Fig Leaves

Appearance. Straw yellow with orange hues.^[1]

Nose. Aromas of almond, malt, tea and fig leaves, with toasted notes.^[1]

Palate. Soft, elegant and harmonious, with sweet vegetal sensations from the fig leaf and delicate oxidative notes typical of tea.^[1]

Assam Black Tea — Base Infusion. Production begins with a base of Assam black tea infusion.^[1]

Fig Leaf Infusion — Aromatic Signature. An infusion of fig leaves is added during production, contributing further complexity.^[1]

Raw Cane Sugar — Fermentation Substrate. Raw cane sugar is added to the black tea infusion during production.^[1]

Scoby — Primary Culture. A scoby, a symbiotic culture of yeasts and bacteria, is added to ferment the liquid.^[1]

Champagne-Selected Yeasts — Bottle Refermentation. Yeasts selected from Champagne are added at bottling to carry out the second fermentation in bottle.^[1]

The first fermentation is driven by the scoby working on the sweetened tea infusion. It produces a small amount of alcohol, which is largely converted into organic acids.^[1]

After primary fermentation the drink is bottled with Champagne-selected yeasts for a second fermentation in bottle, following the Classic Method, with three months of bottle fermentation. Lees ageing extends up to 30 months.^[1]

Specifications. Fig Leaves is classified as a kombucha, fermented from tea and refermented in bottle by the Classic Method.^[1]

• Category: bottle-refermented kombucha (fermented tea)
• Alcohol: 0.2%
• Lees ageing: up to 30 months
• Bottle fermentation: three months

Production. AKA, the producer, is based in Milan.

The finished kombucha is then handled like a Classic Method sparkling wine: after the primary fermentation it is bottled with yeasts selected from Champagne for a second fermentation in bottle. That second fermentation runs three months in bottle, and the wine-style handling extends to extended lees contact of up to 30 months.^[1]