Kombucha: Batch Brew vs. Continuous Brew

0:15 - You Brew Kombucha uses batch brew methods
0:25 - What is continuous brewing?
1:13 - Why 1st fermentation is faster with CB
1:47 - Why I don’t recommend CB
2:13 - Why I prefer batch brewing
2:34 - Why CB can create yeast imbalance
3:28 - When is CB a good option?

FTC: This video is NOT sponsored. Amazon and Hemplucid links are affiliate links.

[jambomambo]

I do continuous batch brewing. I still 2F the entire pot, but just add sweet tea once a week without touching the scoby's. They've been going strong for a few months now.

[tristaferencik]

I was taught to continuous brew but to take the scoby out each time, separate babies, and stir the kombucha before siphoning. Sounds like I was taught right 😊

[_La_Knight]

I like coming to your videos b/c it’s mainly focused on Kombucha but I wish you would demonstrate more. I mainly hear you talking next to a batch of Kombucha. It would be very helpful if you’ve showed things you’ve tested yourself.

[Justin]

I'm not sure if you know this, but you only need 1/2 cup of Kombucha from the continuous brew per 16 OZ bottle. You then can fill the rest of the way with new sweet tea and flavor. Let it ferment the second time for close to 2 weeks. You don't need to fill the bottle 3/4 of the way like so many do from the continuous jar. So it doesn't matter so much how sour it is or etc. because your are using so much new tea per bottle.
Try it. :)

[kyliefan]

OMG! You have to try continuous brewing! I love it and now do it exclusively because batch is too much cleaning, work, measuring...etc.

[buzzboop]

I love your vids. I can confirm this as I did continuous batch brewing and I noticed over time it does sour much faster. The Kombucha wound up having less fizz during the second ferment over time and end up having to add a tablespoon of sugar to try to feed the active cultures. The amount of starter tea wound up being very important as I used to fill my growlers then topped my brewing vessel off with fresh sweet tea, which may have had an imbalance in the brew. Regulating my starter tea and STIRRING when transferring to my second ferment vessels helped out so much. Such a small step made a huge difference. Thank You.

[kevido]

You're incredibly succinct and professional. Thank you so much, this avoids me so much confusion!

[estheralcala-hao]

you can bottle your continuous batch all at once too. it just a lot easier to harvest because it has spigot

[mimib]

depends sooo much on how big your family and how many of them are totally in love with kombucha, its just my boyfriend and i so i do batches, my boss loves makin it continuously at the kitchen where we work at, its very handy to just walk in the fridge & fill my drinking bottle right before my shift

[dougmarqs]

I do my fermentation in a continuous brewing container, but I do it batch by batch. It's just easier to take the kombucha out straight to the bottle.

[radicafantasy]

Yes I agree, tried it, continuous brew is a lot of work., was great at first as it took no time at all to ferment but after a while I couldn't keep up and it got sour quicker. Batch brewing suits me as well, also if you think you need kombucha all the time, just scale up your batch so in between brewing you don't run out.

[LulasticHippyshake]

I have been continuous brewing for a few months and am a massive fan! I have anew video up with a Christmas kombucha recipe, and another little treat i love to make with my booch :D

[Sophia.]

Fantastic, thanks!
I'm new and was really not sure why people were doing batches instead of the continuous. It just seemed like the obvious thing to do (I haven't yet, I'm on my third batch ever, but I like it and I'm scaling this one up).
This was a very good overview.
Thank you :)

[hogsrmylifetbj]

You can still batch brew in a jar with a spigot just take out the scoby and use starter liquid every time it’s literally the same thing they’re not super different it’s just how easy it is to bottle.

[jv]

The background "music" is very distracting. Please adjust the volume down so that it does not compete with your voice.

[Warhammer]

If it gets too sour you can just add simple syrup to taste

[feelingbetternaturally]

What should I do if my Scoby is getting thinner with each batch?

[pedroclaro]

This is a biased opinion. Second fermentation is not only possible but easier: You stir it, because you can do that once your SCOBY is formed, and you take most of it out and fill it back up.
I make the same amounts I used to make when I did batch brewing, but I split the SCOBY once in a while so it stays thinner (=slower fermentation).
I store excess SCOBY in a Hotel and I make SCOBY candy with it twice a year. If you want to stop brewing, just dump the whole scoby hotel in the brewing vessel and go about your business.
I also have two lines in my vessel, one for the minimum amount it can have (starter liquid) and another line for the topping it up, this way I don't measure anything and my batches are consistent.

PS: It's a been a good while and my spigot hasn't clogged up like I heard it would.

[saoirse]

Do you have to remove the scoby(s) and clean the container every time with batch brewing, or would it be ok to leave a bit of the kombucha behind as starter liquid for the next batch along with the scoby, refreshing everything when you feel the need(say, every other batch)? I've never brewed kombucha before, still in the research stage. I'm planning to start with a gallon container with a spigot, which is apparently too small for cb, even if I wanted to do that.

[tbhv]

Hi thank you so much for the informative videos. It is so useful to have a dedicated channel to kombucha brewing that is as thorough and informative as yours. I am beginning my first brew ever and was very drawn to using a jar with a spigot to easily fill bottles when doing the second fermentation.

After seeing this video I was wondering if it is possible to use a jar with a spigot as a batch brewing device? For instance in batch brewing even if you have just harvested your first fermentation and taken your scoby out surely its possible you might then just put the scoby back into your batch brewing jar to prep for your next fermentation afterwards? I understand that 1st fermentation time speeds up the longer you leave your scoby in the starter tea. In my mind though surely I can get away with using the jar with the spigot somehow? I have planned it out so that I will be harvesting most of my 1st ferment- just leaving enough for my next starter- and surely I want the starter to be as strong as possible? So I am wondering if I can do a continuous brew until I get my second layer of scoby and from then on begin my scoby hotel and so on?