Kombucha Flavor Ideas
Combinations Angelica has actually brewed and loved. Filter by mood, search by ingredient, and remember: if it tastes good to you, it's correct.
Kombucha Flavor Ideas — watch Ange improvise nine bottles · Watch on YouTube
Passionfruit
The fruit that pairs with everything — Ange has never found a flavor it doesn't improve. Frozen pulp works great. Watch the passionfruit video →
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Passionfruit + Pomegranate
The house favorite: tropical perfume meets jewel-toned tart. Store-bought pomegranate juice is fully allowed.
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Strawberry + Ginger
The Ultimate Guide classic: ~1 lb strawberries, a few thumbs of ginger, a spoonful of sugar, blended. Reliable crowd-pleaser.
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Raspberry + Ginger + Lemon
If you love GT's Trilogy, this is that — brighter and cheaper. Puree the raspberries, juice the rest.
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Tangerine + Rosemary
An Ange favorite: bruise a whole rosemary sprig and poke it under the liquid. Piney herb + sweet citrus = magic.
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Pineapple + Blood Orange
Tropical brightness with refined citrus depth — and pineapple is a carbonation powerhouse. Watch this one at opening time.
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Pomegranate + Lime
Two ingredients, zero prep if you buy the juice. A little lime goes a long way.
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Tangerine + Ginger + Lemongrass
Chopped lemongrass and ginger juice under sweet citrus — bright, zingy, faintly Thai.
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Pineapple + Rosemary + Lemon
Sweet, piney and bright all at once — one of the best "fancy-tasting" combos for minimal effort.
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Apple + Raspberry (+ a whisper of lemon)
Comforting and juicy. If it tastes one-note, that whisper of lemon wakes the whole bottle up.
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Blood Orange + Lime + Rosemary
Citrus on citrus, sharpened with lime and perfumed with rosemary. Gorgeous color, too.
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Tangerine + Pomegranate + Lime
Sweet, jammy, then a lime snap at the end. Great starter combo from juices alone.
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Apple + Pineapple
Juice-aisle simple, fermentation-friendly, and the pineapple keeps the fizz coming.
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Raspberry + Pineapple + Lemongrass
Tart berry, sweet tropics, lemony herb — a whole vacation in an 8-oz bottle.
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Strawberry (or Blackberry) + Thyme
Thyme is criminally underrated with berries — floral, savory-sweet, sophisticated.
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Just Ginger
Juiced fresh ginger, nothing else: fiery, cleansing, and a reliable carbonator. Add lemon if you want a "switchel" vibe.
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Blackberry + Mint
Pureed blackberries + a few whole mint leaves. Jammy, cool, effortless.
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Blood Orange + Blackberry
Blood orange juice + blackberry puree — moody color, bright flavor.
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"Sangria"
Grape + apple + pear + orange juice and zest + a dash of cinnamon. Party in a bottle, zero proof.
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Citrus Mint
Orange and lemon juice with their zests, a little sugar, mint leaves. Sunshine, bottled.
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Mango + Pineapple
Pureed mango + pineapple juice — lush, golden, and the pineapple keeps the yeast partying.
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Oro Blanco Grapefruit
Just oro blanco juice. If you can find these, they're sweeter and honeyed compared to ruby red — a one-fruit stunner.
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Plum + Thyme
Plum juice + a few sprigs of thyme. Late-summer elegance with almost no effort.
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Cherry + Ginger
Cherry juice + ginger juice — sweet-tart depth with a warm bite.
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Strawberry + Lemon
Pureed strawberries + lemon juice and zest. The lemonade-stand classic, all grown up.
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Watermelon + Lime
Watermelon juice + lime juice and zest — the most refreshing thing you'll bottle all summer.
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"Mint Julep"
Lime juice and zest + sugar + mint. Derby vibes, no bourbon required.
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Pear + Rose
Pear juice + rosewater — use the rosewater sparingly, it can be overpowering. Delicate and a little fancy.
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Apricot + Hibiscus
Apricot juice + dried hibiscus flowers steeped in water + sugar (bagged hibiscus tea works too). Tart, floral, hot-pink gorgeous.
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Peach + Orange Blossom
Peach juice + orange blossom water — sparingly, it can be overpowering. Summer perfume in a glass.
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What's your recipe? A note on measurement…
Ange doesn't measure when she purees or juices, so none of these combos have a set "recipe" — rely on your tongue to dictate yours. General guideline: about ¼–⅓ cup of puree/juice per 16-oz bottle. If the fruit runs sour, add some cane sugar to the puree; the yeasts rely on those sugars for carbonation, and some sweetness ferments away during F2 anyway. And mix-and-match freely — a passionfruit-raspberry-pineapple-ginger hodgepodge is not an unusual resident of her fridge. Start with great ingredients and it's hard to go wrong.
Juicing vs. blending
Fresh fruit, juiced or pureed, is her favorite way to flavor (and fresh herbs over dried). A juicer removes the pulp from fibrous fruit — best for pineapple, ginger, apples, pears and citrus — while berries like blackberries and raspberries give up their full flavor better pureed in a blender. More on methods and trade-offs in the flavoring guide.
The YBK grocery list
The list always starts with whatever fresh fruit is in season — plus a few things Ange buys instead of makes:
- Goya Fruta frozen passionfruit/maracuyá pulp — found at Mexican/Latinx grocery stores. There's always a stockpile in her freezer; she hasn't yet found a flavor that can't be enhanced with a bit of passionfruit. Her absolute favorite, even by itself.
- POM pomegranate juice
- Rosewater and orange blossom water — check Middle Eastern stores.
- Dried hibiscus flowers (or hibiscus tea).
Prepping your flavorings
- How to prep fresh fruit flavorings — purees, juices, frozen and more. Read the guide · Watch →
- Herbs, spices & flowers — bruise, tuck, poke below the liquid line. Read the guide · Watch →
- Making fruit syrups — concentrated flavor that keeps (great for cocktails too). Read the guide · Watch →
Want more directions to take it?
- Kombucha cocktails — booch as your new favorite mixer. Watch →
- Mocktails — zero-proof, full ceremony. Watch →
- Flavor fails — the worst flavors Ange ever brewed, so you don't have to. Watch →
- Dry, aged kombucha — sour-beer energy for grown-up palates. Watch →
Whatever the combo: add half, stir, taste, adjust. Aim slightly too sweet, because F2 will dry it out. Full technique in the flavoring guide.