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Friday, April 23, 2010

Kombucha Tea Flavorings

It's been a few months now, and many batches of Kombucha later, I have compiled a list of our favorites.  Word of advice: we add these ingredients during the 2nd fermentation stage (after the SCOBY is removed and the tea is re-bottled and sealed for its second week of sitting out at room temperature).  [TIP:  For added kombucha fiz/carbonation, add a pinch of sugar or 1/4 tsp raw honey to the jar(s) for the 2nd fermentation stage.  This will further feed the yeast in the tea creating a more bubbly end product.  It's really a matter of personal preference.  A word of caution on the fizz factor…when storing your bottled kombucha at room temperature, please store your bottles in a cabinet or box or some other safe place in the event a bottle cracks or explodes.  I have heard horror stories about explosive bottles shooting glass shards and the sticky mess all over the room..]

We prefer to drink our Kombucha cold, with the exception of the last flavor on this list, so try refrigerating the finished product before taking your first taste and making an impression.  If you try any of these recipes, please let me know how you liked them!  And if you have any other interesting flavorings of your own, please pass along!  We are always excited to try a new experiment! :)


TO 3QUARTS OF KOMBUCHA TEA ADD:

Cranberry Ginger:  1/4c unsweetened dried cranberries and 2 tsp fresh ginger chunks

Strawberry:  1/4 c strawberry jam, 7 fresh/frozen strawberries, OR 5 dried strawberries

Blueberry:  1/4 c blueberry jam, 1/3 c fresh/frozen blueberries, OR 1/4 c dried blueberries

Strawberry-Banana:  1/4 c strawberry jam + 1/2 of a fresh banana

Lemon-Ginger:  the zest of half a lemon (in strips) + 2 tsp fresh ginger chunks

Triple Berry (black berries, strawberries, thimbleberries):  1/3 c total of mixed berries

Raspberry:  1/4 c raspberry jam OR 1/3 c fresh/frozen raspberries

Grape (from a friend's back yard):  3/4 c organic concord grapes

Lemon-Lime:  [use a traditional zester to create threadlike strips of peel]  1/4 c lemon peel + 1/3 c lime peel

Apricot:  1/2 c organic unsweetened apricot juice OR 1/3 c dried apricots

Peppermint:  2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves (slightly crushed)

Cherry:  1/4 c dried cherries OR 1/3 c pitted fresh cherries

Coffee: coffee has similar flavinoids and tannins to tea;  use a dark organic roast: 3-5 Tbsp of coffee per gallon (4 quarts) of water you use plus your usual sugar; I recommend tying off the ground coffee in a coffee filter with cooking twine and adding to the boiling water on the stove, like a homemade tea bag -- makes for easier clean up and less straining.  Pour your cooled coffee/sugar mix into your bowl with the starter.  Add the SCOBY and let ferment.  Coffee Kombucha will take about twice as long to ferment, so be prepared (2 weeks instead of 1).  We make it along side a normal batch of tea Kombucha so we don't run out.  It is well worth the wait!  And don't worry if the Mother has dark spots on it  --  it took us a while to realize that they're just coffee stains.  Give it its second fermentation stage like normal, adding a pinch of sugar for that week to help it along.  It packs a different energy jolt than traditional tea Kombucha!  I think you will enjoy!  :)

7 comments:

Bill

I love putting about 1/2 tsp or less of Crystal Lite cranberry in a quart of Kombucha - tastes great without all the fuss of extracts etc.

Bill

Dangerbunny

Do you always do the second fermentation? it doesn't seem to last long enough in my house, everyone goes "oh its done" and drinks it all.

My mom got me hooked on Kombucha last summer, I am excited to try some different flavors with it.

One of my friends that I got hooked on the stuff is a brewer and he has plans to make a five gallon batch. That will be an impressive Tea Beast (scoby)

Healing Cuisine by Elise

Dangerbunny, are you Ruth???

I do always do the second ferment mainly in effort to reduce the sugar content completely and also to control the taste. The 2nd ferment is the only way to flavor the kombucha. The 2nd ferment also allows the probiotics to eat the rest of the sugar left in the tea, leaving behind a sweet/sour kombucha wine (as opposed to a sweet kombucha wine if you stop at the 1st ferment). Give it a try, I think you'll enjoy experimenting with flavoring options!

Let me know if you come up with any unique flavorings. I'd love to try them, too! :)

And a trick to always having kombucha on hand is to have 2 or 3 batches going at once. Once your SCOBY sheds babies, have various batches going at the same time. Stagger the batches a week apart and you'll always have some ready to go. :)

Dangerbunny

cool, Thanks! I am enjoying your site, we have been gluten free for ages and my husband is trying to convince me to give up sugar as well (it's hard but I am trying)

Yes I am Ruth...

Healing Cuisine by Elise

I recognized Dangerbunny as you :) That's awesome you and your hubby are GF and going Sugar Free! You can do it!! It's fabulous when people our age are excited about making the switch and taking preventative measures for their health. Cheers to you both!

Dimes2Vines

Found you on Pinterest - I have always made plain kombucha and can't wait to try some flavors - Thanks!

Healing Cuisine by Elise

Fabulous, Dimes2Vines! Flavored kombucha will change our kombucha experience completely! :) Have fun experimenting!

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