive about the user agreement for TikTok. While I do not plan to link my CapCut account to TikTok and share my financial information, I made a small video on CapCut to test out the idea of making a short video less than 30 seconds and of the same resolution 720p as a TikTok video and posted it as a short on YouTube (my first ever YouTube short!) I have deep admiration for content creators that can take 30 seconds and make it also educational.
Video Experiments: pH Practice
As soon as my pH strips arrived I was testing different pH levels. It reminded me of Chemistry class. I think I am right on track. The Green Tea was initially 5.5. Then after I added in the SCOBY and starter the pH was around 4.0. Today it was around 3.0. Here is another YouTube short I made. By contrast the Amazon SCOBY trial batch number 1 still is around a 4.0 or maybe even 4.5.
The ultimate test is taste. Amazon batch surprisingly still tastes like sweet tea so I think with a pH still near the starting point this batch may not have taken. By contrast, the batch from Madison already tastes tangy! Follow along next week to see where the fizz, fears, and fermentation will take me!
I absolutely love drinking Kombucha! It is actually by go to drink when I go to group functions, because I don’t mind being the designated driver! You are very brave tackling the process of making kombucha, it is a very precise process and science, thus have never attempted it myself. I look forward to hearing more about how your continued batches go. I am also curious to know if you have a favourite brand that you like to purchase, as I am always looking for recommendation and love to try local brands.
It will be a success if I can convince you to try making it yourself through the process of sharing my learning project! Haha My favourite local brand is actually Parkerview Brews made in Saskatoon. I purchase it at COOP. I love the Saskatoon Berry. It is so good! If I could recreate that flavour I would be thrilled. I thought they had a Strawberry Rhubarb flavoured one this summer that was also delicious but I don’t see it on the website.
Rhonda- I related to your reflections on how unpredictable the process of learning through practice can be. When you mentioned being worried about “Kombucha bombs” or flat results, it reminded me of my early attempts at yoga flows.
Like you, I came in with some expectations, but quickly realized that the process doesn’t always unfold the way we want it to. In my case, I underestimated how physically demanding yoga could be, and just like your experience with carbonation levels, I’ve had to learn to adjust, slow down, and trust the process.
One of the key takeaways I’ve had from both athlete testimonials and research is that consistency over time is where the benefits really show. For example, a study I cited in my blog this week highlighted how participants improved significantly after 10 weeks of yoga practice. That reminds me of Madison’s advice to leave the bottles for a full 7 days before refrigerating. Sometimes it’s about giving the process enough time to work before we intervene.
I was also interested in your point about searching TikTok for answers and realizing that not all platforms are best suited for specific questions. I’ve been drawing a lot from YouTube and research articles, and it sounds like you’re finding the same value in turning to reliable voices like Cultured Guru.
Your willingness to try new methods, even when unsure, is inspiring. I’ll be following along to see how your next batch turns out.
Hey Rhonda
I really enjoyed seeing how you applied chemistry concepts to your Kombucha experiments. Tracking pH changes from 5.5 to 3.0 and observing how it relates to fermentation progress and flavor is a great example of hands-on science in action. Your attention to variables like SCOBY source, tea type, and cloth thickness shows thoughtful experimentation, and reflecting on carbonation and “Kombucha bombs” highlights the importance of careful observation. I also appreciate how you combined online research, guidance from Madison, and personal trials to deepen your understanding. This post demonstrates a strong scientific approach while making fermentation both educational and engaging.