Kombucha Vinegar – From Fermented Tea Drink to Delicious Salad Dressing

How to use overly sour kombucha

The step from fermented tea drink to delicious vinegar is really not complicated. If you have produced too much kombucha, you don't have to dispose of it immediately. With a little patience, your tea drink will turn into delicious vinegar in 4 to 10 weeks. This tastes similar to apple cider vinegar without any additional spices. Here too, there are no limits to the flavors you can create.

How is kombucha vinegar made?

First, you simply start a new batch for fermentation. How to do this in detail is explained for fermentation beginners here.

The SCOBY now simultaneously becomes your vinegar mother. Kombucha is made from a starter liquid, tea, sugar, and with the help of a SCOBY (symbiosis of yeasts and bacteria cultures). Acid is produced during fermentation. The longer the fermentation lasts, the more acid is produced. The added sugar ferments more and more over time. To make vinegar from it, it simply has to ferment for much longer. Since this process can extend over several weeks, you need a little more patience than with the usual fermentation of 7 to 14 days. Normally, the correct vinegar ripeness is reached between 4 and 10 weeks.

When is your kombucha vinegar ready?

As with kombucha, there is no general answer. We recommend an initial fermentation of 4 weeks. After that, the fine-tuning can take place. The liquid should be brought to a pH value of about 2. To do this, you can add one tablespoon of sugar every 2 weeks over a period of 6 weeks. This helps the SCOBY with fermentation and you will achieve the very acidic environment faster. In between, you can, of course, always taste it with a small spoon to see if the vinegar is appealing to you.

Refining kombucha vinegar with spices

Add even more flavor to your vinegar with spices! There are no limits to the flavors here. We recommend storing the refined vinegar for another 2-3 weeks in a sealed bottle in a cool, dark place.

Possible ingredients for refining:

• Thyme
• Mint
• Oregano
• Basil
• Garlic
• Onions
• Shallots
• Lemon peel

FAQs

Can the used SCOBY be used for a new kombucha batch after making kombucha vinegar?

The SCOBY can then continue to be used without problems for the fermentation of further kombucha.

How long does bottled vinegar last?

There is no general shelf life for homemade kombucha vinegar. Store it cleanly sealed and cool. If you see mold, an unusual smell, or other noticeable changes, you should no longer use it.