On a hot afternoon during harvest season at Wilder Farms in Baileys Harbor, there is nothing quite like a cold, fizzy drink pulled from the farmhouse fridge. For a few of us on the crew, that drink is a homemade lavender kombucha: tart, lightly sweet, gently floral, and full of tiny bubbles. It tastes a bit like a lavender lemonade that grew up and moved to the country.
Kombucha has become a favorite across Wisconsin, from city cafes to farmers markets, and it is surprisingly easy to make at home. Adding lavender during the second fermentation turns an everyday brew into something special. Here is our step-by-step guide to making lavender kombucha in your own kitchen.
What Is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented tea made from sweetened black or green tea and a SCOBY, which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. The SCOBY looks like a thick, rubbery pancake that floats on top of the tea. Over a week or two, the yeast and bacteria feed on the sugar and transform sweet tea into a tangy, lightly effervescent drink.
Many people enjoy kombucha as a refreshing alternative to soda. It is often described as a wellness drink, though research on its health effects in people is still limited, so we simply think of it as a delicious, lower-sugar treat.
Why Lavender and Kombucha Work Together
Kombucha's bright acidity is a perfect canvas for floral flavors. Lavender softens the tartness, adds a sweet, perfumed note, and gives the drink a lovely aroma when you lift the glass. Paired with fruit like lemon, blueberry, or Door County cherries, it becomes a seasonal sipper you will want all summer long.
Choosing the Right Lavender
Always use culinary lavender, grown without pesticides and intended for food. Not all lavender is suitable for drinking.
From our fields, we recommend:
- Melissa, with its soft, sweet, delicate flavor. It is ideal for lighter, more subtle brews.
- Hidcote, which brings a deeper, more classic lavender taste and a hint of color.
Avoid lavandin varieties like Phenomenal for drinks. Their higher camphor content can make kombucha taste sharp and medicinal. And never add lavender essential oil to kombucha or any drink.
What You Will Need
Equipment
- A 1-gallon glass jar with a wide mouth
- A tightly woven cloth or paper coffee filter and a rubber band
- A large pot for brewing tea
- Swing-top glass bottles rated for carbonation (for the second fermentation)
- A funnel and a fine mesh strainer
Avoid metal containers for fermenting, since kombucha's acidity can react with some metals. Glass is best.
Ingredients for the First Fermentation
- 14 cups filtered water
- 8 bags black or green tea (or 2 tablespoons loose-leaf tea)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 SCOBY
- 2 cups unflavored starter kombucha (from a previous batch or a store-bought unflavored, unpasteurized kombucha)
Ingredients for the Lavender Second Fermentation
For each 16-ounce bottle:
- ½ to 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey or sugar
- Optional: a squeeze of lemon, a few blueberries, or a few pitted tart cherries
Step One: Brew the Sweet Tea
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add the tea. Steep for 5 to 7 minutes, then remove the tea bags or strain the leaves.
- Stir in the sugar until fully dissolved.
- Add the remaining 10 cups of cool filtered water. This brings the tea down to room temperature faster.
- Make sure the tea has cooled to room temperature before moving on. Hot tea can harm the SCOBY.
Step Two: The First Fermentation
- Pour the cooled sweet tea into your clean glass jar.
- Add the starter kombucha.
- Gently place the SCOBY on top.
- Cover the jar with a cloth or coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band. This keeps out dust and fruit flies while letting the brew breathe.
- Set the jar somewhere warm and out of direct sunlight. Around 70 to 78°F is ideal.
- Let it ferment for 7 to 14 days.
After about a week, start tasting. Use a clean straw or spoon to sip from beneath the SCOBY. When the kombucha tastes pleasantly tart with just a hint of sweetness, it is ready. Warmer kitchens ferment faster, so a summer batch may be ready sooner than a winter one.
Step Three: Add Lavender for the Second Fermentation
The second fermentation is where the magic happens. Sealed in bottles with a little extra sugar, the kombucha builds natural carbonation and absorbs the flavor of the lavender.
- Remove the SCOBY and 2 cups of kombucha. Set them aside in a clean jar to start your next batch.
- Add lavender buds and honey or sugar to each bottle. If you are using fruit, add it now too.
- Using a funnel, pour the kombucha into the bottles, leaving about an inch of space at the top.
- Seal the bottles tightly.
- Leave them at room temperature for 2 to 4 days.
Kombucha builds pressure during the second fermentation. To avoid overcarbonation, burp the bottles once a day by gently opening the cap to release excess gas, then resealing.
Step Four: Strain, Chill, and Enjoy
When the kombucha is as fizzy as you like, move the bottles to the refrigerator. Chilling slows fermentation and helps the bubbles settle in. Once cold, strain out the lavender buds and fruit as you pour, and serve over ice.
Garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender, a lemon twist, or a few berries for a beautiful glass.
Flavor Variations to Try
Lavender Lemon
Add ½ teaspoon lavender and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice per bottle. Bright, crisp, and refreshing.
Lavender Blueberry
Add ½ teaspoon lavender and a small handful of blueberries per bottle. The berries tint the kombucha a lovely pink-purple.
Lavender Cherry
Door County is famous for its tart cherries, and they pair beautifully with lavender. Add ½ teaspoon lavender and 4 to 5 pitted tart cherries per bottle for a true taste of the peninsula.
Lavender Ginger
Add ½ teaspoon lavender and a few thin slices of fresh ginger for a warming, spicy kick.
Tips for Success
- Keep everything clean. Wash equipment well and rinse thoroughly, since soap residue can harm the SCOBY.
- Start light with lavender. You can add more next time, but too much makes kombucha taste soapy.
- Watch the pressure. Use bottles made for carbonated drinks and burp them during the second fermentation.
- Trust your senses. Healthy kombucha smells tangy and vinegary. If you see fuzzy, dry, blue, green, or black spots on the SCOBY, that is mold. Discard the batch and SCOBY and start fresh.
A Few Cautions
Homemade kombucha contains small amounts of alcohol from fermentation, and the amount can vary. If you are pregnant, nursing, managing a health condition, or have a weakened immune system, check with your healthcare provider before drinking homemade kombucha.
A Taste of Door County Summer
There is something wonderfully satisfying about opening a bottle of homemade kombucha you nurtured yourself, especially when it carries the scent of lavender grown just down the road. It is the kind of small, handmade ritual that fits right into Door County life.
Pick up culinary lavender and other farm-made favorites at our shop in Ephraim, open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 to 5. For a relaxing evening with your fresh brew, explore our rest and relax collection, or light a candle from our lavender candle collection. Making a batch for a friend? Pair it with something from our seasonal lavender gifts.
Questions about which lavender to brew with? Call us at 920-737-1531. Cheers from the fields.
