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lemonberry mint kombucha

Lemonberry Mint Recipe

Sip and enjoy the delicious flavors of sunshine and summer with this Lemonberry Mint Kombucha Recipe.

Have you ever failed at something so many times that you want to give up? Lawd knows I have. But then you try one last thing, and it changes everything. Let this recipe be that turning point for you. It is a bonafide confidence builder. The moment you pop that cap and taste this delicious creation that YOU have made, you’ll be like WHAT! Yeah, I did that!

A Beginner's Guide on How to Make Lemonberry Mint

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Primary vs Secondary Fermentation

It’s important to note that brewing homemade kombucha is almost always a two-step fermentation process. Brewing kombucha is only a one-step process for those who prefer an unflavored flat kombucha. Otherwise, the steps consist of a primary fermentation and secondary fermentation.

  1. Primary Fermentation: The primary fermentation is the first step of the kombucha brewing process. This is where your SCOBY transforms regular sweet tea into the tart and slightly sweet kombucha we love. At the end of this stage, you will have finished kombucha, but it will be flat and unflavored. Have you skipped this step? Then check out our guide on making kombucha at home or our guide on making jun kombucha at home. Traditional kombucha is going to yield a bolder brew, while jun kombucha is milder and a bit more tart.
  2. Secondary Fermentation: The secondary fermentation is the step where you bottle, carbonate, and flavor your kombucha by the addition of sugar and flavors. This step is essentially adding a bit of sugar/flavor to each airtight bottle and letting it ferment a little longer, allowing the yeast to carbonate the beverage in an airtight environment naturally. How exactly does this happen? See our post on kombucha secondary fermentation here.

Since this recipe is for the secondary fermentation, to make this recipe, you’ll need to have kombucha that has finished the primary fermentation and ready to bottle.

Ingredients

  • Kombucha: You need kombucha that has completed primary fermentation and is ready to bottle and flavor.
  • Mint Leaves: Adds a clean, energizing flavor and aroma. Add about 1 sprig or 3-5 large leaves per 16 fl oz bottle.
  • Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen Strawberries. You’ll need 4-5 strawberries, quartered or pureed, per 16 fl oz bottle of Kombucha.
  • Lemon Juice: For each bottle, use 2 tbsp of lemon juice, then some to cut up for garnish (optional). Fresh lemon juice is tart and bright. It’s a great addition to any water kefir recipe but also plays well with other citrus fruits.

Secondary Fermentation Preparation

This recipe makes one 16-fluid-ounce bottle. A 1-gallon batch of kombucha will make seven 16-ounce bottles, so for one gallon, you will need to multiply the ingredients by 7. Before beginning this recipe, you will need to:

  1. Reserve 12 – 16 fluid ounces of kombucha and a pellicle from a batch of kombucha that has finished primary fermentation. It’s best to pour from the top of the brew jar as the bottom will have a much higher yeast concentration. Use this as the starter for your next gallon batch of kombucha. If you need to make kombucha to get caught up to this step, you will need to see our post on how to make kombucha
  2. With your kombucha starter tea and SCOBY placed aside, enough kombucha will be left over in the jar to make seven 16 oz bottles when pulled from a gallon batch. Flip-top or swing bottles are the gold standard and are considered the best bottles for kombucha secondary fermentation. However, any bottle with a lid designed to hold pressure will work. It’s important to note the difference between airtight and pressure-rated lids. Airtight lids alone are not good enough for secondary fermentation; in addition to being airtight, the lids must also be capable of holding pressure. Airtight lids are designed to keep ambient air from entering and exiting; however, they are not designed to hold pressure. Inadequate lids will allow carbonation to leak during secondary fermentation, thus preventing your kombucha from ever carbonating. 

Lemonberry Mint Recipe

Course: Kombucha, Lemonberry Mint KombuchaCuisine: KombuchaDifficulty: Easy
Servings

16 FL Oz Bottles

Prep time

10

Second Fermentation

1-3 Days

This strawberry lemonade water kefir recipe is for one 16 fluid ounce bottle. For a quart batch, make two bottles. To scale this recipe to a quart batch, multiply the ingredients by two or toggle the serving size up to two above. Before bottling your water kefir, remove the water kefir grains and reserve them for your next batch.

Ingredients & Supplies

Directions

  • Remove the SCOBY from the jar: With clean hands, take the SCOBY and place it in a clean container. Measure out one to two cups of kombucha and add it to the container with the SCOBY. This is the starter for your next brew.

  • Place clean 16 oz bottle in the sink.

  • Wedge the chopped strawberries into each of the bottles, along with the mint and lemon juice (use funnel for lemon juice)

  • Using a funnel, slowly pour kombucha from the brew jar into the bottles, leaving about one inch of headspace from the top of each bottle. The kombucha may foam up with the puree, so just go slowly and let it settle in between. Leave about 2 cups of kombucha in the jar with the SCOBY for the next brew.

  • Tightly place caps on each bottle.

  • Keep bottles at room temperature for 1-3 days, depending on temperature.

  • Once per day, you’ll want to “burp” the bottles by removing the cap to allow built-up pressure to escape and place the cap back on. As soon as you put the cap back on, the carbonation will begin to build back up, so no worries about it getting flat. Try not to skip this, or you will have kombucha all over your face and your kitchen when you do go to open it.

  • When you are happy with the flavor and fizziness of your kombucha, now it’s time to place bottles in the fridge to chill and halt the fermentation.

  • Enjoy your kombucha by the glass or use it in salad dressings, smoothies, chia seeds, etc.!

NOTES

  • First-time brewers may find it helpful to substitute a glass bottle for a plastic bottle of equal size. Fill the plastic bottle as directed above, leaving 1-2 inches of empty headspace at the top. This plastic bottle will now be used as a pressure gauge. Once this bottle becomes rock solid, you will know the remaining are ready. This method can help prevent bottle bombs.

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