10 Safety Tips That Could Save Your Kombucha [and an eye!]

DIY kombucha is a hands-on way to create your own healthy drinks, but there are important precautions one must take to minimize illnesses and contamination. Learn the top 10 tips we recommend on how to handle kombucha safely:

1. Use sturdy glass bottles. This will minimize deformation and shattering bottles/caps due to over-carbonation. This can be avoided by burping your bottle.

2. “Burp” your bottles. This will prevent over carbonation and bottles from bursting.

3. Keep an eye out for mold or dead SCOBYs! Moldy SCOBYs can lead to illnesses and food poisoning so avoid at all costs.

4. Brew your kombucha with purified water. Not only does water have a huge impact on the flavor of kombucha, but also using contaminated water will harm the culture.

5. Cover your brew with a coffee filter. This will provide plenty of airflow for the SCOBY and also prevent contamination. You can also purchase one of our kombucha covers.

6. Give plenty of time for the SCOBY to form. Do NOT disturb your vessel by shaking it or moving it often. This will prevent the SCOBY from forming properly.

7. Store your culture in room temperature (68 to 77°F) with plenty of airflow. This is the best condition for SCOBYs to grow. You could store it on the counter or on top of your refrigerator. Do NOT store it in a closed cupboard.

8. Use natural cleaners. Avoid using bleach/antibacterial soap to clean the kombucha brewing equipment as that would kill off the good bacteria needed to make kombucha. Instead, you can clean your equipment by submerging it in heated water (>160°F) for at least 30 seconds.

9. Grow your SCOBYs in a clean environment. Keep away from cigarette smoke and garbage disposals.

10. Use organic loose-leaf tea. This will give your kombucha more flavor and depth. Tea bags/powder are more likely to have pesticides that will harm your culture.