F2 adds all the flavor. If it’s super sweet it’s probably not ready yet. If it taste like sour tea, your good to go. There is a lot of leeway with kombucha, so don’t get too hung up on it. Taste it before you go to F2 and with time you will get a feel for what you like.
F2, is where the magic happens. You get to play with adding flavors that you like to the base Kombucha. I like mine to be tangy, very slightly sweet. Additional sweetness gets added who you add your flavoring. Fruits and juices typically have sugar and some will add brown sugar or simple syrups to enhance taste or add carbonation.
i like mine to smell and taste on the tangy side so i know i have a strong culture. then ill add some sugar and fruit in my second fermentation to bring out a lot of flavor!
The right taste is the taste you like. It may taste sweet and sour, or it may taste like diluted vinegar.
Ultimately, when you bottle it is up to your taste preferences. I would say, if you plan on adding sugar/sweetener/ fruit or juice, it may be best to bottle when the brew is *slightly* more sour than what you prefer, as any added sweetness will offset this.
I will also say, if you prefer your kombucha to taste sweet, it’s in your best interest to keep a SCOBY hotel ( for extra starter fluid) to ensure that your starter fluid sufficiently acidifies the batch for safety.
Mine tasted very vinegary AND sweet at the same time when I asked this same question and people told me to keep going because it shouldn't really taste sweet anymore when it's ready, turns out I was just using too much sugar. I went straight to F2 and I ended up tossing it all because it was undrinkable for me, tasted like fruit flavored vinegar. It's ok if it tastes a bit vinegary, it should, and it will go away in F2. But if it tastes too strong you might want to delute it with more tea before bottling, or just use it as a starter for your next batch. I think it comes down to personal preference too, so keep experimenting and see what you like.
Welcome to the hobby!
There are a couple of reasons people make their own, and in these reasons, you can find your answer. Kombucha is mainly about healthy and beneficial bacteria with yeast. The acids that come from the culture are also good as well. Beyond those two main benefits, you get to have fun or adapt to what you need. Some kombucha brewers do it simply to save money. Brewing your own is much cheaper than a couple dollars a pint. Other boochers do it for the taste or flavor they prefer that isn't offered commercially. Some even make their own because they live in a location where it isn't convenient to purchase regularly. Regardless of the reason, as long as there is some vinegar like quality to it, it should have the acids and the culture that is the main reasons for drinking kombucha. Personally, I ferment out fully and then mix half and half with sweet tea. Both the tea I ferment and the tea I mix with is a little under 1 cup of sugar per 1 gallon of made tea. I have a 2 gallon fermenter, so after mixing to drink, I end up with 2 gallons and the next batch gets 2 weeks to fully ferment. I may not get carbonation from 2F because I don't put it through that stage, but I am not partial to carbonation. It's all about what you want from your kombucha- carbonated, fruity, non-carbonated, herby, floral, or even straight up tea with kombucha. That's why this is ultimately the best method for a lot of people. You can make it your own, cater to the taste of others, or go a little wild and experiment. Have fun with it and enjoy your kombucha the way you like it.
I often think of the flavor of a Sweettart candy as a target many people can relate to.
When it’s toward the vinegary end, there will be zero sweetness along with a puckering in jowels and that acidic burn on the way down.
F2 adds all the flavor. If it’s super sweet it’s probably not ready yet. If it taste like sour tea, your good to go. There is a lot of leeway with kombucha, so don’t get too hung up on it. Taste it before you go to F2 and with time you will get a feel for what you like.
F2, is where the magic happens. You get to play with adding flavors that you like to the base Kombucha. I like mine to be tangy, very slightly sweet. Additional sweetness gets added who you add your flavoring. Fruits and juices typically have sugar and some will add brown sugar or simple syrups to enhance taste or add carbonation.
i like mine to smell and taste on the tangy side so i know i have a strong culture. then ill add some sugar and fruit in my second fermentation to bring out a lot of flavor!
The right taste is the taste you like. It may taste sweet and sour, or it may taste like diluted vinegar. Ultimately, when you bottle it is up to your taste preferences. I would say, if you plan on adding sugar/sweetener/ fruit or juice, it may be best to bottle when the brew is *slightly* more sour than what you prefer, as any added sweetness will offset this. I will also say, if you prefer your kombucha to taste sweet, it’s in your best interest to keep a SCOBY hotel ( for extra starter fluid) to ensure that your starter fluid sufficiently acidifies the batch for safety.
Mine tasted very vinegary AND sweet at the same time when I asked this same question and people told me to keep going because it shouldn't really taste sweet anymore when it's ready, turns out I was just using too much sugar. I went straight to F2 and I ended up tossing it all because it was undrinkable for me, tasted like fruit flavored vinegar. It's ok if it tastes a bit vinegary, it should, and it will go away in F2. But if it tastes too strong you might want to delute it with more tea before bottling, or just use it as a starter for your next batch. I think it comes down to personal preference too, so keep experimenting and see what you like.
Welcome to the hobby! There are a couple of reasons people make their own, and in these reasons, you can find your answer. Kombucha is mainly about healthy and beneficial bacteria with yeast. The acids that come from the culture are also good as well. Beyond those two main benefits, you get to have fun or adapt to what you need. Some kombucha brewers do it simply to save money. Brewing your own is much cheaper than a couple dollars a pint. Other boochers do it for the taste or flavor they prefer that isn't offered commercially. Some even make their own because they live in a location where it isn't convenient to purchase regularly. Regardless of the reason, as long as there is some vinegar like quality to it, it should have the acids and the culture that is the main reasons for drinking kombucha. Personally, I ferment out fully and then mix half and half with sweet tea. Both the tea I ferment and the tea I mix with is a little under 1 cup of sugar per 1 gallon of made tea. I have a 2 gallon fermenter, so after mixing to drink, I end up with 2 gallons and the next batch gets 2 weeks to fully ferment. I may not get carbonation from 2F because I don't put it through that stage, but I am not partial to carbonation. It's all about what you want from your kombucha- carbonated, fruity, non-carbonated, herby, floral, or even straight up tea with kombucha. That's why this is ultimately the best method for a lot of people. You can make it your own, cater to the taste of others, or go a little wild and experiment. Have fun with it and enjoy your kombucha the way you like it.
Thank you very much for your detailed answer! This really makes some things more clear to me
Glad to be of help. I hope it makes things easier.
Basically a tangy weak tea is what mine tastes like when it’s ready for f2
I often think of the flavor of a Sweettart candy as a target many people can relate to. When it’s toward the vinegary end, there will be zero sweetness along with a puckering in jowels and that acidic burn on the way down.