Keep us brewing and blogging! We earn a small commission from purchases made through links on this site without increasing your cost. Thank you for your support.
Bottles make it easy to store your finished kombucha in the refrigerator and transport to share with friends and family. There a number of different bottles that will work to flavor and store kombucha, but there are certain must-have characteristics.
Strong glass
The bottle should be made of strong glass. The glass in many bottles, like those that beer or soft drinks come in, is often not strong enough to withstand the pressure that builds up as the kombucha eats the residual sugar and creates the carbon dioxide that makes the bubbles. In some instances, they could even explode.
Secure lids
The bottle lid should fit securely and not allow any gas to escape. Bottles that are not sealed properly will not hold in the pressure that makes kombucha fizzy. They could also leak, which could get messy.
Easy to clean
Since you will be using the same bottles many times over, you want ones that are easy to clean.
Large openings to add ingredients
In the fermentation two phase, you add fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs to the bottle to flavor the kombucha. Bottles with larger openings make it easy to add diced or chopped fruit or vegetables.
Storing kombucha in plastic bottles
People often ask “Can I store kombucha in plastic bottles?” The answer is yes, you can store kombucha in plastic. But, we would only consider doing so as a last resort.
Plastic bottles, like the kind that bottled water and soft drinks come in, can work in a pinch to store kombucha if the tops screw on tightly. However, plastic, even food-grade plastic, may contain undesirable chemicals that can leach into the kombucha.
Many plastic bottles have walls that are too weak and will soon stretch and deform as the pressure from the carbonation builds up inside. Also, plastic is easily damaged, and scratches can harbor foreign bacteria.
Keeping the bottles that you flavor and store your home brewed kombucha in clean is obviously important. You can usually just rinse them out with hot water, or run them through the dishwasher, and then dry them. Sometimes sediment or pieces of fruit can get stuck inside the bottle. We find a brush like this one is very useful.
I have been using /recycling store bought buch bottles, except with purchased F217 lids. Also the swing top bottles. I have also found heavy glass soda bottles with screw on lids work. I am trsting purchased stout bottles. It seems to be holding the fizz just fine.
Thanks for your comment Marissa. We have used recycled kombucha bottles and swing top bottles, as well as screw top wine bottles. The screw top bottles seem to work, but I do think they lost a bit of the carbonation, depending on how long we kept them. As you said, it is best to use bottles with strong glass. We haven’t had a bottle explode yet, but we know that folks sometimes do. We recommend burping the bottles, which is also a good way to check on the carbonation.
Hi! What are the bottles shown on the header of the website? They are tall, round and have a plastic cap. Looking to buy these in bulk so the ones listed from amazon with the metal caps will quickly add up in price.
Thanks!
Hi Alex,
Thanks for your comment. Right now the best, low cost bottles are these on Amazon https://amzn.to/2SOqyqf . They are $21 for six and include sleeves which is nice. The ones in the kombuchajournal header are actually GTs bottles that are recycled from kombucha that we bought, before we started brewing ourselves. For slightly more money than buying bottles, you could buy GTs Kombucha (sometimes it is on sale) and reuse the bottles. The good thing is that bottles are used over and over for years, so the expense isn’t really that much over time.
Great explanation! Do you know if the smokes growlers make any difference? I can’t barely see kombuchas in those bottles, only in transparent ones. Thanks!
Hi Patricia. Thanks for your question. Commercial kombucha is sold in both dark and clear bottles. Anyway, once it is finished getting fizzy in the bottles, it needs to be kept refrigerated, so it will be in a dark place anyway. So, I don’t think it matters if the bottles are clear or smoked.