Blueberry Lavender Kombucha — The Most Beautiful Second Ferment I Make
Some second ferment combinations taste great but look completely unremarkable in the glass. Blueberry lavender kombucha is not one of them.
The deep purple colour that develops in the bottle is genuinely one of the most beautiful things to come out of a home brewing setup. It photographs well, it tastes even better, and the combination of fruit and floral is more interesting than most of the flavour pairings I’ve tried.
This one took me a few batches to get right. Fresh lavender versus dried lavender makes a significant difference, and getting the balance between the two flavours right is worth paying attention to. Too much lavender and it tastes like soap. The right amount and it tastes elegant.
Here’s exactly how I make it.
What You Need
Per 500ml bottle:
- 500ml finished first ferment kombucha
- 80–100g fresh blueberries (or 60g frozen, thawed)
- 3–4 fresh lavender sprigs (or 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender)
- 1 flip-top bottle with intact gasket
A note on the blueberries: Fresh blueberries give the best colour and flavour. Frozen work well too. Thaw them first and lightly crush them before adding to release more juice. Either way, make sure they’re unsweetened with no added syrup.
A note on the lavender: This is the detail that makes or breaks this recipe. Use culinary lavender, the kind sold for cooking, not decorative lavender from a garden centre, which may have been treated with pesticides. Fresh lavender sprigs are more subtle and forgiving than dried. If you’re using dried, start with less than you think you need. One teaspoon per 500ml is the maximum. Go over this and the floral note becomes overwhelming.
How to Make Blueberry Lavender Kombucha
Step 1 — Prepare the blueberries
Lightly crush the blueberries before adding them to the bottle. You can do this with a fork, the back of a spoon, or simply by squeezing them between your fingers (which will colour your hands for a few days…). Crushing releases the juice immediately rather than waiting for the bottle pressure to break the skins, which gives you better colour and stronger flavour.
Step 2 — Add lavender
Add your lavender directly to the bottle — sprigs or dried — on top of the crushed blueberries. The lavender flavour intensifies during second fermentation. If you’re using dried, start with less than you think you need. One teaspoon per 500ml is the maximum. When in doubt, use less
Step 3 — Fill the bottles
Pour your finished first ferment kombucha into each bottle, leaving 2–3cm of headspace at the top. The blueberry juice will already be tinting the liquid as you pour.