Flavour ideas for the second fermentation

One of our jars of Kombucha makes just under 4 litres of plain kombucha. 10% of that you need to set aside for the next round. Leaving you with about 3.5 litres to bottle – 4 x 750ml of kombucha in a litre bottle, with space for flavour.

So with every brew, you have the opportunity to experiment with 4 separate flavour combos. I tend to do two bottles with a flavour I like, and the other two with something new.

My top tip is to blend the fruit rather than adding as chunks, borrowing some of the to-be-poured kombucha to make the blending and pouring FAR easier. It’s my opinion, and I am not sure how shared it is, that mixing into a puree gives a smoother taste, better colour, and stronger fruitier flavour.

If you want to freestyle, then the general ratio for a fruit-based kombucha is roughly 20% flavour to 80% kombucha, and less for stronger tastes eg coffee and spices.

1. Coffee kombucha

Coffee

A yoga teacher told me this was so unbelievably satisfying and far better than a €7 iced coffee he’d purchased an hour before, but a dear friend told me it smelled like fish.. We believed she was wrong but I guess it’s up for debate. Nonetheless, a flavour you must try if you like coffee. If you can then cold brew the coffee as it makes the taste a little less acidic. And use your favourite beans – it matters.

2. Mango & passion fruit

Tropical

This is my go to kombucha classic. I use frozen fruit, defrosting them first. The passion fruit can overpower the mango, hence it is not 50:50. This one can also result in some big explosions if you don’t burp the bottles.

3. Strawberry & basil

Berry & herb

Strawberry kombucha is delicious, but the adding of a little basil gives a little extra freshness. For your first try, blend first the strawberries and make a just strawberry bottle, then blend the basil into the strawberry mix. This way you can try with and without to figure out your preference. Usually I need to add a little kombucha to the blender too so it is pourable into the bottles.

4. Cherry

Fruity

When Utrecht boasts the best cherry juice in the summer, its such a winner to try a cherry kombucha, but burp these ones with care too.

5. Lemon, ginger & turmeric

Classic

Another classic. This one gives me the feeling of health. The tumeric addition does little to change the flavour, but it makes the colour beautiful and is good for your body.

6. Pineapple & ginger (or mint)

Tropical

A flexible one depending on your mood or the weather that day. Pineapple’s sweetness is commonly paired with ginger’s heat in second-ferment recipes; mint is the cooler alternative.

7. Raspberry & mint

Berry & herb

Bright berry and cool mint – a nice one to have on hand once the weather warms up. Raspberry and mint appear together on standard kombucha flavour-pairing charts.

8. Raspberry lemonade

Refreshing

This is pink-lemonade territory – raspberries give it the colour, lemon gives it the tartness, and strawberries or cherries work just as well if that’s what you’ve got instead. The lemon balances the raspberries’ sweetness against the kombucha’s own tartness, and a few mint leaves are a common (optional) addition.

9. Hibiscus

Floral

Hibiscus tea is naturally tart and floral, and turns the kombucha a striking bright pink. It has no natural sugar of its own though, so a little goes into the tea to fuel the fermentation – and even then, it won’t get as fizzy as the fruit-based flavours on this list.

10. Lime & mint

Refreshing

Closer to a virgin mojito than lemonade – lime and mint make a naturally zesty, herbal pairing. The lime flesh, mint and sugar get blended into a pulp and strained before bottling, rather than added whole.

11. Apple

Classic

The familiar one – a fruity flavour with a balance of sweetness and tartness that doesn’t ask much of you. 100% apple juice gives the most realistic apple flavour, more so than fresh apple pieces.

12. Elderflower

Floral

A sweet, floral flavour – quick to put together since elderflower cordial (homemade or shop-bought) is already concentrated, no syrup-making step needed. Mint is a common optional addition if you want something brighter alongside it.

13. Rose

Floral

A light, sweet floral flavour, and one of the more unexpected ones on this list – surprisingly good against the kombucha’s tartness. Steeping the rose buds first, rather than dropping them in dry, gets more out of them than relying on days of contact time alone.

14. Pineapple & mango

Tropical

Worth going mango-forward rather than 50/50 – homebrewers who’ve tried this combo found pineapple can dominate and even undercarbonate if the puree is too light overall. Best kept generous and mango-heavy.

15. Peach

Fruity

A gentle, familiar sweetness that works whatever the season – fresh, frozen, or peach juice all do the job here. Canned peaches work too, just drain them first and blend if they’re in syrup rather than juice, so you’re not stacking extra sugar on top.