Dr Bucha’s kombucha is alive! It needs to be always kept in the fridge before and after you open it. Keep the lid on tight.

Kombucha is a fermented product and is full of probiotics that encourages good enzymes. It is important if you do not eat or drink many fermented products, to start slowly and introduce your body to the goodness. If all ok after the first week, you can increase the amounts you eat/drink.

Alcohol is a big challenge for Kombucha brewers and the industry. We get monitored and must report to regulators such as MPI and our local council with accredited verified lab testing. We have in place around 10 different alcohol controls in our proprietary brewing methods.

Due to the natural fermentation method, some residual alcohol is common within craft Kombucha. According to the NZ Food Code, any liquid below 1.15% ABV is considered to be non-alcoholic. Many foods such as vinegar, orange juice, soft drinks or soy sauce often have some alcohol content. This is commonly seen on labels with most Kombucha brands.

Our test results show that Dr Bucha is on average around 0.4-0.6% ABV when first produced and around 0.8% -1.1% ABV after 6-8 weeks in chilled storage.

Kombucha is unique in that the SCOBY has both a yeast and bacteria side.

The yeast converts the sweet tea into alcohol and carbon dioxide and the bacteria strains oxidise the alcohol and convert it into many of the good nutrients within Kombucha such as vitamin C. So it makes alcohol and then oxidises it away. Sort of like a self-limiting process. The challenge for brewers is to create conditions for strong oxidisation to keep the alcohol down.

This is why Kombucha must be kept chilled to stop fermentation. When sealed in a container there is no oxygen which means even when chilled, Kombucha can still experience alcohol creep. This is why we say that Dr Bucha should be consumed within 2 weeks of purchase unless you want to “age” the drink.

We state to customers when they purchase to not consume Kombucha if they are sensitive to alcohol, are pregnant or are younger than 18 years old without parental consent. Diabetics should also avoid Kombucha.

If you can feel a slight buzz after drinking Dr Bucha Kombucha this may not always be related to alcohol content. It is often reported that the probiotics, low caffeine content from the black and green tea base and residual sugar combine to produce an energy boost.

If you experience any undesired effect from Kombucha do not consume it. It’s not for everyone and it’s certainly not your average drink.

When making kombucha, bubbles are created during bottling (also called second fermentation). At room temperature, the yeast eats the sugar and creates carbon dioxide (CO2). ... This is how kombucha becomes fizzy!

Keep it in the fridge to slow the second ferment. Do not leave at room temperature. The best before date is 5-6 weeks after opening - though we know it last longer than this.

DO - have your glass ready when opening Dr Bucha

DO - Open Dr Bucha over a sink or outside.

DO - chill Dr Bucha before opening - this reduces the fizz.

DON’T - Shake Dr Bucha just before opening. Swirl instead.

DON’T - Leave at room temp or in direct sunlight for longer than 12 hours.

DO - Vent your bottles by slightly cracking the cap if no fridge can be found.

Dr Bucha does contain some residual sugar from the brewing process. Our flavours are around 3.8 grams per 100 ml when they leave our brewery.

Compared to say a fizzy drink which is around 12 grams per 100 ml. This puts us in the low sugar drink category - however, this does not tell the full story. Over time some slow fermentation will continue (even while chilled) which means the sugar in Dr Bucha will decrease over time. This means the longer you leave it the less sweet it will become.

Because some of our flavours are flavoured with real fruit some can taste slightly sweeter than others - feijoa as an example.

If you are on a low sugar diet or have other dietary concerns we suggest:

• mixing in some soda water with your Kombucha which will half the sugar content

• or switch over to a commercial brand of kombucha that is sweetened with some other type of sweetener. This is one of the tricks that commercial brewers use to stop Kombucha from changing over time - by removing all the sugar and adding artificial sweeteners and flavours.

• We don’t and won’t use artificial anything in our brewing so this is not an option for us.

Homemade-style craft Kombucha does contain some real sugar and there’s not much that can be done about that without ruining the quality - apart from letting it age in a chiller. (Please note: aging in a chiller can allow some alcohol creep which is why we can’t sell it to consumers like this - usually around 1.1% ABV after about 6-8 weeks.)