Kombucha is fermented tea. Cold, fizzy, a bit tangy, and nothing like the vinegar your mate warned you about. Raw kombucha is unpasteurised, so the live cultures that made it are still in there.
This page covers what it actually is, what the research says about fermented drinks, how to start without overthinking it, and the bottles our regulars started with. Mix any 6 and save 5%, rising to 15% for 24.
Tea, sugar and a living culture. The culture does all the clever bits.
Kombucha starts as sweet tea. A culture of bacteria and yeasts, often called a SCOBY, is added and left to ferment for one to two weeks. The culture eats most of the sugar and turns it into tangy organic acids and natural fizz.
Pasteurising heats a drink to kill off microbes so it lasts longer on a shelf. Raw kombucha skips that, so the bacteria and yeasts from fermentation are still in the bottle. That's why it has to stay in the fridge.
In a Stanford study, adults who ate six servings a day of fermented foods, including kombucha, ended up with more diverse gut bacteria after 10 weeks, and 19 markers of inflammation went down.
Source: Wastyk et al., Cell, 2021
Fermentation leaves a trace of alcohol, always under 0.5% ABV in what we sell, and the tea brings a little caffeine. Both are far lower than a beer or a coffee.
They're the easiest way in. Save the hoppy and floral ones for when you're hooked.
A 150ml glass, straight from the fridge. Warm kombucha is nobody's friend.
Every maker brews differently. If one isn't for you, the next might be your favourite.
Same time every day, with lunch or mid-afternoon. A habit sticks far better than a once-a-week bottle.
Kev's own range. Four flavours in one pack, so you find out what you like without buying a case of each. It counts as one item towards the box deal.
How Kev takes it: A small glass with lunch, straight from the fridge.
The ones regulars keep coming back for.
The gentlest way in.
Made to taste like a proper drink.
60+ raw kombuchas from the UK's best makers.
Mix any 6 from every maker for 5% off, 12 for 10%, 24 for 15%.
Somewhere between a sparkling apple juice and a grown-up ginger beer, with a bit of tang. Each maker's different, so if one isn't for you, try another.
A trace, always under 0.5% ABV, from the fermentation. That's the same as many alcohol-free beers.
A small glass, about 150ml, is plenty. Start with less if you're new to it and build up.
That's the live culture. Totally normal in raw kombucha. Give it a gentle tip before you pour if you like.
Yes. Raw kombucha is alive. Fridge it as soon as it lands.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you're pregnant, on medication or managing a health condition, check with your GP or pharmacist before changing your diet or taking supplements.