Water kefir
How to flavour water kefir
You can give the same jar of water kefir eight very different flavours. The useful trick is to taste the kefir before choosing the fruit: a sharp batch may need ripe mango, while a sweeter one can take lemon and ginger.
Start with finished water kefir, with the grains strained out. For the quickest drink, add your flavour while it is cold and serve it. A second fermentation is a separate choice, with bottle pressure to manage.
First, taste a spoonful
If the kefir smells rotten, has visible mould or unusual colours, do not taste it or cover the problem with fruit. Use the safety guide. If it is simply too sour for your taste, check your fermentation method before making the next batch.
Is it sweet, tart or fairly mild? Choose one main flavour and one accent. Fruit or juice gives you a base; a little citrus, ginger, herb or tea changes its direction. Add less than you think you need, stir, then taste again.
What do you feel like drinking?
Each suggestion starts with 500 ml of finished, chilled water kefir, enough for two small glasses. These are starting amounts for mixing and tasting, not a timetable for sealed fermentation.
8 flavour ideas
Lemon and ginger
2 thin lemon slices and 8 g fresh ginger, sliced.
Squeeze the lemon lightly and bruise the ginger if you want the flavour quickly. Strain out the pieces when the ginger tastes strong enough.
Passion fruit and lime
2 tablespoons passion-fruit pulp and 2 thin lime slices.
Stir in the pulp first, taste, then add the lime. A tart batch may need only the passion fruit. Keep the seeds or strain them out.
Mango and a little chilli
60 g ripe mango, mashed, and one very thin slice of fresh chilli.
Mix in the mango, then add a little chilli and taste. Chillies vary enormously in heat; you may not need the whole slice.
Cucumber, lime and mint
50 g cucumber, thinly sliced, 2 lime slices and 5 mint leaves.
Lightly press the cucumber and mint before adding them. This is a good direction when you want a drink with less fruit flavour; it does not make the kefir sugar-free.
Strawberry and basil
70 g strawberries, mashed, and 3 basil leaves.
Start with one basil leaf if yours are large. The berries should still be easy to taste. Fresh mint is another option.
Peach and oolong
70 g ripe peach, mashed, and 30 ml strong, fully cooled oolong tea.
Use unsweetened tea and add it a little at a time. Too much strong tea can make the drink bitter. Oolong adds caffeine.
Hibiscus and orange
40 ml fully cooled hibiscus tea and 40 ml orange juice.
Both ingredients change the acidity, so start with half and taste. Juice adds sugar as well as flavour.
Pineapple and mint
Start with 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice and 2 mint leaves; add more juice to taste.
Juice mixes immediately. If you use fresh fruit instead, crush it first and strain it if you prefer a smoother drink.
Mix it cold, or make it fizzy?
To drink now
Wash fresh ingredients, add them to a clean jug with cold kefir, and stir gently. Crushed fruit and juice mix faster than large pieces. Taste, adjust and pour. A few slices or leaves can steep in the refrigerator; take them out when the flavour suits you.
Make what you plan to drink and keep it refrigerated. This method adds flavour; it does not promise extra fizz.
For a second fermentation
In a sealed bottle, yeast can turn added sugar into more gas and alcohol. Fruit changes the amount of fermentable sugar, so the same number of hours will not give every bottle the same pressure.
Before sealing a bottle, follow the carbonation guide and the alcohol and pressure guide. Use bottles made for pressure, chill thoroughly and open cautiously. Refrigeration slows fermentation; it does not remove pressure already present.
Use the fruit you already have
Try berries with citrus, pear with ginger, or lychee with a little lemon. Apple, plum and grape also give you a different direction from tropical fruit. Start with the fruit alone before adding herbs or spices; it is easier to add another flavour than take one out.
Keep fruit, juice and tea out of the jar used to maintain your grains. For a new batch, return to the basic water-kefir method. For food to go with your drink, browse the kefir recipes.