Hibiscus Pear Lavender Lime

Hibiscus is a much-loved second fermentation ingredient here at Kombucha Hunter. It adds flavor and color, and has medicinal properties as well. Its benefits include relief from high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as digestive, immune system, and inflammatory problems. Hibiscus also protects the liver and reduces the risk of cancer. So, it's pretty much a super-ingredient. For this recipe, we used plain dried hibiscus flowers, but you can use a hibiscus herbal tea as well, or even a hibiscus concentrate! Either way, the finished product will be a wonderfully fizzy swirl of lemony-floral and pear notes. Scroll below for the full recipe.

Tea Base: Sencha tea, loose-leaf + Assam tea (equal parts)
Second ferment ingredients (per 12 oz bottle): Dried hibiscus flowers or any version of hibiscus (1 tbsp of dried/liquid or 1 tea bag, if in tea form, or 1 drop of concentrate); Lavender syrup (1 tbsp) or dried lavender buds {for our lavender syrup recipe, please click here); Organic fresh pear (1.5 oz), organic lime juice (1/2 oz).
 

Process:
Brew your kombucha to your usual tart/sweet preference. For this batch, we used a blend of loose-leaf sencha and bagged assam tea. However, you can use any green or black tea of your choice. We find that blending green and black teas gives our kombucha an extra flavor dimension and carbonation in second ferment.

For this recipe, we used fresh pear chunks (peeled and minced), but you can also add juiced pear, to which you can also add the lime juice. If you do juice, we highly suggest the Omega Juicer.

Once you're ready to bottle, get your juice/fruits ready. Add in your diced (or juiced) pear, making sure it's about 15% of the volume of your bottle. The more juice/fruit pieces you add, the fizzier your brew will be. Add your hibiscus, your lavender syrup (full recipe available here), and fresh lime juice. Seal tightly, and set in your kitchen cabinet for about 4 days. Refrigerate, and enjoy!

If you're just starting on your brewing journey, be sure to be sure to check out our kit, scobies and come to one of our workshops!