Kombucha is a drink known for health-giving properties that you can make at home using tea, sugar, a simple bacteria and yeast, then flavour with all manner of things. It is experiencing a resurgence in popularity throughout the US and Australia, where it is now available from vending machines, healthfood stores, bars and cafés and this is spreading to the UK and Europe with the trends for home-fermenting, preserving and enjoying ‘living’ foods.
Louise Avery began brewing kombucha in 2010 as part of a self-sufficient and healthy lifestyle, living on a Scottish Island in the Hebrides, simply because she loved its unique and moreish taste. Now she is one of London’s best-connected kombucha producers and the owner of Lois and the Living Teas.
Here she reveals her tried-and-tested recipes that use the freshest produce to create truly delicious cold teas. Starting with an introduction to kombucha, Louise offers information on the types of tea you can use to flavour your kombucha, the essential equipment you will need and the dos and don'ts when it comes to selecting other ingredients. Following this, she presents a step-by-step basic process for brewing kombucha, bottling and storing and how to grow your own SCOBY.
Recipes are then organized by type of base: Fruit, with recipes for Blood Orangeade, Lychee and Basil Mojito, Green Apple and Mint, and more; Berries, with ideas for a Cranberry Cleanse and Blueberry Lemonade; Vegetable, including Sour Rhubarb Fizz, Candied Beetroot and Lemon, and Spinach, Apple and Grape teas; and finally Flowers, Herbs and Spices where things heat up with Pink Peppercorn Plum, Lavender, Pear and Thyme, and Turmeric Immune Boost. You'll be spoilt for choice for ways to flavour this health-giving drink.
