The best bottles for kombucha are so important! In order to make kombucha fizzy during the second fermentation, you need the perfect kombucha bottles and an airtight seal.
Why is the kombucha bottle important?
Kombucha is an amazing fermented drink made from sweet tea ferments that is full of good gut bacteria. Some people call it a panacea because it leads to better overall health, but you can’t put your finger on the one thing that it does. It’s not like a vitamin that does a specific job. But those of us that drink kombucha tea regularly swear that it affects the overall health of our bodies. (although I am not a doctor, so I cannot speak authoritatively on this. I am just going by what I have personally experienced.)
One of the best things about kombucha is that it’s fizzy! It makes you feel like you’re drinking pop, but it has all the health benefits of a fermented beverage. But the material of the bottle and how it seals is actually what allows it to get fizzy.
How does kombucha fermentation work?
Think of that science experiment when you were a kid where you put baking soda and vinegar in a jar and topped it with a balloon. The gasses that were released from the chemical reaction blew up the balloon!
Kombucha is sort of similar. During the brewing process, after the first fermentation in the large jar (also referred to as the primary fermentation), you flavor it and bottle it in special fermentation-grade bottles for the 2nd fermentation. In this secondary fermentation , you add a new source of sugar in the form of juice or fruit. The yeast and bacteria in the kombucha eat the sugar and they release gasses, creating built-up carbon dioxide. The goal is to trap those gasses by using fermentation-grade bottles with a good seal. That’s what creates that great carbonation in your carbonated beverage!
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Are Mason Jars the right bottle for kombucha?
The first way you can store kombucha is in Quart wide mouth mason jars. I’ve absolutely done this before when I’ve been short on proper bottles. Does it work? Yes. Does it work well? No.
The problem with mason jars is that the two part lid system is not fully airtight. Because of that, the gasses the kombucha produces escape, which is a common mistake for new kombucha brewers. When you go to open it, there’s not really any fizz left. Any fizz that it does build leaves through a huge opening at the top when you remove the lid. Obviously, a narrow neck would do a better job at keeping the carbonation in.
However, it still tastes great. I just made a batch and used multiple types of bottles on the same batch just to compare them. While this was the least fizzy, it still had the same great flavor.
I also wonder if using the one piece top instead of the two piece top would help with that? What do you think?
So if you’re just beginning and have mason jars on hand, just get started. Don’t wait until you have the money to buy high-quality kombucha bottles. You might discover through a lot of trial and error that you prefer smaller bottles or 16 oz swing-top bottles later. You don’t need to wait to have the perfect bottles for the fermentation process. That is not the most important factor for getting started.
Reused Kombucha Bottles With Screw On Lids
I’ve also used old kombucha brands bottles with screw-on lids to bottle kombucha. You’d think that since kombucha had been in it before, they would work perfectly for your next batch.
I think what happens is that once the inner portion of the cap is stressed by the pressure of carbonation the first time, it does not have as tight of a seal on subsequent batches. Consider a balloon after it’s blown up. It never really gets back to the original shape.
On the batch I just did to compare, the reused kombucha bottles were better than mason jars, but still not really fizzy. The taste of the kombucha was great and it worked fine. If I had them laying around and didn’t want to invest in new bottles, or wanted to reduce plastic waste, they are a great option for starting out.
Reused Swing Top Bottles For Kombucha
Swing-top bottles are the popular choice for kombucha fermentation. The swing-top closure or flip-top lids shut the bottle tightly and do not allow the gas to escape. Because all that gas stays inside, the product has great carbonation. It’s so refreshing! But you don’t have to just use a new bottle. Swing tops work well even when they are reused, as long as a fermented beverage was in it originally.
Grolsch beer bottles
A lot of home brewers reuse swing-top beer bottles like Grolsch bottles for their kombucha. I think the ones people use the most are Grolsch beer bottles. That totally works! When we first started brewing kombucha, we did the same thing. These stout bottles are durable and the top caps hold well under the pressure of carbonation.
I think my biggest concern was that I didn’t want people to see my kids drinking it and think it was beer. We usually strain our kombucha into a glass anyway, so that didn’t really stay a super valid concern for me.
Other beverage reused bottles
I shop a lot at Aldi and they sell a sparkling lemonade in food-grade glass flip-top bottles. If I need to buy sparkling juice for something, I try to buy it there so that I can make use of the bottle when I’m done. It costs the same as other sparkling juices, but gives me the benefit of another kombucha bottle!
The size of the bottle does matter though. These 32 oz bottles are large and they don’t store well in the refrigerator. They are too tall and take up too much space, but they can help you get started so they will get the job done!
In both cases, those swing-tops latch down really securely. They are perfect for kombucha fermentation, and it’s double duty. You can use what’s in it first and you’re not spending money for just a bottle.
Some people don’t love this because they want all their bottles to be cute and match. I don’t care about that stuff, so I’m all in with reusing swing top bottles!
DO NOT USE DECORATIVE BOTTLES!!!!
You can find cute, decorative swing top bottles at places like TJ Max and Home Goods. DO NOT use those for kombucha! They are often made from thin glass or poor quality materials and are not fermentation-grade bottles. They are not designed for drinks under pressure. The pressure of the carbonation can cause them to explode. Ask me how I know this! I told you I’ve used all the bottles and I’ve used these! And then I’ve cleaned up kombucha and glass shards from the ceiling all the way down to the floor and from one side of the kitchen to the other.
I’m so thankful no one was home when it happened, because the idea of glass exploding under pressure is terrifying. Just don’t use them. If the flip-top bottles weren’t originally used for carbonated beverages, don’t risk it.
New Swing Top Bottles For Kombucha
This is my favorite: brand new Swing-top bottles in cobalt or clear or brown food grade glass. They are perfect kombucha bottles that give you great carbonation every time. They make a super fizzy, amazing kombucha!
You can choose clear glass bottles if you want to see the different flavors you made, or brown or cobalt bottles to protect from direct sunlight, which can affect product quality and shorten the shelf life of your fermented drink. However, if you store the clear glass bottles in a closed refrigerator, they don’t get much direct sunlight.
This is what it could actually look like with brand new, swing top bottles. It’s so good! This is why I feel like I don’t need pop when I have kombucha on hand!
They are hands down, the best bottles to use when brewing kombucha.
Best bottles for kombucha
As a recap, here they are in order
- New high-quality kombucha bottles – 16 oz swing-top bottles or 32 oz swing-top bottles in clear glass, brown, or cobalt.
- Reused swing top bottles – Grolsch beer bottles or swing-top bottles that originally contained a carbonated beverage to ensure that they are fermentation-grade bottles.
- Reused commercial kombucha bottles with screw-on lids.
- Mason jars (wide mouth) with screw on lids.
So that’s my comprehensive assessment of what I find to be the best bottles for kombucha. I’m a homesteader at heart so I really believe that you should use what you have and just get started. You might actually hate kombucha, or hate the process of making it over and over and over.
See if you like it. See if the process of making it works into your schedule. THEN invest in high-quality kombucha bottles that make it more fizzy and more impressive looking. Until you know that this is the thing for you, it doesn’t really make sense to invest a bunch of money into it!
I’m planning on writing more posts about the process of kombucha from beginning to end. I hope you’ll join me for those! Until then, tell me what you’re using to bottle your next batch of kombucha!
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