Warm spices including cinnamon, ginger, roasted chicory, cloves, and nutmeg with hints of fresh pumpkin flavor make my Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Kombucha taste like a bubbly pumpkin cider.
As a kid in my hometown, Healdsburg, fall would be cool, crisp and rainy (this was way before the drought). I lived on two acres of land in the heart of the wine country and a perfect place to grow up. My sister and I would explore, build forts, and float toys down our creek when it swelled on rainy days.
When we came in from our fort building, my mom would make us tea. My favorite was a tea with a picture of a bear in pajamas on the box. Oh the magic of tea.
So, I was excited to develop a recipe using a pumpkin spice tea. It brought back all those warm and fuzzy memories.
WHAT IS KOMBUCHA?
Kombucha is a fermented tea that originated in China about 2,000 years ago. It’s fizzy, sour, sweet and can be flavored any way you like. You can learn more about it in my post, “3 Steps To Start Making Kombucha At Home”.
SECONDARY FERMENTATION
This recipe is only to be used during secondary fermentation which is the step after making your plain kombucha using a SCOBY. Secondary is when we take the plain kombucha and add flavors to it and then bottle it up and leave it out for a few days to get carbonated.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF KOMBUCHA
Probiotics that help improve digestion
Enzymes
Acetic Acid (this gives it the vinegar like flavor) is antibacterial and can level blood sugar.
Amino Acids
B Vitamins – B1, B2, B3, B5 and B12 – Provides energy, breaks down fats and can regulate cholesterol among many other things.
I love using tea to flavor kombucha, because it’s super easy, convenient and flavors it well. Instead of always having fresh juices and fruit available, tea can be stored for months and always on hand to flavor your kombucha.