Although goji is often overshadowed by its more popular brother, cranberry, its lesser-known status doesn't mean it's not worth your attention. This berry is a powerful antioxidant, and its vibrant red hue and distinct sour-sweet notes make it the perfect flavoring in a goji kombucha drink.
Featuring fresh goji berries, this kombucha recipe follows a similar preparation method to other berry-brew kombucha recipes. The taste of goji kombucha is distinct thanks to its combined sweet and sour flavor. With this simple recipe, you can prepare gluten-free goji kombucha at home.
Table of Contents
Goji Kombucha
Total Time: 4 days
Yield: 12 Servings 1x
Description
A bottle of goji kombucha is a flavor explosion with notes of sour berries and crisp notes of fermented tea. Buy goji berries at your local health food store or online.
Instructions
- Put half a cup of goji berries into four airtight bottles.
- Next, pour green tea kombucha into each bottle, leaving a 1-inch headspace.
- Allow the bottled kombucha to ferment for 4-7 days at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.
- Chill the fermented tea in a fridge for 6 hours or more.
- Take out, sip, and enjoy!
Notes
Goji berries have a strong flavor. If you want to decrease its potency, you can opt to add just 1/4 cup of the berry in each kombucha bottle. You may also consider adding sweetener to tone down the sourness. Add 1 tbsp of cane sugar, honey, or maple syrup to each bottle.
Use oolong or black tea kombucha instead of green, if you prefer.
To substitute fresh goji berries for dried goji berries, use 1/8 of the amount of fresh goji berries mentioned in the recipe. Dried goji berries have a very potent flavor.
If you’re an experienced kombucha brewer, you can also consider using goji-infused tea during the first fermentation and skipping the addition of goji berries during the second fermentation altogether. If you’re new to brewing, you must be cautious because introducing flavors during the first fermentation can weaken your kombucha SCOBY.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Fermenting Time: 96 hours
What Does Goji Kombucha Taste Like?
Goji kombucha is a blend that brings out the best of both its ingredients. It has an effervescent, tart, and herbal flavor represented by the green tea kombucha. The goji berries add a distinct sourness and subtle sweetness to the elixir.
If you use dried goji, your kombucha will take on a tarter flavor reminiscent of cranberries.
What Are Goji Berries?
Goji berries, sometimes called wolfberries, are red, oblong-shaped fruits from the boxthorn plant family. This raisin-sized fruit has been used in traditional herbal medicine for centuries and recently caught Western attention thanks to its perceived health benefits.
Goji berries are native to China but have historically also grown in other parts of Asia, like Mongolia and Tibet. Today, goji berries can be cultivated in many countries with warm, dry conditions, such as the United States.
When eaten alone, these berries possess a sour and slightly sweet taste. Goji berries are often sold dried and can be found on online e-commerce platforms like Amazon or in the Asian aisle at your local supermarket. You may also stumble upon fresh goji berries in farmers’ markets, particularly during the late summer and fall months.
What Are the Health Benefits of Goji Kombucha?
Kombucha is one of the healthiest beverages in the world. For one, this carbonated drink has many probiotics and antioxidants that cleanse the gut and digestive tract. Furthermore, kombucha derives a lot of its nutrients from the tea bags used to brew it—so the tea’s nutrients carry over to the final kombucha bottle.
Here are some of the more specific benefits of goji berry kombucha:
- Promotes feelings of calmness
- Boosts immune system
- Promotes weight loss
- Improves sleep quality
- Improves athleticism
- Prevents free radical damage
Goji berries interact with certain diabetes and blood pressure drugs, so talk to your doctor before trying this recipe. If you’re not diagnosed, this kombucha is typically safe and healthy for consumption.
How Much Caffeine Is In Goji Kombucha?
The caffeine content in goji kombucha depends on the type of tea used. Following our recipe, you can expect to consume approximately 7-12 mg of caffeine per 8 oz serving.
Drinking green tea kombucha, which has less caffeine than black tea, should not impact your ability to sleep. Plus, the calming effects of the goji berries may also help you relax.
How Many Calories Are In Goji Kombucha?
Goji kombucha is relatively low in calories. An 8-ounce serving of goji kombucha typically contains fewer than 60 calories.
Here’s the caloric breakdown of one serving of goji kombucha:
- Kombucha: 15 calories
- Goji berries: 36 calories
The low-calorie level of this drink makes it perfect for individuals looking to lose weight while still wanting to indulge in a fun drink.
Should You Make This Recipe with Young, Sweet Kombucha or Older, Sour Kombucha?
I highly recommend you use a younger kombucha when making goji kombucha. This is because both the sweet and sour flavors of the goji berries will be balanced by the naturally sweet taste of young kombucha.
If you use an older batch of kombucha that’s been fermenting for quite a while, the tartness may be a bit too much for the average person. That said, if you’re the type of person who likes their drink extra-tart, use kombucha that has undergone a longer fermentation process—just expect it to pack a punch.