Warm spices, cinnamon, ginger, roasted chicory, cloves, and nutmeg with hints of fresh pumpkin flavor make my Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Kombucha taste like pumpkin cider or what I call, Fall in a bubbly, probiotic drink.
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. Her favorite brand was Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger and I liked the Sleepytime tea, because it had a picture of a bear in pajamas. My mom was happy to give us Sleepytime tea, because it kept us calm, quiet and out of her hair. Oh the magic of tea.
So, I was excited to work with Celestial Seasonings to develop a recipe using their Sweet Harvest Pumpkin 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.
Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Kombucha Recipe
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.
Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Kombucha is a probiotic, healing drink you must try this Fall.
- 4 Cups Plain Kombucha Store Bought or Homemade
- 4 Tea Bags of Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Celestial Seasonings Tea
- 2 Cups Water
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
- Steep 4 tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes.
- Remove tea bags and add sugar. Stir until dissolved.Let the hot tea cool to room temperature.
- Add the Plain kombucha and cooled Sweet Pumpkin Harvest tea to a pitcher and stir.
- Pour the kombucha into flip-top bottles.
- Seal the bottles and let sit in a cool, dark place for 3-7 days.
- After 3 days check one of the bottles to see if it's bubbly. Store in the fridge and serve cold.
- If it's not bubbly, leave it out for a few more days. Check each day until it's carbonated.
Comment below and let me know what your favorite fall tea is.
Happy Fermenting!
Danielle
Thanks to Celestial Seasonings, makers of Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Tea for partnering with me on this delicious kombucha recipe.
