✦ small batch · big fire ✦

Hi, I'm Kai.
I make fire cider.

I'm a young herbalist, baker, and cook. Right now I'm selling a fire cider I harvested, brewed, and bottled myself — by hand, with a whole lot of love.

Kai bottling fire cider, surrounded by dark glass bottles

About my fire cider

I made a fire cider because we're heading into the season when a lot of people get sick. It's a spicy, tangy folk remedy with a long history — and honestly, it tastes amazing.

I picked hawthorn berries and elderberries near my home and combined them with other ingredients in my back yard. The fruits infused for a full moon cycle before I strained and bottled everything with pure honey. Adding honey technically makes it an oxymel — and more importantly, makes it taste better.

You can take a half teaspoon (or more) every day, or use it in the kitchen — my mom makes a delicious vinaigrette with it.

  • ❤︎ Improves blood circulation
  • Builds your immune system
  • Soothes throats & eases coughs
  • Gluten-free · Nut-free · Vegetarian

What's inside

High-quality ingredients, wishes for your health, and a lot of love. Every fruit and vegetable is used to extract the goodness, then strained out of the final bottle.

White Onions

Roughly chopped, skin and all.

Oranges

Bright and fresh, chopped with the peel on.

Habañero Peppers

They bring the heat — but I didn't use too many!

Garlic

Rich, fresh, and an awesome immune booster.

Horseradish

A hearty root that's great for the sinuses.

Turmeric

A beautiful golden root that helps reduce inflammation.

Hawthorn Berry

Hand-harvested for heart health and vitality.

Elderberry

My dad cut bunches from a local tree — a classic immune ally.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Pulls the good stuff from every ingredient into the cider.

Pure Honey

Turns the cider into an oxymel — and makes it taste even better.

2021 fire cider skill share

Our first skill share with friends — the day I learned I love making medicine.

Wild elderberry and hawthorn

The two ingredients we harvested wild this year.

Harvesting hawthorn berries

Picked around my neighborhood and Majestic View Park.

Adding berries to jars

Cleaned, chopped fruit and veg packed into jars.

Filling jars with ingredients

Each jar gets a balanced amount for just the right formula.

Hands stained from turmeric

Turmeric stains your hands for days if you skip gloves. I like that.

Jars ready for vinegar

Solid ingredients packed and ready for the vinegar.

Measuring the elderberry harvest

Weighing the elderberry harvest.

Jars steeping

The vinegar needs a full moon cycle — 28 days — to do its work.

Cider changing color

After a few days it takes on the color of the ingredients.

Cider deepening in color

The color keeps deepening. Patience pays off.

Straining the cider

Strained between one and two moon cycles, before it turns bitter.

Sampling the cider

Always sample your medicine — for flavor and for health.

Sample bottles for the community

Samples for our community to fight a cold. Feedback was great!

Adding honey and tasting

Add honey and the vinegar becomes a tasty oxymel. Sample to get it right.

Bottles ready for market

Bottled, cleaned, and ready for labels!

Get some fire

Bottled in two sizes, plus a make-it-yourself kit. Sold locally only.

Small Bottle

$7

  • 60ml (2 fl oz)
  • Includes dropper
  • Dark glass bottle

Elderberry Syrup Kit

$18

  • 1 pint jar + elderberries
  • Clove, cinnamon, star anise
  • Dry ingredients only
  • Make-at-home, includes a 'zine
  • Fundraiser for my school

Want some? Find me on Instagram or send a note (see below) — I sell locally around Arvada, CO.

Maybe-asked questions

Where did you learn to make these?

My mom has been growing and making medicine since before I was born. I paid attention, started helping, and realized I love doing it.

Do you ship fire cider?

Shipping liquids is complex and risky, so for now I only sell fire cider locally.

Is it safe for everyone?

Remember: food is medicine — but don't take medical advice from kids. Ask your doctor if fire cider is right for you. (And maybe consider a new doctor if they say no.)

Is it vegan?

It's gluten-free, nut-free, and vegetarian — but not vegan, because of the honey.