Mane Event

This is the first bottle in the Gut Feeling range, my own house kombucha under Functional Drinks Club. It's cloudy, it's alive, and it's short dated on purpose, that's what real kombucha looks like when nobody's pasteurised the good stuff out of it.

Why you'll love it

It's the most interesting thing you'll drink at your desk this year. Earthy, tangy, ice cold, and a guaranteed conversation starter in the office kitchen. "Is that... mushroom?" Yes, Gary. Yes it is. Swap it in for the third coffee and you've still got an excuse to get up and wander to the fridge.

What's actually in it

Filtered water, cane sugar, tea mix, kombucha cultures, Lion's Mane extract (1%). That's it. 5ml of 10:1 extract per bottle, which works out as a raw material equivalent of roughly 5,000mg (5 grams) of Lion's Mane per bottle. No fillers, no flavour trickery, no ingredients I'd have to look up before I could pronounce them.

Why 500ml, not the usual 330ml

Every other kombucha in the shop comes in 330ml. This one's 500ml on purpose. A small glass, about 150ml, is plenty, so one bottle lasts you about three days. That's a far better way to build an actual habit than necking a small bottle and buying another one 48 hours later.

It also means it works brilliantly as a wine alternative. Pour it into a proper glass with dinner and it does the job a 750ml bottle of red would, minus the 2am regret and the empty bottle staring at you from the recycling.

The proper stuff

Unpasteurised kombucha, fermented in small batches with Lion's Mane. Cloudy, live and short dated. The murky bits mean you no harm, that's just fermentation doing its job. Serve ice cold. Live. Unfiltered. Banging.

Nutrition (per 100ml / per 500ml)

• Energy: 70kJ / 17kcal - 350kJ / 84kcal
• Fat: 0g - 0g (of which saturates: 0g - 0g)
• Carbohydrate: 4.2g - 21.0g (of which sugars: 4.2g - 21.0g)
• Protein: 0g - 0g
• Salt: <0.01g - <0.05g

Suitable for vegans. Contains no more than 0.5% ABV, same as every raw kombucha we stock. Keep refrigerated. Not suitable for children, or if pregnant or breastfeeding.

Exclusive to Functional Drinks Club Ltd, 7 Manor Sq, Otley, LS21 3AP. Home of the Kombucha Tap Room, which holds the largest range of kombucha in the UK. Come and find us, or get it delivered.

This is a fermented tea drink, not a medicine. It doesn't diagnose, treat, cure or prevent anything. Enjoy it as part of a normal, varied diet, and drink it because it's genuinely good, not because a label told you to.

Want the science? Here's what the research actually says about fermented drinks, minus the hype.

Raw means unpasteurised. The bacteria and yeasts from fermentation are still in there, which is why it needs to stay cold.

Like all kombucha, it has a trace of alcohol from fermentation, always under 0.5% ABV, and a little caffeine from the tea it's brewed with.

Fridge it from the moment it lands to the moment you drink it. Warm raw kombucha gets lively, so open it slowly over the sink if it's been out. Once open, keep it in the fridge and finish it within a few days.

Delivery is £5.99 per order, Royal Mail Tracked. We pack within 3 working days, then it's tracked overnight. There's no free delivery threshold, so you're never nudged into buying more than you want.

Or collect for free from the Otley Taproom, 7 Manor Square, LS21 3AP, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Pick it at checkout.

Making kits and maker packs ship direct from the maker in their own parcel, with no extra delivery charge.

Anything arrive damaged? Tell us within 2 days of delivery. Returns and refunds policy.