Caffeine-free kombucha starts with quick brew Kefir water and Honeybush tea
Even though gourmet-shop kombucha tea has very little caffeine, I had an adverse reaction after drinking some. A shame because I like kombucha for its sparkle—it's sort of the champagne of teas. I tested a caffeine free kombucha recipe on this blog, but realized water kefir grains were the key to making a home-brewed classic, Kefir water tea.
It's so easy to brew kefir water continuously, as I do, and flavor overnight in the fridge with your favorite tea.
For tea, I used African honeybush tea from Davidsons Tea of Reno, NV, purchased through Amazon.com. It's everything you could want in a tea: mellow, uplifting, and has a cleansing effect on the body. I was able to make one batch using a kombucha scobie. My scobie didn't like some of the cleansing compounds in the honeybush. BUT ...
Then I learned that kefir could be flavored AFTER brewing. I set up brewing area to keep the colony of grains feeding on cane sugar water with a drop of Apple Cider Vinegar. The resulting bubbly water is great fun to experiment with for sweet, tart and tea-spice drinks:
• Classic kefir tea
• Chai kefir tea
• Strawberry kefir tea
• Raspberry cordial tea
Basic Water Kefir, kefir water
1.5 pints of water, or about a quart
1/2 cup water kefir grains, approximately
1/3 cup raw cane sugar (adding a spoonful of Turbinado sugar works for me as well, but I usually use plain cane sugar)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (I think this helps a lot)

When the taste is sweet-tart with a hint of fizz, close the jar tightly so air can not escape. Allow carbonation to accumulate 1-2 more days at room temperature.
Strain out the grains. Give the grains fresh sugar water. Use the strained water to refrigerate and flavor as: Classic kefir tea, Strawberry kefir tea, Raspberry cordial tea
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