Flavours
Giving the most sustainable and outstanding ingredients a platform to shine from. Using forest friendly Thai tea and seasonal local produce harvested, foraged and gathered by us. Celebrating the underdog by using often overlooked, or ‘waste’ ingredients.
We have three core flavours, which are all absolute classics, showcasing our craft all year round. Then there are seasonal flavours throughout the year using local produce which we have a strong, tangible connection to. Harvested fresh from friend’s farms and gardens, or locally foraged when at peak season.
We usually have about 6 flavours on at once. Our 3 core flavours plus 3 seasonal flavours, though there can be moments where we have less or more different seasonal’s at once, depending on crossover moments during the year. Most of the seasonal flavours are ‘herbal’ which means that they showcase just one ingredient (without use of tea), amplified by the fermentation, and thus are basically caffeine free.
The Core Range:
Sparkling Oolong
Using only premium forest-friendly oolong tea and organic raw and unrefined cane sugars married with an authentic kombucha fermentation, we’ve masterfully created a beautifully complex kombucha. With tasting notes of apple, white grape, melon and grapefruit, it makes an exciting sparkling wine or cider alternative that will quench your FOMO as well as your thirst!
Since 2013 Monteaco have been supporting small farmers in rural mountain locations in Northern Thailand symbiotically and sustainably with nature, to grow amazing tea in unison with the forest. This means they don’t rely on using fertilisers and pesticides, and they also sustain natural biodiversity within the forests where the tea is being grown.
Find our more about Monteaco on their website here.
INGREDIENTS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic raw and unrefined cane sugars (transformed during fermentation), “beyond-organic” Thai forest-friendly oolong tea
Ginger and Tumeric
Take the Sparkling Oolong and infuse a generous dose of organic ginger root, turmeric root, and black peppercorn juice. Like ginger beer, but her more elegant BFF. Not too sweet, nice tart finish, with a healthy kick of spice.
The godly combo of ginger and tumeric is widely known for it’s immune-boosting effects, and whilst we can’t claim to cure anything - with the addition of spicy black pepper it’s sure to make you feel alive!
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic cane sugar (transformed during fermentation), beyond-organic Thai forest-friendly oolong tea, organic cold-pressed ginger root, organic cold-pressed turmeric root, organic black peppercorns
Kent Hops ‘KPA’ (Kombucha ‘Pale Ale’)
Utilising our knowledge of craft beer brewing techniques, we’ve created a harmonious kombucha-meets-pale-ale hybrid of oolong tea and tasty hops! Very aromatic and complex with a bright tropical fruitiness balanced by the perfect level of bitterness finishing with a lightly malty body and a surprisingly authentic creamy head. We think this naturally fermented brew really hits the spot in a way that most non-alcoholic beer options don’t! Naturally grain and gluten free, this kombucha also skips out on the hangover!
Featuring 5 different varieties of Kentish grown hops, all of which were bred and developed only 2 miles down the road from us at the old Wye College! A portion of the hops used are grown by Hythe Hops, which is a voluntary, not-for-profit group where members grow hops in a variety of places including their gardens, allotments, community gardens and public spaces; these then get donated to local craft brewers, who work their magic to create the tastiest of brews! Working across the areas of Hythe, Sandgate, Folkestone, Hawkinge, Ashford and Romney Marsh.
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic cane sugar (transformed during fermentation), beyond-organic Thai forest-friendly oolong tea, Hops: Challenger, Earnest, Bramley Cross, Goldings, Prima Donna (Hythe Hops)
Current Seasonal Range:
herbal
Garden Fig Leaf
A product of our annual tradition of spending a day helping our friends Charlotte and Donald Molesworth prune their glorious fig tree, in their wonderfully magical garden over at Balmoral Cottage in Benenden. Done at the end of the season when the trees’ productivity has finished for the year, and all the leaves are about to begin falling…so here’s where we step in! We save all the leaves (and remaining green figs) to repurpose in our kombucha! The leaves are used to make our classic seasonal fig leaf flavour which is super coconutty with a hint of fig and a surprisingly creamy mouthfeel, somewhat reminiscent of a pina colada!
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic cane sugar (transformed during fermentation), beyond-organic Thai forest-friendly oolong tea
herbal
Tomato Leaf
We use Rebel Farmer Ed’s heirloom tomato leaf cuttings in the summer, which would otherwise go on the compost, to make a kombucha that tastes like the smell of a luscious summer greenhouse - if you could bottle it up! Notes of cucumber and lime with a herbaceous body, it’s so fresh you will be transported straight into the greenhouse with every sip!
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic cane sugar (transformed during fermentation), Rebel Farmer tomato leaf cuttings
Image coming soon…
herbal
Fig Leaf with Lacto-Fermented Green Fig
- aka ‘Magic Salty Unicorn Rainbow Juice’
A product of our annual tradition of spending a day helping our friends Charlotte and Donald Molesworth prune their glorious fig tree, in their wonderfully magical garden over at Balmoral Cottage in Benenden. Done at the end of the season when the trees’ productivity has finished for the year, the remaining green figs will no longer ripen and all the leaves are about to begin falling…so here’s where we step in! We save all the leaves and remaining green figs to repurpose in our kombucha! The leaves are used to make our classic seasonal fig leaf flavour which is super coconutty with a hint of fig and a surprisingly creamy mouthfeel, somewhat reminiscent of a pina colada! Meanwhile, the green figs are then fermented in Celtic sea salt to create a funky and complex fig brine which is added back into the fig leaf kombucha, transforming it into a crazy flavour bomb with a funky, almost smokey salinity.
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic cane sugar (transformed during fermentation), fig leaves, green figs, Celtic sea salt
Past Seasonal Flavours:
Elderberry (available September - January)
Refreshingly crisp and tart, the elderberries we use in our kombucha are foraged in season around August and used in brews straight away.
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic raw and unrefined cane sugars (transformed during fermentation), elderberries.
Quince (Available November - January)
An antiquated fruit - the quince is thought to be over 5000 years old, originating from the Mediterranean. It has since fallen out of fashion after the Middle Ages, and in our option is due a renaissance!
A zingy pink apple feast for the palate, with tropical aromatics and a sherbert finish, our quince flavour is a delight to behold. Using quince from the non-commerical Moat Farm in Shadoxhurst, the fruit is found growing naturally alongside 300 acres of ancient woodland and wildflower meadows, completely spray free and no intervention.
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic raw and unrefined cane sugars (transformed during fermentation), quince.
Huacatay
Grown my very good friend Rebel Farmer Ed, based 2 miles away from us in Brook.
Also known as Peruvian black mint, the Huacatay plant is herbaceous and heady.
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic raw and unrefined cane sugars (transformed during fermentation), beyond-organic Thai forest-friendly oolong tea.
Elderflower (June - October)
This quintessentially British summertime flavour is made from only the creamiest of yellow blossoms, foraged from several abundant special spots within a three mile radius of the brewery. Processed straight away, this flavour perfectly captures the sweet nectar flavours that are so well loved of elderflower. One of our herbal brews, it has honey notes to taste as well as, floral aromatics, evocative of summertimes spent outdoors. Also brewed with no additional tea.
CONTAINS: Live kombucha cultures (SCOBY), carbon filtered water, organic raw and unrefined cane sugars (transformed during fermentation), foraged elderflower.