Скачать или смотреть What is Second Fermentation?

Second Fermentation is a great way to make your probiotic beverage both healthier and more flavorful.
But what exactly do I mean when I say "second fermentation"?
When you grow a batch of water or milk kefir, or when you brew a jar of kombucha tea, you are fermenting.
Fermentation is the process of bacteria or yeast breaking down some substance.
In the case of water kefir and kombucha tea, sugars are being broken down.
In the case of milk kefir, the grains eat lactose, a type of sugar already present in milk.

Fermentation is the same process that makes beer, wine, and other liquors. Yeast breaks down the sugar in, say, grape juice, and turns that into wine.

But let’s get back to probiotics.

When you finish your first probiotic batch, you separate your fermented beverage (water kefir, milk kefir, or kombucha tea) from the main part of the culture (water or milk kefir grains, or kombucha scoby).
You can then use the grains or scoby to prduce a new batch of kefir or kombucha tea.
As soon as that first fermentation is over, you have a healthy, probiotic beverage.
You CAN enjoy your kefir or kombucha right away.
Or, you can make your probiotic beverage even better by second fermenting it.
This is how you can do so.

Leave your kefir or kombucha beverage out on the counter for anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
You can also second ferment your beverage by putting it in the fridge for two or more days.
We’ll talk about specific second fermenting times later, along with some fermenting tips and tricks.

What happens when you leave your beverage sealed up for a while before drinking it?

The bacteria and yeast in the beverage are still active, so the fermentation process can continue, even when the grains or scoby are no longer in the beverage.
As the beverage continues to ferment, the culture multiplies, and this changes the healthiness and flavor of the water, milk, or tea.

Think of it like wine.
Wine is classically fermented in oak barrels.
But, even if you are not a fine wine connoisseur, you know that wine that was bottled yesterday and wine that was bottled ten years ago will taste very different.
The same is true of many alcoholic drinks, like scotch.
The longer the drink stays in the bottle, the richer and smoother the taste.

The same is true about kefir and kombucha tea.
If you put your probiotic drink in the fridge for a few days, it will taste very different.
Smoother.
Richer.
Stronger.

However, there is a risk to second fermenting your probiotic beverage without adding anything to it first.
The sugar you originally added to the water or tea has mostly been eaten up by now.
That’s why kefir and kombucha often taste more tart than sugary.
Milk kefir will taste tart, as well, much like yogurt.
This is because the culture has eaten up the majority of the lactose in the milk.
The problem?
The culture can't continue to grow and thrive without food.
So second fermenting your beverage for too long (without adding a new sugar source) will defeat the purpose.
The culture could starve and start to die.
That would make your beverage LESS healthy for you, instead of the opposite.

The solution?
Flavor your beverage with fruit, berries, herbs and/or sugar.
That would provide you with two benefits.
First, the culture would have some fresh sugar to feed on.
Second, your probiotic beverage will be much tastier as a result.
Adding some berries to milk kefir, for example, after a few days in the fridge, would give it a sweet and tart balance, just like yogurt drinks you can buy at the store.
But much, much healthier for you.

Adding a few slices of orange or lemon to your kombucha tea, after some time to chill in the fridge, will make a zesty, tangy cold tea.

And dropping some fruit and herbs into your water kefir, again, after a few days in the fridge, will give you a fruity, fizzy, natural soda.

The flavor possibilities are endless!

By the way, both kombucha tea and water kefir can get a fizzy, carbonated texture, if you seal the beverage in a glass bottle or jar during the second fermentation.
Fermenting your probiotic beverage creates carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
If that CO2 can't escape, it will naturally carbonate the water or tea, just like the yeast in beer and campaign do, giving you that fun, fizzy texture.

Once you've mastered the first fermentation of kefir or kombucha,
Making batch after batch,
Why not try injecting some flavor and fun into the process
By experimenting with flavoring and second fermentation?