welcome to part 4 of our fermentation device
comparison review series. In this final
installment of the series, we will
explain the 3 post-fermentation
criteria, how each device scored, and then
we will declare our winners. Here are the
scores at the end of the pre
fermentation and fermentation
performance phases. The final criteria all
of which we measure after fermentation
is complete, are: Value, which is the
relative cost of each device; the ease of
cleaning each device; and the final
flavor as determined by a panel of
tasters. To arrive at the scores for Value, we looked at the retail price of
each of the devices and techniques. The
lower the price, the higher the value
score. The old-school method and three-piece airlock were the clear
winners in this contest, as they were the
least expensive options. There is little
to no special equipment required for
each of those. When we recalculate the
averages, we find that contestants one
through four are in a very close race.
Let's look at clean-up for each device.
The jar-and-weight was extremely simple. We
recommend laundering the cloth after a
few uses, as it tends to pick up odors
from the ferments. Masontops was extremely easy, cleaning up with simple soap and
water. The pickle pebbles were also easy to clean. Fermenta Cap was also easy to clean with simple soap
and water. We noted that the inner gasket
was fragile, so you want to be careful
when cleaning. We also noticed that
because of the plastic and silicone, it
tends to take on some odors of the
things that ferment.  Sterilock was really
easy to clean
According to their website, you can soak
the airlock for 30 minutes in a
sanitizing solution. In this case we just
quickly rinsed it. Next was Ferment'n. Just
pull apart the pieces, dump out any
excess water that was in the airlock and
rinse it with soap and water. The ceramic weight has
a few nooks that may tend to collect food.
Just make sure you rinse that out
thoroughly.
We found Kraut Source to be more
complicated than the others. There are
lots of parts. We also found that is
prone to stains and discoloration of the
stainless steel. It probably doesn't
affect performance, that is just
something to note. We also found that
food particles can get trapped in the
press.
The three-piece airlock also had several
parts and had some tight spaces, but
otherwise it was easy to clean.
At the end of the second
post-fermentation criterion, ease of cleaning, contestants
1 through 4 are still neck-and-neck. The final and
most fun part was the taste test.
Here's how we scored the different
batches on flavor. We asked twelve people
to taste each of the seven batches. The
tasters were found at the local Fermenters Club chapter;
at a local butcher shop and at a brewery.
We asked them to select their two
favorites and also their least favorite.
If it was their least favorite, it scored
"1". If there was no reaction that is it
was neither their favorite or least
favorite it scored "2"; and if it was
their favorite it scored "3". We then
totaled and translated those totals
to the 1-to-5 scale. Here are the results of
the flavor test. The three-piece airlock
had the most favorites with reviewers
calling it "bright",
"tangy" and "crunchy". Ferment'n had the next
highest number of favorites. Their fans
said it was briny, and had a nice
crunchy texture. In third place was
Fermenta Cap, which was picklish and had
"great crunch and acidity", Kraut Source
scored the least favorite by tasters. We
believe that due to the drying out and
mold issues we experienced, it alter the
flavor profile. Reviewers found it had
some sweetness the texture was soggy
and the aromas were described as both
"mango" and "funky". We've come to the end of
our testing. With all the scores tallied,
we are ready to declare our winners! In first place
is MasonTops with a total average score
of 4.37. In second place is Fermenta Cap
scoring 4.33, and in a tie for third is
Sterilock and the old school weight-and-cloth method.
We hope you found this series useful . Now
we want to hear from you! Please give us
a shout out or comment let us know your
experience with any of these devices or
others we haven't reviewed. If you like the series,
please give us a "thumbs up"! And be sure
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order to be informed as we release new
fermentation-related videos. THANK YOU, and happy fermenting!
