Flavoring Kombucha

So we left off yesterday in Our How to Make Kombucha Tea Post explaining how we made kombucha.  After 10 days of fermenting on the top shelf in our laundry room where it stays a constant temperature of 78 degrees, we determined that we'd consider it done.  You can leave it to ferment longer, but the taste profile changes and it gets less sweet and a little more 'tangy,' having a 'vinegar' taste.

We unscrewed the lid to reveal that another SCOBY had formed on top of the tea. That's when you know it's done.  The 'mother' or older SCOBY was right underneath.  Each time you go through fermentation, it will multiply and grow another SCOBY, allowing you peel one off and share it with a friend so that they can start brewing kombucha.

A New SCOBY

Simply lift the new SCOBY and the older one out of the fermented tea, and place it in a quart jar. You'll use it to start brewing your next batch.

Removing the SCOBY

We pour just enough tea out of the original batch into the jar with the SCOBY and the contents will serve as your 'starter culture for your next brewing.  The recipe calls for a starter culture of 2 cups per gallon.

But before we begin brewing another batch, we need to drink this one!  You can either drink the tea as is from the gallon jar that you removed the SCOBY from OR you can flavor the tea and let it undergo a second fermenting.  Tricia likes it plain and enjoys drinking it as is.  Me?  I like some flavorings.  Cultures for Health has a You Tube video below that you can watch to show you how to flavor your kombucha.  Click on the arrow to watch:

In flavoring ours, we wanted a bold flavor and looked around to find something with a different flavor profile.  We had some leftover whole cranberries in the freezer from Thanksgiving, so we crushed a handful of them in a bowl and then grated a couple of tablespoons fresh ginger.  Cranberry-Ginger Kombucha!  That sounds interesting, doesn't it?

Grating fresh ginger over crushed whole cranberries

We carefully put the cranberry/ginger mash in a juice bottle and using a funnel, poured the fermented kombucha into the bottle.

Flavoring the kombucha

You want to use a bottle that allows an airtight seal, because the second fermentation will produce carbon dioxide and give it an effervescent, fizziness.  Put it out of direct sunlight on the counter and allow it to ferment for a couple more days so that the flavors intertwine.  Now we wait... Again.

While we're waiting on the flavored kombucha to go through the second fermentation, we start our next batch brewing.  Simply brew another gallon of tea and add 1 cup sugar per gallon and allow to cool, and pour the starter liquid you reserved from the first batch:

And go ahead and add the SCOBY:

Put a cloth over the top, fastened by a rubber band and set it back on the top of the cabinet for 10 days.  You can see the SCOBY in the bottom.  

After two days, the flavored kombucha is ready.  I'm excited to try it.  The button on the lid was popped out, letting us know that it was carbonated.  I actually ordered a couple special bottles with flip-top lids (Grolsch-style bottles) for the next time. Anyway, we opened the top and poured the tea through a strainer to catch all the solids, and then back into the bottle.

I poured a glassful with a couple cubes of ice.  You can see the carbonation bubbles on the side of the glass along with the beautiful, reddish color of the tea.  In smelling it, you can smell the ginger.

Cranberry Ginger Kombucha!

Now for the taste test...  DELICIOUS!  We really enjoyed it and the gallon was gone quickly, especially since Russ came home from college and really liked it.  I guess we'll have to brew bigger batches from here on out. The Cranberry Ginger Kombucha was a nice flavor.  We're going to try other flavors.  Cultures for Health lists these interesting flavors that you can make:

Other Flavoring Ideas and Combinations

• Blueberries and cinnamon
• Berries and fresh or candied ginger
• Strawberries and basil
• Cherries and almond extract
• Pears and almond extract
• Apple juice and cinnamon
• Lemon or lime juice and fresh ginger
• Pineapple juice, coconut water, and coconut extract
• Vanilla beans (split open) or vanilla extract
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Fresh or candied ginger
• Coconut extract
• Lavender and chamomile
• Chai Spice Blend
• Lemon balm and rose hips
• Combine 50% lemonade water kefir and 50% kombucha for a Probiotic Palmer.