The Most Important Tip For Brewing Kombucha The Right Way

While kombucha may seem tricky to make, it's easier than it appears. It requires you to brew the tea, and then the liquid undergoes two fermentations. However, before you do all that, the most important tip for making kombucha the right way is to store the liquid you'll ferment in a glass container. 

According to Bottle Store, using glass will help keep your kombucha sterile and prevent you from adding any additional contaminants or bacteria. Prior to using glass containers to store your kombucha, all you need to do is place them in water and bring it all to a boil on the stovetop. The temperature will kill any potential bacteria, preventing them from ruining your kombucha brew. 

Glass containers are great for those who want to monitor the progress of their kombucha. You won't have to remove the lid as you might if you were using a less transparent container. That being said, food-grade ceramic also works well as a container for your kombucha. However, there are materials that you wouldn't want to use to ferment your tea. 

In particular, you will want to avoid using any containers made of plastic or metal. Both materials are ill-suited for brewing kombucha. Metal and plastic pose a risk of leaking into your tea. 

Kombucha undergoes two fermentations, and during the first, the mixture becomes acidic. It can cause toxins from the material to break away and enter the liquid. In particular, you should be concerned about BPA in plastics and entering your tea. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, BPAs are "an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics." BPAs have been linked to potential negative health effects, particularly in children and infants. The chemical has also been linked to high blood pressure as well as diabetes. 

When introduced to heat or acid, BPAs can leak from the plastic into food as well as liquids like kombucha. One study found that eating canned foods increased one's exposure to BPAs. Likewise, metal containers pose a risk since certain metals will interact with the acidity of kombucha, leading to a release of toxins.

Besides potential negative health effects, BPAs and toxins can affect the live bacteria culture of your kombucha, ruining the fermentation. Glass doesn't pose the same risks and is easy to sterilize and use throughout the brewing process.

While glass containers are great for making kombucha during the fermentation process, you shouldn't use them during the initial brewing process. Never directly add your boiling tea into a glass container unless you want that container to chip or potentially shatter. Glass that undergoes sudden changes in temperature, such as adding boiling tea, can cause stress fractures and cracks in the material. So, keep your glass away from the heat. Instead, brew your tea and let it cool before adding it to the containers.

Likewise, never use chipped or broken containers to avoid exposing your kombucha to outside bacteria. While kombucha contains good bacteria called probiotics, you don't want to risk upsetting the bacteria culture by introducing rogue agents from the outside. 

When it comes to picking a container, you have a variety of choices to choose from. In particular, you may want to consider purchasing a canning jar, which ranges in size. Keep in mind that the larger your container, the more ingredients you will need and the more time it will take to ferment.