Soaking Corks?

[bmelanco]

I just finished bottling my first cider and read the side of the cheap little hand corker I have. It says to always soak corks overnight in an Campden solution. I'm not sure why but I thought cork was used because it was basically sterile. DO I need to soak some corks and recork? PS it's a spiced cider (used "seasons greetings" tea bags) and it is tasty.

[jdesq]

I do not soak but I do boil the corks for a few minutes before using. Never a problem with them.

[bmelanco]

I didn't boil them either. Do you think I'll have a problem just using the corks right out of the bag? Got them form Midwest Supply.

[ndcube]

I take 'em out of the bag and throw them into my Starsan bucket for 5 minutes or so before corking. Never had any problems.

[wayneb]

Cork is not "basically sterile." It is cut from the bark of a particular kind of oak tree, and generally speaking it doesn't provide a nutrient base for most spoilage organisms, but although they are often given a rinse in a sterilizing solution such as weak chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide immediately after cutting, there is no guarantee that they are handled in any kind of sanitary fashion after that. Additionally, cork oak bark is a natural nutrient for some fungi that will readily grow on it, and in the process generate 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (the organic chemical responsible for "cork taint"). Ironically, the synthesis of the cork taint chemical requires that chlorine compounds be present, so the chlorine bleach rinse may actually increase chances that cork taint occurs!

Anyway, it is always a good idea to give natural cork a quick rinse in a sanitizing solution to kill and/or remove anything potentially nasty that has settled on the surface of the cork in the time between when it was cut and when you got your hands on it.

I've seen arguments go both ways about the quick rinse vs. long soak, and I tend to just plunge my corks into a metabisulfite solution for a few minutes before I use them, unless I'm using the 2 inch long #9's, which tend to be really hard to insert without a longer soaking. Those, I'll keep immersed for about 30 minutes. Boiling isn't really a good idea since it tends to break down the cell structure of the cork, and that will lead to premature failure (i.e. corks that have been boiled may last only a year or two, where those that haven't been subjected to those high temps may last for decades).

[Enid]

I just spit beer all over my monitor.

Please see link. Maybe this will give some answers.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Saturday-Night-Live-Cork-Soakers

[Medsen Fey]

Hi bmelcanco,

I wouldn't do anything to your current batch, it should be fine. There is a greater risk of introducing contaminants by uncorking and recorking than there is if you just leave them alone.

Corks which comes directly from the manufacturer are usually sealed in a bag (typically of 1,000) and have SO2 in the bag to protect them. They also have the correct moisture content. Many times they have a very fine paraffin or silicon coating to ease their introduction into the bottle. They may come with instructions saying to insert them dry.

Boiling or long soaking can remove that coating and make it more difficult to insert the cork and may lead to damaging the cork during insertion. Boiling may damage corks and make them unusable if done with enough intensity (done that). It may also change the moisture content of the cork and lead to reduced resiliency and a less effective seal against the glass. Increased moisture may lead to crumbling and caused a shortened cork life. Soaking in a strong sulfite solution can actually cause some breakdown of the material that makes up the cork.

With all that said, since I don't usually get my corks in bags of 1,000, they have already been taken out of the original package and I generally will give them a brief rinse in some sanitizer (hey, I don't know where those corks have been ). Is it absolutely necessary? Probably not. Is it potentially harmful? Possibly. Still, that is what I usually do, and it seems to work. When I have put corks in that were not sanitized, I have not noticed any problems.

I hope that helps.
Medsen