In the approximately 3 months since i last posted about making kombucha, I've only made 3 batches. Part of this was JB004 ended up being a complete bust. I don't know if it was the commercially bought lemon juice or if I did a poor job cleaning out my bottles, but shortly after bottling the whole batch got super yeasty (I think). The smell and taste were off and there was crazy sediment build up. I dumped it, discouraged. We also traveled back to Minnesota for Christmas and had the week in Hawaii. I didn't leave a batch going in either case. And while it's something I enjoy, I haven't been drinking it every day and don't feel the need to constantly be brewing.
With JB005 I made another attempt at Raspberry Lemon and it worked out. I decreased the sugar to match the amount of water I'm used (12 cups water = 3/4 gallon, and 3/4c sugar). This time I bought lemons fresh and squeezed the juice. I did two lemons (about 1/4c) and a 1/2c of smashed raspberries. Plus I made sure to clean the bottles out thoroughly using only hot water (no dishwasher). After the primary fermentation with the SCOBY and the secondary fermentation with the fruit/juice, I bottled and left at room temp for three days before putting in the fridge. The flavor was what I hoped for, though it didn't get as much carbonation as I want. But importantly, the batch worked out and didn't turn out like 004.
JB006 was the first batch where I used some fancier tea from a local shop. Up until this point I had mostly just used green tea bags. It's called 'Sinfully Cherry' and, well, smells like cherry. I let it steep for 10 minutes before removing the leaves, and only added some (fresh squeezed) lime juice for the 2F. After bottling and leaving for a few days it got essentially no carbonation. The flavor was a little boring too, but improved with more lime.
For JB007 I used another fancy tea, called 'Mystic Dragon.' This one is a blend of Japanese and Chinese green teas, and is delightfully strong in smell and flavor. I let the 1F go longer than the previous couple batches (13 days instead of ~a week). I threw in smashed blackberries (1/2c) and lime juice (2+ limes = 1/3c). 3-4 days for the 2F and 3-4 days trying to gain some carbonation. It recently wrapped up and I pulled some out to sample. The flavor is good, maybe could've used more blackberries, and again it has subpar carbonation, though much better than 006. It'll be enjoyed.
At this point, I think two things. First, I'm still gun-shy after the batch that went wrong. I should probably let each step of the process go longer: 1F like 2 weeks, 2F about a week, and check the bubbles better before cooling. Second, after reading some of r/kombucha, everything is probably progressing slowly because it's simply winter and colder in the house. The kombucha making process goes slower when colder and I've done a bad job taking this into account. Either I need to find a way to warm up my vessel or wait longer.
Alright, about time to get back to it and start JB008 with more Mystic Dragon. I can get back to creating better carbonation (003 was great btw). I know it!
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