What is it about tea?

[Appleyard]

This with supermarket (might happen with other) apple juice.

So I had half a 2L bottle of AJ, yeast, nutrient, citric acid and sugar sitting there fermenting, as it has been since yesterday early evening, and two hours ago I tip in half a pot of stewed tea, leaving (!) 3½" (0.0889m) headroom.. Whoa! THAR she blows! Overflowing again.

I know tea is a pick-me-up, but for yeast? Cause?

 

[Jim Brewster]

Possibly small particles of the tea leaves in suspension providing nucleation sites for the dissolved CO2

 

[Appleyard]

Possibly small particles of the tea leaves in suspension providing nucleation sites for the dissolved CO2

The froth does look somewhat muddy, so you may have a point. "Froth flotation". It's not pressurised at all, though. Perhaps I will try starting fermentation "on the leaf", in a slightly larger container, to observe what happens. Tomorrow, the top of the bottle gets wiped out, the plastic cap cleaned, and a new bit of kitchen paper applied. When it's got a a proper grip on itself in a couple of days, it can move from the cold porch to the warm top of the range.

 

[Jim Brewster]

Yes there will still be dissolved CO2 in an unpressurised fermenter, something like 0.85 volumes of CO2 at 20 degrees I think

 

[johncrobinson]

The yeast itself has a big part in how much foam is produced
Its very dependent on the particular strain.

 

[Appleyard]

Blinkin' 'eck. I am trying to make a cheap, ultrasimple way of making pseudocider, without sterilising or other faffing about, in 2L bottles. 1L apple juice, plus sugar, Aldi baker's yeast, nutrient, flavouring, get it fermenting, add tea after 24 hours.

Here's the latest outrage. 4" of headroom, from empty to full in 1½ hours, and a cheesy squidge of gunge left in the top of the bottle. Grr!

 

[Appleyard]

Yes there will still be dissolved CO2 in an unpressurised fermenter, something like 0.85 volumes of CO2 at 20 degrees I think

I tightened the bottle cap and gave the thing a wiggle, to wash off the gunge on the inside, and, oh my! I had to let the pressure out rather slowly to avoid it going beresque all over the kitchen.