How to Flavor Homemade Kombucha

How do I flavor my homemade kombucha?

1. Pour kombucha into fermentation bottles, leaving a little space at the top to add your flavors and to allow breathing space.
2. Add flavors, like fruit, sugar, honey, or table sugar.
3. Seal tightly.
4. Ferment for 3 to 10 days, somewhere dark and room temperature, until it reaches the carbonation level of your liking.
5. Strain to remove debris before serving.

What flavors are good for kombucha?

Think basil, sage, rosemary, mint, lavender, lemongrass, turmeric & more! Dried herbs are much more potent than fresh herbs. Use dried herbs sparingly, as they can overpower the other flavors in your bottles.

Why does my kombucha taste bland?

Longer fermentation times can lead to bland kombucha. I generally find that in colder months, when my brews take longer to acidify, the flavors tend to be a bit more muted and bland. I offset this by flavoring with bolder fruits and increasing the amount of flavoring I use in second fermentation.

Can you flavor kombucha with dried herbs?

To make herbal kombucha, first reduce the amount of tea used by one-half. If you are using dried leafy herbs and/or dried flowers, add 2-5 times as much herbs as tea. Intensely flavored, finely-grated, dried barks and roots can be added in proportions equal to the tea.

How do you flavor kombucha with herbs?

I add a few sprigs of fresh thyme and lemon juice to flavor it. In the Fall and Winter I like to add cinnamon and cloves or pumpkin pie spice. If you want to flavor the kombucha with just herbs, add a little sugar to re-activate the probiotic bacteria. Half a teaspoon per bottle is all you need.

What fruit is best in kombucha?

Add fresh raspberries, strawberries, cherries, elderberry blossoms or raisins and other dried fruits to the finished fermented drink. Or fill a bottle of Kombucha two-thirds full with ready-to-drink fruit juices. Just taste for yourself what you like! The drink gets a different color and takes over the fruit flavor.

How do I add fruit flavor to kombucha?

Evenly distribute blended fruit into glass bottles. Fill the bottles with homemade unflavored kombucha tea. Close bottles with lid and let sit at least 2 hours before drinking. Pour fruit-flavored kombucha in a cup over some ice and enjoy!

What kind of juice is good for kombucha?

Use fresh or bottled fruit juice, or a concentrate, to create a slightly sweeter kombucha. Rinse fresh fruit before adding it to the bottle, and cut large fruit into matchsticks. There’s no need to thaw frozen fruit. Blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, and raspberry are popular kombucha flavors.

How many times can I reuse a scoby?

Every scoby can be used four times before it gets too old and needs to be discarded. With each batch of kombucha a baby scoby is produced and the process starts again, you will have a fridge full of scobys before you know it.

What happens if you ferment kombucha too long?

Although kombucha does not spoil in a traditional sense, unrefrigerated raw kombucha can continue to ferment if left out too long. This extra fermentation can result in kombucha that is more vinegary, more acidic, more carbonated, or even contains a little extra alcohol.

Should I add vinegar to my kombucha?

Let’s be crystal clear right up front: despite what you may have read or heard, vinegar should never be added to Kombucha as starter liquid. Use only well-fermented Kombucha as starter liquid for your brews.

Can you use canned fruit in kombucha?

Flavored kombucha is also a great way to use-up the liquid from canned fruits like peaches, pears, or pineapple. Furthermore, if you enjoy the sweet hot of fresh ginger juice, it is an especially health promoting addition.

Can I use frozen berries to flavor my kombucha?

All you need is kombucha and fruit – you can use frozen fruit straight from the freezer or fresh fruit.

Can you add fruit juice to kombucha?

Flavoring kombucha is a fun way to keep your family excited about culturing. One of the easiest ways to make flavored fruity kombucha is to use fruit juice. Use any juice — store-bought or fresh squeezed.

Can you use jam in kombucha?

Lots of home brewers have success with using jams or preserves. I greatly prefer the flavor of fresh fruit, but if you have an awesome jam you want to try out in your brew, do it! Just use about a tablespoon or two per 16 oz. bottle since the flavor will be pretty concentrated.

How long should I ferment kombucha?

Keep the jar at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and where it won’t get jostled. Ferment for 7 to 10 days, checking the kombucha and the scoby periodically. It’s not unusual for the scoby to float at the top, bottom, or even sideways during fermentation.

How much sugar do I put in kombucha?

Lila’s golden ratio is 1 cup of sugar per one gallon of kombucha. You can adjust it depending how much kombucha you are brewing.

What happens if you put too much sugar in kombucha?

The recommended recipe is 1 cup of sugar per gallon. Too little and you will inhibit the brew’s normal healthy development; no scoby, no acetic acid. Too much and the yeasts will either overrun the bacteria or fall ‘asleep’ and do nothing.

Should kombucha be refrigerated?

Authentic kombucha contains live bacterial cultures that need to be refrigerated to maintain its potency. As authentic kombucha is never pasteurized (if it is, it’s actually dead kombucha!), refrigeration is necessary. Pasteurization is the process of heating a liquid to kill all the living organisms within it.

Can I use ground ginger in kombucha?

Yes! You can use dry ground ginger in kombucha – about 2 tsp per 1/2 gallon. Alternatively, you can add a few pieces of candied ginger to your bottles.

How long should you second ferment kombucha?

Second fermentation is the process through which you flavor your brew and put it into a sealed container, which traps carbonation into the liquid. It typically takes 2-4 days, but can take longer.

How much sugar do I add to second fermentation kombucha?

Add 1.5 tsp of white sugar into your clean sterile 750mL glass bottle. – Pour your kombucha into the bottle through a muslin cloth lined funnel. – Seal the bottle tightly (a flip top cap is the easiest) and leave at room temperature for 2 -3 days to carbonate.

How long can I keep scoby in fridge?

The easiest way to store your kombucha scoby is in a sealed container in the fridge. Always label the jar so that no one in the household gets rid of it by mistake! The scoby then goes dormant and can be stored for up to 6 months.

How do I keep my kombucha fizzy?

Add a little sugar / fruit / juice / flavor. Yes sugar! Sugar is what sparks yeast the most, and the yeast are responsible for the bubbles. 1/2 teaspoon of straight sugar per 16oz bottle should crank up the Kombucha carbonation.

Can you cut a scoby in half?

You can safely cut a scoby in half. Just make sure your scissors or knife are completely clean before you handle it to avoid contamination. The next batch you brew with the cut scoby will grow a new scoby to grow across the top, as always. To cut a scoby in half, place it on a cutting board with the cut side down.

How long can you keep a scoby without feeding it?

There is nothing perishable in a scoby so there is no need for it to ever be refrigerated. Simply store your scoby at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.

How much kombucha should you drink a day?

Too much of anything is bad for you, of course. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that four ounces of kombucha can be safely consumed one to three times a day.

Why does my homemade kombucha taste like vinegar?

The vinegar taste comes from the production of organic acids during the conversion of alcohol by bacteria. As these acids are synthesized, the kombucha becomes more acidic, lending to a harsher, more bitter flavor as the ferment progresses.

Can you put apple cider vinegar in kombucha?

The cultures need a slightly acidic environment to get to work, so add ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar. You can also add 2 cups of kombucha, which you’ll want to do for your next and subsequent batches, but for now, since you probably don’t have any booch on hand, vinegar works!

Can I use honey in my kombucha?

Most kombucha recipes call for sugar, and many people have the idea that honey is not suitable for fermenting kombucha. However, honey does indeed work.

Can you put essential oils in kombucha?

The third way you can flavor kombucha, and this is great way to fix a batch that you might be unsure about, is by adding essential oils. You’ll start off with whatever kombucha you want to add flavor to, whether it’s plain or already flavored, and you take whatever oil flavor you like and add a few drops.

How long can you store homemade kombucha?

Perhaps you’re a kombucha wizard, and you’re experimenting with your own kombucha concoctions at home. Once you’ve whipped up a batch, you can expect the homemade kombucha to last between one and three months when stored in the fridge.