What is the Point of Second Fermentation for Kombucha: Health Benefits, Flavor, & More!
For those of you who may not know, kombucha second fermentation is an optional step in the kombucha making process. Second fermentation is the process through which your kombucha can be flavored, carbonated, and more! While it is not a necessary step and plain ‘ol primary fermented kombucha is wonderful for you as well, we are big fans of second fermentation and think you will be too by the end of this article!
The Obvious (& Palatable!) Benefits of Second Fermentation
Once primary fermentation is complete, you will remove your SCOBYs (symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast) and have the option to take your kombucha on the journey that is second fermentation. SCOBYs are present throughout the entire primary fermentation process, and unfortunately they are rather fragile; straying from the status quo during the primary fermentation process can ruin a batch of kombucha and even destroy the SCOBY! The primary fermentation process is also aerobic as the SCOBY requires oxygen to conduct its magic. This is why we cover the fermentation jar with a breathable coffee filter or cloth. Luckily, second fermentation is SCOBY-free, allowing us to experiment and reap many benefits without risking the health of our kombucha and SCOBY! The most apparent of these benefits are…
Flavor!
Second fermentation consists of flavoring your kombucha in a number of different ways! To begin this process, you will add your kombucha to your choice of fruits, juice, herbs, spices, vegetables, extracts, and more! This means you can significantly diversify the flavor of your kombucha! As an added bonus, we will continue to ferment the kombucha after adding these flavors. The yeast remaining in the kombucha will consume most of the sugars that we add, leaving us with a healthier end product. If you aren’t enticed by the myriad of potential flavors you can add, you should know that the yeast also releases CO2 into your kombucha as a byproduct of consuming the sugar. This brings us to our next point…
Carbonation
The CO2 (carbon dioxide) released into the kombucha is actually what carbonates it! So, unlike sodas and many other popular beverages which are artificially carbonated, our kombucha ends up being naturally carbonated through the second fermentation process! Keep in mind you will need to add some form of sugar prior to the second fermentation process in order to fuel the yeast; if you would like to flavor your kombucha with veggies or keep the flavor profile basic, you can achieve carbonation by simply adding approx. 2/3 tsp. of sugar.
As mentioned before, the primary fermentation process is aerobic. To the contrary, second fermentation is anaerobic; our kombucha and added ingredients must be placed in an airtight bottle and fermented for 1-14* more days. This keeps our carbonation sealed within the bottle! In fact, so much carbonation can build up that you will want to “burp” it (lift lid to release excess pressure) daily during second fermentation to avoid an explosion! *The variation in the second fermentation process is explained by variables such as temperature, ingredients added, and personal preference!
Health Benefits of Second Fermentation
Nutrition of Added Ingredients
One of the more obvious health benefits of second fermentation is the addition of nutritious fruits, herbs, and more! From berries to chia seeds, kombucha will appreciate all of the healthy foods you “feed” it. Fermentation also makes foods easier to digest, meaning you might end up getting even more nutrition out of your added ingredients than you would have if you ate them raw! Fermentation also preserves food, meaning you can eat the fresh fruits and veggies you add to your kombucha even if it has been sitting in the fridge for weeks. It doesn’t get any better than that! But wait, actually it does…
Less Sugar
As mentioned earlier, yeasts in kombucha consume sugars during both primary and secondary fermentation. Since secondary fermentation means fermenting your kombucha for longer, it also means additional sugar is consumed by the yeasts. The longer the fermentation period, the less sugar your end product will have! This makes second fermentation kombucha an even more attractive option for all health-conscious individuals. It is also a delicious and much more nutritious alternative to soda and other high-sugar drinks for diabetics and others watching their sugar intake.
More of the “Good Stuff” from Fermentation!
The fermentation process produces countless probiotics, beneficial acids, and antioxidants that can be found in kombucha. During second fermentation, many of the yeasts and bacteria responsible for these wonderful things remain in the kombucha even after the SCOBY has been removed. They continue to work the parts of their magic that can be conducted anaerobically, meaning the end product will have more of these beneficial byproducts. Health benefits of these compounds include improved digestion, detoxification, increased energy, boosted immune system, defense against cancer-causing agents, and even more! Kombucha gives a new meaning to the word Superfood! (Or Superdrink?)
Boozy Kombucha
One thing to be aware of with second fermentation is the fact that the alcohol content in your kombucha can be increased somewhat significantly. Upon consuming sugar, yeasts produce ethanol in addition to carbon dioxide. During primary fermentation, bacteria converts most of the ethanol to organic acids through an aerobic (oxygen-requiring) process. Once we move kombucha to sealed bottles for second fermentation, there is a very limited amount of oxygen available to the bacteria. As a result, the bacteria cannot convert most of the additional ethanol produced during this stage. This means that the alcohol content of the kombucha increases as the kombucha is bottled for longer periods of time; especially if the yeasts are given some form of additional sugar to convert during second fermentation.
This is generally not something to be too concerned about; if you conduct second fermentation for a standard amount of time, the alcohol content of your kombucha should not exceed 3% ABV. However, if you make it your goal to increase the alcohol content of your kombucha, you can quite possibly reach an ABV as high as 5-6%! This would involve efforts such as increasing the yeast content of your SCOBY, adding more sugars prior to second fermentation, and conducting second fermentation for an extended period of time.
Give Second Fermentation a Whirl!
All that’s left to do now is embark on your second fermentation adventure! Do some reading about all of the wonderful options you have for flavoring your second fermentation kombucha! If you have not yet completed the primary fermentation process or haven’t started your kombucha journey at all, you will want to review the entire process first.
Have any questions or comments? Please let us know using the comments below! Thanks for learning with us today and we wish you and your kombucha all of the best! 😉
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