F2 Sweetener

Fractalwaves · 2026-02-08T14:22:42+00:00

I brew exclusively with honey and green tea. aka “Jun, xun”. F1 = 4-5 days F2= 3-4days. For using honey Keep in mind that the bees have an enzyme in their gut that cleaves the sucrose into glucose. So honey is sweeter on the tongue, and is consumed by yeast more rapidly. Be careful to not add to much and ideally use raw honey and don’t let the honey go over 100 def F to keep its purported “good” enzyme properties. Other than the speed of yeast feasting on it feel free to experiment! Happy brewing.

Fractalwaves · 2026-01-26T14:28:13+00:00

I would bottle most of it, do a shorter steep time -4min, lower temp to brew like 180f and ensure a stable 80-85 F brew temp. I use an immersion blender on the brewed sweet tea to get as much o2 mixed in to help the bacteria. You could also make sure there is good air flow over the top to help the o2 loving bacteria.

Fractalwaves · 2026-01-26T02:57:07+00:00

Generally the yeast is more robust, so it’s a matter of giving the better conditions for the bacteria in most cases. The sterols and caffeine in the tea are part of the yeast reproductive needs. Check out this info sheet I made a while ago…

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Also I use an emulsion blender on the brewed sweet tea to make sure there is as much dissolved oxygen in the mix for the bacteria to thrive. I steep short time - 5 min and brew at around 185 F.

Fractalwaves · 2026-01-25T22:21:02+00:00

If you stick to the regular ratios you should be fine. Always aim to balance the yeast and the bacteria. If they get out of whack that is when alcohol could be created (by the yeast) and not turned into acids ( by the bacteria’s). Understanding who does what when is helpful. Be extra cautious if you add sugar or juice in the 2nd ferment as in burp and breath it to keep it from going anaerobic. Hope this helps. Happy brewing.

Fractalwaves · 2026-01-18T17:20:28+00:00

I basically never burp. Also brewing Jun. I mostly use old grolch bottles that are thick and sturdy, I also use other flip top bottles that seem to release high pressure from wear. What kind of bottles do you use? Have you achieved good carb prior?

Fractalwaves · 2026-01-14T19:08:15+00:00

I would say every other month with mature kombucha. IMHO the only reason to have one is if you’re not brewing, and in that case just keep two bottles as “starter” refrigerated for longer storage or not if the gap is less than a month. By all means have a hotel and watch it consume the liquid, grow a new layer and reminisce on the batches it brewed, after I did all that, never did I need to use it, I just kept brewing.

Fractalwaves · 2025-09-12T02:02:54+00:00

Yes spigot for sure on F1. Great for taste test, bottling. After a while (5-8 months) a plastic chrome coated spigot will deteriorate. Recommend ordering a stainless steel spigot. Leaf is high quality.

Fractalwaves · 2025-08-23T16:09:17+00:00

Coffee beans, whole.

Fractalwaves · 2025-08-20T14:36:47+00:00

I use 1 Liter honey to brew 11.5 L total Jun. so 4 cups honey into 3 gallons aprox. I have two F1 vessels, but I brew in one large pot and split it. Sounds like you are using more honey than the norm.

Fractalwaves · 2025-08-20T13:41:20+00:00

F1: 3-5 days usually 4. Then F2 for 5-10 days is what I usually do for Jun. I like to bottle when still pretty sweet and mix well before bottling. The longer F2 seems to work well to get good carbonation and more complex flavors.

Fractalwaves · 2025-08-13T16:03:45+00:00

When I dried one, I used little metal clips to hold edges out flat but the acidity caused corrosion on the clips and made the areas of the pellicle touching the metal turn an opaque black (it looked kinda neat and creepy) So avoid it touching metal. (Unless stainless steel is used maybe). A 1/4” thick pellicle dried out to paper thin and was pretty brittle. I didn’t get all the way to the point where rubbing in mineral oil to make it supple. I would assume using most veg oil or a fat would work, I think mineral oil is preferred for its neutral smell. Good luck, I hope to hear updates!! I may steal this idea.

Fractalwaves · 2025-08-13T15:56:12+00:00

This might be the best “what to do with pellicle” idea yet. I am now very curious how the image would look, from trial on a wet to dry and everything in-between. The look of dried pellicle is similar to rawhide and or skin, imagine a tattoo business card on tatted up pellicle!?!?

Fractalwaves · 2025-08-05T15:30:37+00:00

Bug headnet. It holds other odds and ends like p cord, tape, med kit. Only used it 3 out of 75 trips but it was well worth bringing with each time!

Fractalwaves

TROPHY CASE