How should I store My CommuniTea Kombucha?
Does It Require Refrigeration?
We often field questions from folks who want very much to buy a case of our kombucha but do not have space in the refrigerator. Here is a quick primer regarding: What will happen if it gets warm?
Our Kombucha is not subject to spoilage from getting too warm.
What does happen without refrigeration is that sugar diminishes and turns to carbon dioxide. It becomes dryer and fizzier.
We keep it cold for two reasons:
to preserve the “sweetness/acid” balance which is a hallmark of our kombucha.
to minimize the danger of bottles breaking due to the development of excess pressure from built-up carbon dioxide.
Practically speaking, only the growlers are at risk, and even with them breakage is a rare occurrence. To minimize risk:
Store in the coolest possible location; refrigeration is ideal.
If you have insufficient space in your refrigerator, consider rotating kombucha between your
refrigerator and a chilled cooler.We can recommend inexpensive, high-quality coolers that, when paired with gel ice, will keep your kombucha cold for days.
One possible strategy for bottles that cannot be refrigerated is to store them in a bucket to contain any mess in the unlikely event that a bottle breaks.
There is a lot of cool biology, chemistry and such behind all of this, but we will share that with you elsewhere soon.
To help you calculate your refrigerator’s storage capacity, our case sizes are as follows:
13 bottles per case of 500ml bottles
9 bottles per case of 1-liter bottles
5 bottles per case of growlers
And yes, they are all odd numbers. We have used specialized crates for years to hold and deliver our refillable bottles. A local handyman customizes them for us. Why? It starts with our foundational principle of using refillable bottles. We needed a packaging system that made it easy for our wholesale customers to embrace this reality. Cardboard boxes are flimsy. They get wet and fall apart, and they don’t stack well. On the other hand, our sturdy plastic crates are easier for people to lift and move because they are rigid, have built-in handles, and are moisture-resistant. Though crates have been used this way for decades for refillable glass milk bottles, we were the first to do it with kombucha!