FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
LEARN MORE about GO Kombucha, how to use, its myriad benefits and how it can aid you. Questions? Email: info@gokombucha.co.uk
CONTENTS
1: WHAT IS KOMBUCHA?
A: Kombucha is a naturally fizzy drink made from tea, water, sugar (the culture’s food source) and a symbiotic colony of good bacteria and friendly yeasts (referred to as a SCOBY or “mother”). Whole kombucha has far less sugar (<4%) than mainstream soft drinks, and the abundance of microbes created by the fermentation process can benefit gut health and the body’s digestive and immune systems. There are countless websites detailing kombucha’s many beneficial properties. Back to top
2. HOW MUCH GO KOMBUCHA SHOULD I DRINK TO START?
A: If you’re new to kombucha - and especially if you suffer from bloating and other digestive issues - start with a 125ml glass a day for the first 6 days to allow your gut to adapt (equivalent to a 750ml bottle), then increase to 2-3 glasses throughout the day - or just follow your gut instinct! Drinking unprocessed kombucha regularly can support a healthy gut and boost energy levels (the role of gut health in maintaining optimum physical and mental wellbeing is now supported by science). Back to top
3. WHEN SHOULD I DRINK GO KOMBUCHA, AND WHICH TEAS ARE LOW CAFFEINE?
Try a glass 10-15 minutes before breakfast to kickstart your day, before and after exercise, as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or our very low caffeine Green Sencha and, especially, China White with an evening meal instead of wine - chilled in your finest champagne flutes in wine glasses, naturally! Raw, unprocessed kombucha also serves as an effective morning after replenisher and number one remedy for hangovers, helping to restore gut-supporting microbes and revitalising blemished and dehydrated skin. Back to top
4. HOW ELSE CAN I USE GO KOMBUCHA?
Sencha’s neutral flavour makes it a perfect mixer with juices or cordials and a perfect zingy base for cocktails. With six varieties of GO Kombucha to mix and match there’s hours of fun to be had experimenting with your own creations. GO Kombucha is extremely versatile. It gives sorbets and fruit salads an invigorating kick, and vinegary GO Kombucha provides a zesty base for pickling and drizzling over summer salads (to make kombucha vinegar, pour some GO Kombucha into a bowl, cover with a tight-fitting, close-knit cloth and leave somewhere warm for 10-14 days) Back to top
5. IS GO KOMBUCHA REALLY 100% AUTHENTIC?
A: Yes, because you can make a complete, healthy culture from it, which you can’t do with processed kombuchas that have been filtered or pasteurised, or are made with “proprietary” probiotic powder blends (note: kombucha is from nature and can’t be patented). To assess if a product calling itself “kombucha” on the label is genuine, pour some into a glass, cover with tight-knit cloth and leave out of fridge a few days. If it’s real, after a week or so a healthy, cream-coloured bacterial cellulose film - as opposed to wispy and translucent - will form on the top of the tea, thickening over time to form a firm, pancake-like disc.
Also, if there isn’t a layer of yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle then a vital component of the kombucha containing all the vitamins, many of the vital bacteria and much of the flavour that gives real kombucha its complex and deliciously tart taste profile will have been filtered away prior to bottling and the tea then artificially carbonated. Real kombucha will also develop highly nutritious jelly-like wisps of culture floating inside the bottle which can be remove with a sieve if preferred, and has a distinctive back of the throat bite/kick. Back to top
6. ARE ALL SHOP SOLD KOMBUCHAS THE SAME?
Almost all “kombuchas” sold on the high street today are, at best, filtered and artificially carbonated, at worse pasteurised and/or with added “proprietary” probiotic powder blends (genuine kombucha is naturally occurring and therefore can’t be patented) The addition of industrially-extracted sweeteners and sugar alcohols like steviol glycosides and erythritol further impair the taste profile and can irritate the gut lining and interfere with levels of good bacteria and cause digestive issues like bloating and diarrhoea – the very antithesis of real kombucha!
A scientific study published in 2023 also found that regular consumption of erythritol found in mass-produced labels like No.1 Kombucha, Lo Bros and Remedy can lead to major cardiovascular issues including bloods clots, heart attack and death. Back to top
7. HOW LONG DOES GO KOMBUCHA KEEP ONCE OPENED?
A: Because GO Kombucha is whole and raw it serves as its own preservative, does not go off if stored correctly, and keeps in the fridge indefinitely. Always screw the cap on tightly after opening each time to maintain the natural effervescence.
8. HOW SHOULD I STORE GO KOMBUCHA?
A: Our Ginger Sencha is flavoured with natural organic ginger juice which has natural sugars and so should be kept refrigerated at 0-5C. China White is our most delicate tea and should be refrigerated if not consumed within a few days of purchasing. Click here for how to store each individual flavour to enjoy at their best. Back to top
9. WHY ISN’T GO KOMBUCHA AVAILABLE IN ALUMINIUM CANS?
A: We think kombucha in plastic bottles and plastic polymer-lined aluminium cans should be avoided (read why on our blog here), particularly in light of a ground-breaking scientific study published in 2023 that found that low pH drinks packed in polymer plastic-coated aluminium cans always corrode and leak some aluminium through the porous plastic lining into the drink - the amount depending on various factors like shelf-life and temperature - though no firm scientific evidence exists to show how many of the 200 synthetic chemicals that comprise the polymer lining also leach into acidic drinks.
Canning is still a relatively new medium for kombucha and no data exists to show how the interaction of the unrecyclable polymer plastic lining the inside of the can with kombucha when drunk regularly over time may cumulatively impact the consumer’s health (Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped on 24 May 2021 revealed how microplastics also end up in canned soft drinks and spring water packed in plastic bottles, and USA Today has reported Why drinking from a can may be dangerous). Kombucha in glass bottles is, frankly, a no-brainer (read why on our blog here), which is why you won’t find GO Kombucha in supermarkets. Back to top
10. WHO SHOULDN’T DRINK GO KOMBUCHA?
A: Because real kombucha contains trace amounts of caffeine and around 0.5% ABV - which can increase above 0.5 per cent if incorrectly stored - we do not recommend GO Kombucha be drunk by pregnant women, infants, or on religious grounds where alcohol consumption is prohibited. Back to top
11. WHY CAN’T I FIND GO KOMBUCHA IN SUPERMARKETS?
A: GO Kombucha is independently-owned and lovingly handcrafted in small batches with naturally purified local spring water, as opposed to industrialised variants that are manufactured en masse and highly adulterated for shop shelf stability and bottled in plastic-lined cans and bottles, which supermarkets prefer and why we refuse to compromise. GO Kombucha really is “the real thing”; artisanal kombucha that we instead deliver direct to your front door in glass bottles like milk used to be, usually within 24-48 hours of ordering via our online Booch Boutique. The finest traditional kombucha that’s priced favourably compared with mass-produced supermarket variants! Back to top
12. HOW CAN GO KOMBUCHA HELP IMPROVE MY SKIN AND COMPLEXION?
Kombucha vinegar (see 4. above for recipe) can also be used as an effective skin toner and for cleansing and revitalising hair. Soak a clean flannel in the vinegar, close eyes and cover your face for several minutes to extract pollutants, naturally tone and refresh your complexion, or for radiant skin from the inside out, drink a teaspoon first thing each morning neat or dilute in juice or cold water for a super boost of bacterial acids to help zap bodily pollutants and free radicals, and to enhance skin glow and vitality from within. Note: none of these tips will work with filtered Kombucha or processed and artificial “kombucha” variants.
13. IS GO KOMBUCHA ACIDIC? CAN IT HARM MY TEETH?
Like Colas and sodas the pH of real kombucha is low and the acidity derives from the live bacteria that are active in your gut. We recommend drinking through a straw, otherwise brushing your teeth 30 minutes after drinking (avoid brushing your teeth directly after eating acidic foods to avoid weakening tooth enamel)
Below: Holistic health coach and gut health expert Mellissa Laycy explains why raw kombucha is now widely used in cosmetics, and describes how she uses GO Kombucha as part of her skincare regime: