‘Don’t touch it. Get some oven mitts’: Do you really need protective gear to throw away old kombucha?
Kombucha, a fermented and effervescent black tea drink, is a popular probiotic source. But does keeping bottles of it mean you're harboring glass hand grenades in your fridge?
That's what a recently posted video seems to imply. Kendul (@kennnnndyl) took to TikTok to "warn" folks they should approach old bottles of kombucha with extreme caution.
The video has over 3.4 million views as of this writing. In it, a man in faux hazard gear (including a hoodie, sunglasses, and a makeshift mask) carefully approaches a refrigerator.
Using his hands—carefully covered in a pair of socks—he removes two kombucha bottles from the refrigerator and gingerly places them in a paper bag before the video ends.
Kendul writes in the caption, "Pov you realize you’ve had kombucha in your fridge for months after hearing this horror story."
Botched 'bucha
"Horror story" probably alludes to the voice-over audio she's using by TikToker Morgan Lau Bailey (@morganlaubailey).
In the voice-over, Bailey states, "This is a friendly reminder that if you have kombucha in your refrigerator and it's been kind of a long time, don't touch it. Get some oven mitts and maybe some, I don't know, protective eye goggles."
Kendul used a shortened version of Bailey's audio. The full version continues, "It will blow up."
In a follow-up video, Bailey explains that she had left a glass bottle of kombucha in her refrigerator for "probably three months." She says that when she went to move it, the bottle "exploded" and sliced open her hand. Fortunately, she says in the Jan. 21 post that she would be getting her stitches and bandages removed in two weeks.
@kennnnndyl Pov you realize you’ve had kombucha in your fridge for months after hearing this horror story
♬ original sound - Morgan Lau Bailey
Is kombucha actually explosive?
In response to Bailey's original video referring to the kombucha "bomb," Katherine Thompson-Witrick, Ph.D., an assistant professor of food science at the University of Florida specializing in fermentation, told self SELF:
"A kombucha “bomb,” as Bailey put it, is “extremely rare.”
According to SELF, "You probably don’t have to worry about your store-bought kombucha making a dangerous mess in your kitchen—or sending you to the emergency room—as long as it’s properly packaged and refrigerated (since “fermentation slows down significantly at and below refrigeration temperatures.”
"Dr. Thompson-Witrick also suggests 'burping' your kombucha by opening the bottle every other day (just a little—not all the way) to release some pressure. 'When it comes to opening any carbonated product, it’s also best to point the bottle away from your face,' she says, for obvious reasons," SELF continued.
The Daily Dot emailed Dr. Thompson-Witrick for more information.
Kendul's video struck a chord with viewers
One viewer stated, "I got into a car accident and my car was towed, WEEKS later I got it back and a kombucha exploded inside….. I almost wanted to just leave my car."
TheRealMrsMoore (@therealmrsmoore) commented, "You have done a great service to humanity, because I WAS TODAY YEARS OLD when I found out that kombucha can explode!!"
"I have like 5 bottles of kombucha in my fridge from like January. I have purposely not touched them because I’m scared they will explode!" another viewer added.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kendul via TikTok comment and direct message for more information.
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