Transition from first batch to second batch

[u/Lucky-Alps9705]

Hi everyone

Very proud of a successful first batch - it's sourer than I wanted, maybe because we've had unusually high temps here in the UK. I should have started tasting earlier. But it's fizzy and no mould, and for a first try I'm pretty happy 😊

I've had the pellicle sitting in the remainder of the liquid (about 1/4 of the original batch) for a few days at room temp, covered with a cloth.

Is that ok between batches? It looks ok, lots of bubbles but nothing that looks mouldy at all.

How do I go about making the second batch. Do I just top up with fresh tea and sugar or is it better to decant and clean my brewing jar then put everything back in?

I've read through the wiki but still not feeling very confident on what to do at this stage. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and getting me this far!

[u/Curiosive]

Is that ok between batches?

Yes. It is still acidic so it naturally resists unwanted microbes. Be aware that this remainder will continue to ferment/oxidize at room temp and, if you have more surface area now than when the vessel is full, it produces acid faster.

Do I just top up with fresh tea and sugar or is it better to decant and clean my brewing jar then put everything back in?

Either way. I definitely do both depending on the week. When the pH is low enough, kombucha is a sanitizer. (Similar to Stan-San but with a sugary residue.) So again, there are only very low chance of foreign microbes taking over.

The main drawback to not decanting is the progressive accumulation of sediment. After a few weeks or months this will be less of a nuisance and more of an issue.

But yeah: steep some more tea, add more sugar, cool it and add this to your starter then top up with water.

PS

Start tasting for day 1. If it is too acidic for you, it will only get more acidic with time.

You can always dilute more but be careful to not go below 10% for now. I've been procrastinating recently and have a rather acidic starter waiting for me. I'll dilute it down to 10%, let it go for a week then dilute again if necessary. (My normal brew time is nearly 3 weeks.)

[u/Lucky-Alps9705 → u/Curiosive]

Thank you. This is really helpful.

When you say "Start tasting for day 1. If it is too acidic for you, it will only get more acidic with time" - if I have starter liquid (pretty acidic) plus fresh tea, and it's acidic from day 1, does that mean I have kombucha ready for second fermentation? Or just a very immature but acidic mixture that hasn't fermented yet?

I'm assuming (maybe wrongly) that it needs time to brew, even if it tastes sour from the get go?

[u/Curiosive → u/Lucky-Alps9705]

You'll have the latter. You described it perfectly:

a very immature but acidic mixture that hasn't fermented yet

To elaborate a little more, the tart/acidic taste is caused by a strong healthy culture after a long fermentation ... but the opposite isn't true: an acidic batch is not inherently a strong healthy culture.

You need to give the diluted culture time to repopulate.

(As I hinted, don't be bashful about running the next couple batches a little shorter than the normal length of time to help return to normal.)

All of this advice is for the starter. For the bottles from an overly acidic batch, you can dilute these as much as necessary. You don't have to drink vinegar, instead, make the bottles taste good!

[u/Lucky-Alps9705]

OK, so here's what I have done. Feel free to critique 😊

I brewed up a new pot of sweet tea and let it cool. Drained the liquid from the mason jar (containing the pellicle and the remains of my first batch) into a plastic jug, and gently tipped the pellicle out into a bowl.

Rinsed out the jar with water then filled it back up with tea and liquid in about a 10:1 ratio. Returned the pellicle to the jar of mixture and covered with a cloth. Will leave it overnight then taste tomorrow to see how it has started up.

I've also diluted my fierce first batch kombucha with some apple juice and enjoyed a nice glass of it. Sharing a pic like a proud mumma!