Jun 09 2026
Restaurants›Postino Grant›Juneshine Mango Daydream Kombucha Recipe

Juneshine Mango Daydream Kombucha Recipe

Inspired by Postino Grant
Time336h
Serves10

california, 6.0% 150 cal

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Ingredients

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Tea & Fermentation Base

Flavoring & Secondary (Hardening) Fermentation

Method

Tea & Fermentation Base

  1. 1

    Make the sweet tea

    Bring 4 cups of the filtered water to a near boil (about 205°F / 96°C). Remove from heat, add the cane sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Add the 8 black tea bags (or 20 g loose tea) and steep 10–15 minutes for a strong infusion. Remove tea bags or strain leaves.

  2. 2

    Dilute and cool

    Transfer the concentrated sweet tea into a clean 1-gallon (3.8 L) glass fermenter. Add the remaining 12 cups of cool filtered water to bring the total to 16 cups (1 gallon). Stir to combine and cool the mixture until it reaches 75–80°F (24–27°C). Cooling to below 85°F (29°C) avoids harming the SCOBY.

  3. 3

    Add starter and SCOBY

    Once tea is 75–80°F (24–27°C), pour in 2 cups of raw kombucha starter liquid and gently add the SCOBY to the top of the tea. Cover the fermenter with a tightly woven cloth or paper coffee filter and secure with a rubber band to keep out dust and insects while allowing airflow.

  4. 4

    Primary fermentation

    Place the fermenter in a warm (70–80°F / 21–27°C), dark or dim location. Ferment undisturbed for 7–10 days. Taste after day 7 — the liquid should be tangy and slightly sweet. Aim for pH between 3.0–3.5 (optional to measure). When it reaches a balance you like (less sweet, more tang), proceed to flavoring. This stage produces low alcohol; the secondary step builds to ~6% ABV.

Flavoring & Secondary (Hardening) Fermentation

  1. 5

    Prepare mango purée

    While the primary is finishing, prepare the mango purée: peel and pit ripe mangoes and blend until very smooth. Measure 3 cups of purée. If your mango is very thick, you may thin slightly with up to 2 tbs water to ease bottling. Stir in 2 tbs fresh lime juice (optional) to balance sweetness.

  2. 6

    Sanitize bottles & equipment

    Thoroughly wash and sanitize the 12 oz bottles, caps/closures, a funnel, and a siphon or ladle. Clean, dry hands and work surface to avoid contamination.

  3. 7

    Prepare yeast & priming sugar

    For a hard (higher ABV) secondary, dissolve 0.5 cups cane sugar in 1/4 cup warm (not hot) water and allow to cool to ~80°F (27°C). Sprinkle 1/4 tsp champagne yeast into the cooled sugar solution and let it bloom 5–10 minutes until slightly foamy. This delivers fermentable sugars and a robust yeast to raise alcohol to around 5–7% in most conditions.

  4. 8

    Assemble bottles

    Add mango purée to bottles: portion the 3 cups mango purée across the 10 bottles (roughly 3 heaping tablespoons or 1/3 cup per bottle). Add about 1 tablespoon of the sugar/yeast mixture (or an equal distributed amount of the dissolved sugar and yeast) to each bottle. This combined fruit + sugar + wine yeast will ferment in bottle and increase ABV and carbonation.

  5. 9

    Transfer kombucha to bottles

    Remove the SCOBY from the fermenter and reserve 1–2 cups of kombucha as starter for your next batch. Gently siphon or pour the fermented kombucha into the prepared bottles on top of the mango & sugar mixture, leaving about 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm) headspace. Leave any large sediment behind in the fermenter.

  6. 10

    Cap and secondary ferment

    Seal bottles tightly. Place bottles at room temperature (68–75°F / 20–24°C) out of direct sunlight to undergo secondary fermentation. Check bottles daily for carbonation pressure — gently open one bottle after 2–3 days to test fizziness and flavor. Secondary typically takes 3–7 days to reach good carbonation and to raise alcohol toward ~6% ABV; warmer temps speed fermentation. Be cautious: pressure can build; burp bottles if excessive pressure develops.

  7. 11

    Chill and stop fermentation

    When bottles have reached your desired carbonation and flavor (and you're satisfied with alcohol level), refrigerate immediately to slow fermentation and stabilize pressure. Chill for at least 24 hours before serving. Keep refrigerated; consume within several weeks for best flavor and carbonation.

  8. 12

    Serving suggestion

    Serve cold (about 40–50°F / 4–10°C) in a glass. Pour gently to leave sediment in bottle if desired. Each 12-oz bottle is approximately one serving.

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