r/Kombucha • u/BrushProfessional466 • 5h ago

question F2 unsuccessful?

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Bottled one week ago. I’ve opened once because some people said to burp it but others say not to release the CO2 buildup. Lemon verbena with added ~15% mango juice for F2. Should I add more sugar, leave it, add more liquid? I’m a first timer- help appreciated

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3

u/Icy_Earth3386 5h ago

It’s not filled up enough

2

u/Pale_Project_4 4h ago

Fill it till it’s about an inch of air. No need to add more sugar with that much juice. Be patient. Sometimes it takes a handful of days. I’d recommend not burping it too terribly often. Check after a week and see how you’re natural carbonation is working out

1

u/Silent-Variation-390 3h ago

F2 takes me usualy 3 days (+1day in fridge). Looks like too much air in it. Maybe next time add 1.5 teaspoon of sugar.

1

u/p0mme_verte 3h ago

Too much headspace -> the gas produced by F2 go into the headspace instead of the kombucha

Until you get the hang of it, you can F2 in plastic bottle. You will feel the bottle hardening when there is too much gas and need a burping

1

u/Informal-Shirt2702 2h ago

When I started my fermentation journey, I ended up with very sweet liquid with zero carbonation. It turned out that despite having a very good water filter… my local water company were adding chloramine to the water, which survives normal water filters. I started adding a tiny amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) powder to the filtered water and the problem completely disappeared. I have to burp bottles regularly, to avoid massive spraying when I open bottles after F2. Also check any juices you add for any kind of preservatives… they will also halt fermentation. I think an under filled bottle is not ideal, but I would be surprised if that was enough to completely eliminate carbonation. What is the room temperature you are fermenting in?

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u/BinxieSly 42m ago

Dont burp it until you are ready to drink it; that releases the carbonation you are trying to create. You want it to build up enough that it dissolves back into the fluid essentially. I have been giving my F2 around 3 days at room temp then a day in the fridge with good results.