Homemade kombucha flavours: ideas through the year
In short
Once your kombucha is ready, you flavour it in the bottle with fruit, herbs or spices. Favourites include elderflower and lemon, rhubarb and ginger, raspberry and mint, apple and cinnamon, and clementine with a hint of spice at Christmas. The exact quantities and timings for each flavour are in the guide and the exclusive recipes that come with your Natural Probio SCOBY; this page is here to whet your appetite.
Plain kombucha is already a pleasure: tangy, rounded, with the warmth of tea behind it. But flavouring is where your kombucha becomes truly yours. It happens after the main brew, in the bottle, and it is the step our customers enjoy most. Here is how we would approach it, season by season.
How does flavouring work?
Very simply. When your kombucha tastes right, you strain it into bottles and add the flavour you have chosen: a few pieces of fruit, a little juice, some herbs, a slice of fresh ginger or a pinch of spice. You close the bottles and let them rest before chilling. The flavour settles into the drink and, in a well-closed bottle, the sparkle develops too. The guide explains which ingredients behave best and how long to leave them.
What works in spring?
Rhubarb and ginger
Pink, tart and warming: the first bright bottle of the year, when forced rhubarb appears.
Elderflower and lemon
Floral and fresh, the taste of hedgerows in bloom. Lovely with a light lunch.
Gooseberry and mint
Sharp and green, for anyone who likes their kombucha bracing.
And in summer?
Strawberry, cucumber and mint
The garden-party jug flavours, in a sparkling homemade kombucha.
Raspberry and basil
Ruby-coloured with a peppery herbal lift. A surprise at the table.
Blackcurrant and lemon verbena
Deep, fruity and very British.
Many more ideas for the warm months are on our page of summer kombucha flavours.
What about autumn?
Blackberry and bay
Hedgerow fruit with a gentle savoury note.
Apple and cinnamon
Rounded and warming, with a nod to cider.
Pear and cardamom
Soft and fragrant, for bonfire-night evenings.
And when winter comes?
Clementine and clove
The scent of a fruit bowl at Christmas, in bubbles.
Cranberry and orange
Festive red, sharp and cheerful on the table.
Lemon and fresh ginger
Zesty and lively, for crisp winter mornings.
For the festive season, see winter and Christmas kombucha.
Which flavours work all year round?
Fresh ginger is the undisputed classic: it brings warmth and bite, and pairs with almost any fruit. Lemon is the easy companion, sharpening and lifting. A few dried hibiscus flowers give a deep pink colour and a tangy, cranberry-like note. And with a good black tea, plain kombucha can stand on its own, simply chilled with a slice of lemon.
Where else does kombucha shine?
At the table and as an aperitif. Its tang cuts through rich food, and its sparkle makes it feel like an occasion. Our page on kombucha with food and as an aperitif suggests pairings, from a Sunday roast to a Friday curry, and ideas for serving it when people come round.
Where are the full recipes?
With your SCOBY you receive the complete guide and access, via a QR code, to our exclusive recipe library: which ingredients to use, how much, how long to leave them in the bottle, and plenty of variations. This page gives you the ideas; the recipes give you the method. You will also find seasonal inspiration on our pages for summer and winter.
Questions about flavours
Does the fruit go in the jar with the SCOBY?
No. Flavouring happens afterwards, in the bottle. The SCOBY stays in its jar of plain sweet tea, as the guide explains.
Can I use frozen fruit?
Yes, frozen fruit works very well, which is handy for summer flavours in the middle of winter.
Can I flavour kombucha with juice?
Yes, a little fruit juice is one of the easiest ways to begin. The recipes give the right proportions.
Every flavour starts with your SCOBY
A live kombucha SCOBY in its starter liquid, with the guide and the exclusive recipes behind all these flavours.
- Exclusive recipes included
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