Rosemary and Grapefruit Kombucha Flavor Recipe

Kombucha Primary Fermentation

This grapefruit kombucha recipe assumes you are ready to flavor already-made kombucha. CLICK HERE for our Primary Kombucha Fermentation Recipe.

Kombucha is made in two steps: primary fermentation and secondary fermentation.

During primary fermentation, you use a SCOBY to culture sweet tea. The microbes in the SCOBY make the tea more acidic and a little less sweet.

You can drink the fermented sweet tea directly after primary fermentation, but most people like to bottle and flavor kombucha.

You can bottle the fermented sweet tea from primary fermentation with juice and sometimes herbs for another round of fermentation, called secondary fermentation.

Since the kombucha carbonates during secondary fermentation, you must use carbonation-safe bottles for this step. You can also recycle kombucha bottles from the store for flavoring and bottling.

Grapefruit Kombucha Flavor

You can use freshly squeezed juice or bottled juice to flavor kombucha. I prefer to use organic 100% pasteurized juice.

If you decide to use freshly squeezed juice, it’s best to heat it to boiling and cool it before adding it to the bottle for secondary fermentation. Heating the juice helps avoid any contamination.

My favorite grapefruit juice to use is Lakewood Organic, and you can buy it by clicking here.

Rosemary and Grapefruit Kombucha

The herbaceous rosemary’s pairing with the light, fresh grapefruit flavor is perfection! Ensure you rinse the rosemary sprigs well before adding them to the secondary fermentation bottle.

Grapefruit Kombucha Second Fermentation Supplies & Safety

For a quality second fermentation, I recommend using a bale top bottle. This is the best way to achieve a good level of carbonation.

Before purchasing a bale-top bottle, verify from the seller that it is pressure-safe and intended for fermentation. Again, I want to mention that you can recycle kombucha bottles from the grocery store for the second fermentation. Since the bottles are designed for high carbonation, they’re safe to use.

More Kombucha Recipes

• What is a SCOBY? How to Make, Feed, and Store a Kombucha SCOBY
• Summer Peach and Pomegranate Kombucha
• Blood Orange Kombucha with Sage

Beverage Fermentation

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Rosemary and Grapefruit Kombucha Flavor Recipe

Grapefruit rosemary kombucha is one of the best kombucha flavor combinations! This grapefruit kombucha recipe is for a second fermentation flavoring and carbonation.

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• Prep: 10 Minutes
• Cook: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 10 Minutes

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Ingredients

• Fermented Sweet Tea from primary fermentation
•  Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
• Grapefruit Juice

Instructions

1. Fill a 1-liter swing top bottle halfway with fermented sweet tea from primary fermentation.
2. Top off the bottle with organic grapefruit juice so that there is about an inch or two of headspace left in the bottle.
3. Add one rosemary sprig to the bottle.
4. Secure the bottle lid and gently invert it a couple times to mix.
5. Allow it to ferment at room temperature (70-80 degrees F) for 5 Days.
6. Carefully open the lid to see if it is carbonated to your liking. If it is, refrigerate; if not continue to ferment for a few more days, then carefully recheck the carbonation.
7. Keep refrigerated

Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist

Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.

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