Coffee Kombucha Recipe: So Weird You Just Might Like It!
Coffee kombucha is a refreshing and healthy drink that has fans all over the world. It’s much like your typical kombucha, except it delivers a caffeine kick. While it looks like a regular soft drink, it’s not. Coffee lovers, prepare!
Kombucha coffee has a very peculiar taste. It’s perfectly balanced between fruity and acidic flavours and carries a distinctive fragrance. Aside from the carbonation and subtle sweetness, drinking coffee kombucha is nothing like a regular soda. It can be something of an acquired taste. If you want to try brewing your own coffee-flavoured kombucha, then give Home Grounds recipe a shot.
What You Need
- Coffee (3 cups)
- Sugar (1 cup)
- Sugar syrup (1/4 cup)
- Kombucha starter tea (1/4 cup) or SCOBY pellicle
- Ginger, vanilla extract or other flavours
- Supplies:
- A breathable cover such as a coffee filter or a cloth
- A coffee machine
- A large glass jar with enough capacity to hold kombucha for the first fermentation
- Air-tight jars for the second fermentation.
At A Glance:
PREP TIME:
7 to 20 days
YIELD:
950 ml
A few Notes:
- Kombucha fermentation generally starts with tea but for this fermented coffee drink, we’ll use coffee as our primary ingredient. Coffee kombucha is one of newest coffee drinks from around the world. Here are the main ingredients you’ll need for a batch of coffee kombucha.
- For coffee you can use cold brew, freshly brewed coffee, or even leftover coffee from the pot. Make sure it’s not hot.
How much caffeine does kombucha have compared to coffee?
The caffeine ratio of kombucha is about 3-6 mg/100 ml. A regular cup of coffee has 11-12 mg of caffeine per ounce. So 240 ml of delicious kombucha would have 10-15 mg of caffeine while 240 ml of coffee would have 95 mg of caffeine.
How to Make Coffee Kombucha At Home
Home fermentation is all the rage these days! From sourdough to sauerkraut, and kefir to kombucha, fermenting food and drinks at home has never been more popular.
Fermentation involves a lot of learning by experience and experimenting as you go. Before you start fermenting, keep in mind that patience is key. It will take some time to prepare, but once it’s done, you’ll love it. Plus, since it’s healthy, making coffee kombucha is a rewarding process as it doesn’t just taste good; it’s good for you too.
… the bacteria that’s in kombucha will go into your guts which will help with digestion, inflammation, and in some cases, weight loss.
Yes, coffee kombucha is healthy and it’s easy to make too. However, keep in mind that coffee kombucha is a 2-fermentation drink (1). If you taste it after the first fermentation, you’ll be disappointed. But let it go through phase two and you will have a delicious tasting beverage.
Let’s begin kombuching.
1. Brew your coffee
You’ll need about three cups of brewed coffee for this recipe. You can brew coffee and set it aside to cool down. Or you can even use leftover coffee grounds from the pot. If you’re brewing fresh coffee for the coffee kombucha, you can use any brewing method. Once it reaches room temperature, put it in the glass jar.
Sugar is essential for coffee kombucha as it helps in fermentation. It acts as food for the yeast and good bacteria. If there’s no sugar, there will be no coffee kombucha, so make sure you don’t cut back on sugar. The majority of this gets eaten up during the fermentation process, as it does when making coffee beer.
Pro tip: Add sugar to it while it’s still hot. Sugar is easier to dissolve in hot coffee than in cold so add it to hot coffee and let it cool down.
2. Ferment the coffee
Now that the coffee is brewed and ready, it’s time for the first fermentation. Add your SCOBY starter and coffee to the jar. Give it a good stir and then cover the jar with a coffee filter or a piece of cloth.
A SCOBY, or Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, is the fermentation starter that kicks off kombucha fermentation. The SCOBY is made up of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeast.
Secure it in place with a rubber band and set it aside. The jar should stay at room temperature for about 4 to 7 days. This is the usual time it takes for the first fermentation. Let the fermentation work its magic. You can taste it after 6-7 days but be warned, it will likely taste harsh.
Pro tip: Don’t disturb the jar too often. When it comes to coffee kombucha, patience works like magic.
3. Time for the second fermentation
After a week, remove the SCOBY and filter the fermented coffee using cheese cloth to remove all small pieces of SCOBY. Taste the coffee kombucha and if it’s too bitter, add a sweetener to it. Sugar will not help as it will act as fodder for fermentation.
Now add sugar syrup and mix it well. This mixture should be stored in airtight bottles. You can also add other flavourings. For example, fruit juices, ginger or vanilla extract if you want to add something extra to the coffee flavour.
It’s important to seal the kombucha in an airtight bottle to trap carbonation. This will create the delicious fizz that we love in our kombucha drinks.
Keep the kombucha stored in a cool and dark place for 10 days. After this time, you can keep them in the refrigerator. This will stop the fermentation and you’ll get a balanced drink.
Pro tip: When you fill the bottles, don’t fill them to the brim. Make sure you leave some air room at the top. This will help in the carbonation process.
4. Store
Technically, coffee kombucha can be stored indefinitely (2), although you might not want to let it sit too long before drinking it. Keep it in the fridge and it will last you from one to three months. Since kombucha has active and live cultures, it cannot be stored unrefrigerated.
Protip: If you’re not looking for an alcoholic drink, keep your kombucha refrigerated once it’s made.
Once it’s made, give the drink a taste. It’s an interesting coffee experience. The coffee flavour doesn’t come instantly but instead, feels like a pleasant aftertaste.
How do you know if your kombucha has gone bad?
A bad kombucha will wear a pirate hat and have a gun! But seriously, there are some tell-tale signs to watch out for. Bad kombucha will carry a tart taste, pretty much like apple cider vinegar. However, if you see strands in the bottle, don’t worry, they are a normal part of the beverage and are safe to consume.
Final Thoughts
Coffee kombucha is a healthy and delicious drink made after about two weeks of fermentation as the cultures digest the sugar to create a naturally carbonated drink. It carries a tart-sweet flavour and is full of nutritious elements. Since it is made by fermentation, it might also contain traces of alcohol.
While coffee kombucha contains coffee as the primary flavour, you can complement it with other ingredients such as vanilla or chocolate. Depending on your preferences, you can also add ginger or other flavourings during the second fermentation process to spice up your drink. Whatever you do, enjoy it.
FAQs
Fermented coffee is considered good for health. It’s easy to digest and is often recommended for people with digestive disorders such as IBS. Certain microorganisms play a role during fermentation. This makes coffee kombucha last longer and deliver a safer drinking experience.
Kombucha coffee also contains fewer tannins. Tannins are responsible for turning your teeth yellow when you consume tea or coffee. When you drink fermented coffee, your smile stays intact.
Kombucha does not exactly taste like beer. In fact, it tastes more like apple cider vinegar. But it’s sourer and carries a stronger flavour than apple vinegar. It’s sour, tart, and just very slightly sweet. However, the taste of kombucha differs from one brand to the other. You can change the taste of your homemade kombucha by adding flavours during the second fermentation.
Coffee kombucha contains caffeine but not as much as a regular cup of coffee. If you’re looking for a strong kick that you get out of your coffee fix, you might be disappointed. While kombucha tastes good and carries many beneficial properties, it doesn’t deliver a strong caffeine kick.
Kombucha SCOBY is edible. However, it might not taste so good, which is why it is generally filtered out. It is slimy and pretty much looks like an alien. However, it has several health benefits, and you can consume SCOBY if you want to.
Kombucha comes in so many flavours that it’s hard to pick one. However, since I’m a coffee addict, I love coffee kombucha the best. Some other flavours you might want to try are blueberry, lemon ginger, strawberry, pumpkin spice, and apple cinnamon.
References
- Briana, Brooke. (n.d.). Kombucha Fermentation. Yeabucha. Retrieved from https://www.yeabucha.com/blogs/blog/2-types-of-fermentation-and-3-different-combinations-to-try
- Does kombucha expire?: You brew kombucha. youbrewkombucha. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/kombucha-expire-aging
