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I love kombucha, that tasty, fizzy, probiotic filled traditional drink which originated in China and later in Russia. My husband and I have been drinking it for over 15 years, and I’ve had few breaks in the brewing cycle in all that time.
Going on vacation? No worries. Just set a fresh batch on just before you leave and even if you’re gone a month, the new batch will be perfect and ready for you when you return! If it’s a little strong, just dilute with a bit of plain seltzer. Or, you can use it to make kombucha salad dressing.
It’s amazing to me that I’m using today the great-great grandbaby culture of the original culture I purchased all those years ago! What a great health investment it was to purchase an excellent quality SCOBY!
I’ve tried making kombucha several different ways over the years including continuous brew and the batch kombucha methods. About 7 years ago, I settled on a routine that works well for me. I make huge batches of 7-8 gallons every 10 days or so split among four 2 1/2 gallon clear glass jars that I purchased at Target for $12.99 each.
Batch Kombucha Method
How I make my large kombucha batches is described in detail in the linked article which contains written recipe plus 2 video demonstrations:
If you are a beginner and wish to make a basic batch of kombucha to start, check out the link with written recipe and 2 detailed videos as well.
Continuous Brew Kombucha vs Batch Method
I’ve been asked several times recently about why I do not use the continuous brew method for kombucha. The process adds fresh sweet tea to the fermenting vessel periodically to mix with tea in various stages of fermentation. You essentially rarely wash the brewing vessel and simply keep topping it up with fresh sweet tea as it gets used up.
While this method is awesome for some folks, I’ve tried it myself and it just didn’t work for me.
My 4 reasons for my sticking with batch kombucha for so many years are outlined below.
Low Mold Risk with Batch Kombucha
Some folks say that the continuous brew method reduces the risk for mold.
Despite living in Florida where it is hot and humid much of the year, I’ve only had mold one time in over 15 years of making kombucha. The reason was simple. I foolishly put the fermenting vessel near the fruit bowl.
In my experience, the risk is very small indeed for getting mold in your brewing kombucha. If you wish to eliminate the risk to virtually nil, simply double the amount of starter you use for each batch.
It’s that simple. Increasing the starter at the beginning increases the acidity of the initial brew and mold just won’t go there.
As a bonus, increasing the amount of starter ensures a faster brewing batch!
Batch Kombucha a Healthier Brew
I am a bit sensitive to caffeine and have never had a problem with batch kombucha causing any stimulant issues for me. This is because caffeine is broken down during the fermentation cycle. The sugar is also fermented away during the brewing cycle.
With continuous brew kombucha, however, sweet unfermented tea is periodically poured into the fermenting vessel which ensures that at least some caffeine and sugar that has not been fermented might end up in your glass.
Since I don’t want to consume any caffeine or white sugar myself and I most certainly don’t want my children to have any on a regular basis, the batch method is the better choice for our family.
Continuous Brew Kombucha Containers of Concern
When I tried making continuous brew kombucha, I used 2 1/2 gallon clear glass jugs. This is because the continuous brew fermenting vessels I examined at that time all had plastic spigots at the bottom. What’s more, they clog up all the time from the bits of kombucha culture that come out when you fill a glass with your brew.
Another problem with the continuous brew kombucha fermentation vessels is that the kombucha really should not be in contact with plastic for any length of time as it will leech chemicals from the plastic into your drink!
The back of the spigot is inside the fermenting vessel and is exposed to brewing kombucha 24/7, so this didn’t make sense to me to choose this type of container given the possible health concerns. It does not matter if the spigots are BPA free or not. Plastic is a petroleum-based product and there are plenty of other chemicals that would be of concern coming in contact with kombucha.
With much of the convenience of continuous brew kombucha lost due to the impracticality and possible health danger of the plastic spigots, I chose to stick with large glass jugs that lend themselves best to the batch approach. Note that since this post was originally written, there are now safe continuous brewing vessels available from Kombucha Kamp. However, most on the market are still not safe enough, in my opinion.
Batch Kombucha More Budget Friendly than Continuous Brew
It’s significantly cheaper to get set up to brew batch kombucha versus continuous brew. Continuous brewing vessels are quite expensive, whereas a gallon Pyrex bowl costs just a few dollars. Hence, for newbies, batch kombucha is definitely the way to go at least until you see if you are going to make this beverage long term.
Even when you make large amounts like I do, it is still a lot cheaper to set up for batch kombucha. I make 7-8 gallons several times per month with little to no mess.
In the final analysis having tried both methods, I find batch kombucha to be an overall easier and healthier choice than continuous brew.
Does Kombucha Prevent Grey Hair?
On a side note, I’d like to take an informal poll of anyone who’s been drinking kombucha for a long time.
If you had no grey hair when you first started to drink it and have been drinking it consistently since, do you have much if any grey hair now?
Kombucha has anecdotally been linked to grey free hair. My husband and I are both 2 decades beyond the age most people see their first grey hairs. We both still have essentially none despite parents and siblings who went grey at much earlier ages. Has anyone else has experienced the same?
Where to Source Strong Kombucha Cultures
Please refer to my Healthy Shopping page for where to source excellent quality kombucha cultures and equipment for very reasonable cost.
More Information
Want to know more about kombucha? Â These articles provide more detail for your research.
Fluoride in Kombucha: Should You Be Concerned?
Can Candida Sufferers Drink Kombucha?
Does Kombucha Prevent Grey Hair?
Jun Tea: Â Kombucha Champagne
Have You Tried Kombucha?
Safe Traveling with Kombucha
Kombucha: Drink It and Wear It?
Yeah, I’d forgotten about B12 and the gray hair associated with “pernicious anemia” that used to be talked about a lot years ago. Gray hair is also associated with thyroid issues. Re: kombucha, a question that I’ve been meaning to ask for some time – may have been answered previously – is whether commercial kombucha – e.g. Synergy – is approved, at least until I can get my act together enough to make my own. It’s certainly very sweet and pretty brightly-colored so wonder if it’s yet another of the health-food-store-pretend traps. Janet
I drink Synergy on occasion and love it. It’s fabulous when you are on the road or out for the day and parched and need a drink of something that is decent.
Thanks, Sarah. There are so many detours on the decent-eating road, especially when life is so busy, that it’s nice to know that making some decisions based on convenience isn’t all bad. My youngest daughter has Down’s syndrome and, though very smart and capable, is also in what seems to be permanent high school/college independent mode – “I’m 49 years old and I can handle it myself!” She’s pretty good about most of the stipulations, including gluten-free, but I’m glad to have a good range of substitues for SAD offerings that she really likes. That includes some that make her feel as though she’s somewhat in the same territory as teenage soda-happy relatives and neighbors. Would be nice if Synergy were cheaper though. Janet
Thanks so much for the post! It answered several questions that I had and confirmed my suspicions about the residual caffeine and sugar still left using the continuous brew method. I would so appreciate it if you could do a followup article on whether it is a good idea for pregnant women to drink bucha in moderation (I’m hoping to be pregnant in the next few months) and what age you think is appropriate for children to start drinking it.
I really love your scientific approach to questions, I respond to logic like no other form of argument 😉
Logic is great but sometimes you just have to throw it out the window if your intuition about something is very strong and you feel the need to override it! 🙂
Sarah, I am learning so much from you and others about healthy eating. It has changed my life. I am slow to learn and get frustrated with all the change and info. I have bad fibro fog days and it gets hard to manage this and feel well enough to put in the time it takes to be healthy. Has anyone ever thought of having people stay with them to learn the ropes? I know that farms do this and thought that the people who learn best by seeing and then doing this would be wonderful. I grew up on packaged mac and cheese and hot dogs and pepsi. This kind of eating is so different that the obvious is not obvious to me. I need a lot of learning time.
Stay the course and you will get better. Stay happy too … don’t let so much negative news bring you down as this leads to poor health as well. The world has always had tons of problems – no different today than at any other time. Just different manifestations of the same ole things.
I love kombucha so much I made my own video on it. 🙂
It would be hard for me to tell about gray hair. I do not have any but I am only 27. My mother has only a tiny sprinkling at her temples and she is 60 (and eats SAD). Late graying runs in my family. Although my dad has been entirely gray for 5 years or more now and he is 62. His hair didn’t start to turn until his mid- to late 40s though. So, ask me in 30 or 40 years! lol.
You are a complete natural on camera Kate 🙂 Not like me .. I had to look ridiculous for a very long time before getting the hang of it somewhat.
Just wondering, some websites discourage drinking both Kombucha and kefir water.
They suggest doing one or the other. Any thoughts? They also suggested Kombucha
could increase the heaviness of menstrual cycles.
The wider variety of fermented foods and beverages in the diet the better. Kombucha increases heaviness of menstrual cycles? Never heard that one before. Sounds far fetched unless there is some good research to back it up. I’ve never heard of anyone experiencing this. If anything, cycles improve given the improved gut balance that results from consuming traditionally fermented beverage.
I have been drinking kombucha for two years and have never even heard about it being related to menstrual cycles…plus I’ve experienced the opposite, if anything. I don’t think that’s valid. Did they cite any studies?
Yep – since I’ve been eating better I have 5 day periods rather than the 7/8 days I had for many years.
Everyone in my family drinks kombucha, ages 2 and up. Even the dog gets some every day! I’m thinking of switching to a continuous brew because my house is small so when I bottle a bunch at once it’s hard to find places to store it.
Everyone in my family drinks kombucha, ages 2 and up. Even the dog gets some every day! I’m thinking of switching to a continuous brew because my house is small so when I bottle a bunch at once it’s hard to find places to store it.
I was just wondering if it’s okay to have Kombucha when you’re pregnant? Thanks! 🙂 Love your posts!
I sucked down plenty when I was expecting 🙂 I found that it helped ease any back/hip pain I was having particularly during the final trimester when you feel like a beached whale 🙂
About the gray hair. When I started eating from the Nourishing Traditions cook book people noticed that my gray hair is not as gray as it used to be. I was acussed of lyeing and coloring my hair!!! Maybe its the probiotics that has the effect on the gray hair.
It may also be the nutrient-density of the diet. I think that as you age, your body doesn’t absorb nutrients as well, leading to minor deficiencies. It would be exacerbated on SAD. On a traditional diet, though, it would be helped.
I am thinking about adding this to my diet. I have fibromyalgia really bad and when my muscles hurt I am in bed for several days. I was told that lactic acid was building up in my muscles and than was why they hurt so much. If this drink can clear the lactic acid it would be wonderful for my fibro. I would love to hear if anyone else has experience with this.
I have a friend with fibromyalgia and she says that drinking kombucha is really helpful for her. She feels a difference when she is drinking it regularly.
Thank you Beth. I got to get started on this. I have been trying the ginger soda. Love it!! Maybe boocha is similar.