Why Does My Homemade Kombucha Taste Like Vinegar. The vinegar taste comes from the production of organic acids during the conversion of alcohol by bacteria. The longer kombucha ferments and more of it changes into vinegar.
Kombucha contains an average of 1 acetic acid which makes it taste like vinegar. If you leave kombucha on the counter with the scoby too long you get something that taste like vinegar and can be used to replace vinegar in recipes. I have found that a consistent brewing interval helps dramatically.
The most likely reason is the duration of your fermentation and the amount of sugar you add.
I have found that a consistent brewing interval helps dramatically. This is likely why your kombucha smells like vinegar too much acetic acid. The longer kombucha ferments and more of it changes into vinegar. If you leave kombucha on the counter with the scoby too long you get something that taste like vinegar and can be used to replace vinegar in recipes.