I keep 7 gallons of Kombucha going at all times (see my recipe). There are either 3 jars that have a younger batch in them and 4 jars with an older batch going, or vice versa. Does that make sense? This keeps us in constant supply.
But it always means that when a batch is done, I have 3 or 4 gallons to somehow store so they stay just right in sweetness, kick and taste. In other words, I don’t want the Kombucha to go sour. Even though you can’t see them, the strained and “finished” Kombucha contains microscopic little pieces of the mother scoby — and they will continue to grow and feed on the remaining sugars in the Kombucha as long as the conditions are right.
What conditions are those? Warmth, sugar and oxygen. Without one of them, the scoby cannot grow and the Kombucha will maintain itself at its current level of sweetness/taste. You can see now that it is very important to store the Kombucha in air-tight containers if you wish to keep it tasty.
I use gallon glass jugs for storing my finished Kombucha. At first, the jugs were working great. When I would open a jar to fill a carafe or a glass, I would hear a satisfying release of pressure, letting me know that the jar had been sealed tightly, not allowing oxygen to travel in and out of the jar. However, over time, I have been hearing less and less of that satisfying “whoosh” — and consequently, our Kombucha started turning sour! Those little scobys were somehow getting oxygen and eating up all the sugar. How could they? 
What I think happened is that the lids’ wax linings wore down over time, leaving gaps where air could pass. To solve this I have been tearing off 3 or 4 squares of natural wax paper and putting it between the lid and jar. I tighten the lid as tightly as I can. This seems to be working on all but one of the jars. (See top photo.)
Here’s another idea I have, but haven’t tried yet: melt wax, pour it in the inverted lid, rotate the lid around to distribute the wax, and let it harden. I don’t know how often this would be necessary but perhaps it is a better solution than using the wax paper lid liners?
If you have any other ideas for me, please share! Anybody else have this experience? If you’ve just begun making/enjoying Kombucha, how’s it going for you? Does anybody else feel the heavy-limbs/have-to-lay-down symptoms I do?
I thought at one point that I’d adjusted to the Kombucha’s blood pressure lowering effects, but now I’m back to laying down after enjoying a glass. A good reason for me to take a rest!
Note – I received an email from a friend yesterday. After reading this post, she sweetly reminded me that I could have a potential explosion on my hand from all the built up pressure in the bottles. She is right! However, since we drink the Kombucha in less than a week, I think I’m okay with the risk. I haven’t had any explosions yet! And I do think my jars are not completely airtight. So… please don’t follow my advice for storing the K-Tea in airtight jars if you’re not planning to drink the Kombucha right away. If you know you’re not going to be drinking it soon, the safest place to store it is the refrigerator, as this will stop the scoby’s growth altogether — and prevent explosions from built-up pressure!
Wardeh,
Hi, I was just wondering what the benefits are of drinking kombucha? Maybe you have posted that before?
Thanks,
Tiffany
We are still enjoying our kombucha. I keep 4 gallons going – rotating in 2s. I’ve shared with several people your “grandbaby” scobies. I gave some recently to a friend who had her own and thought she had killed them. I gave her a quart of finished tea and several fat scobies. She drank some of the finished tea and called to tell me it was excellent – better than her own. I gave you all the credit. I think the difference may be using the ORGANIC tea bags. Your recipe also uses more tea bags than some I’ve seen on the internet and that may be a factor too. Anywho – your kombucha tea recipe ROCKS! The health food store here has a newsletter and it had a really good article about kombucha.
Tiffany — No, I haven’t really shared the benefits. I’m so young to K-Tea brewing that other than sharing my recipe, I don’t feel too much of an expert. I’m a learner and a believer. If you search on google for “Kombucha Benefits” you will see 100s of benefits (mostly experiential).
The ones I believe: beneficial effects on the digestive system, (encouraging the growth of good bowel flora); it being an alkaline-producing food to balance acidity; stabilization of blood sugars (which we have experienced). I would love to mail you one of my scoby to get your own K-Tea going.
Mary — You’re a Kombucha evangelist!
How interesting to hear that my recipe uses more tea bags than others, and that you think this gives a good flavor. I must credit my friend Jami, who got me going and told me how many tea bags to use. Have you tried Organic Jasmine Green Tea for your K-Tea? That makes the BEST K-Tea!
Everyone — I received an email from a friend yesterday. After reading this post, she wrote to sweetly remind me that I could have a potential explosion on my hands from all the built-up pressure in the bottles. She is right! However, since we drink the Kombucha in less than a week, I think I’m okay with the risk. I haven’t had any explosions yet! And I do think my jars are not completely airtight.
So… please don’t follow my advice for storing the K-Tea in airtight jars if you’re not planning to drink the Kombucha right away. If you know you’re not going to be drinking it soon, the safest place to store it is the refrigerator, as this will stop the scoby’s growth altogether — and prevent explosions from built-up pressure!
Does anyone know where I can get a scoby? I drank K-Tea years ago and would love to get back into it. I’m also interested in trying your tea recipe sounds yummy! Thanks!
L.D.
Lisa, I would be happy to share one of mine, if you live in the U.S. You would only need reimburse me for Priority Mail shipping of $4.95. Use the contact form to send me a message with your full name and address.
I can’t ship finished K-tea because it will leak all over. So you’ll have to buy a bottle of that to use to start the recipe off.
I’m just curious, why don’t you refrigerate the stored stuff without scoby you are keeping? It slows the fermentation way down so it won’t go sour.
Maybe it is because you are doing such a quantity and it would take up too much space in the fridge ?
I read that last part where you advise people to put it in the fridge if they aren’t going to drink it but was just wondering why you didn’t, if there was a special reason… new to kombucha!
Thanks,
Amy
Amy, thanks for asking – two reasons. 1) Just as you said, too much to keep in the fridge, and 2) It goes “flat” in the fridge, no natural carbonation. How exciting that you’re getting into K-Tea!
I’m seeing this article a little late but thought I’d comment on the issue you’re having getting your jars to seal and the possible explosion problem.
First, if these are normal mason jars, you can buy the rings and lids that are used for home canning. The lids (the small flat portion) can be replaced as needed with a new one with a new gummy rim so that you keep that seal tight.
Second, i’m a home brewer and so would recommend using beer bottles to store your K Tea in. You can get large bottles (or even use champagne bottles). An inexpensive capper will allow you to cap and seal these bottles very easily. Since these bottles are made to withstand high pressures of beer or champagne, they will have no problem at all withstanding a little pressure from the K Tea…