Kombucha in Canada: caffeine, flavours and how it's made

Kombucha is fermented tea: sweet tea, a living culture and a week or two of patience, bottled with fruit, flowers or ginger. It's tart, lightly fizzy and full of live cultures, and yes, most kombucha has some caffeine, usually far less than a cup of coffee. If you're new to the kombucha fridge or just curious, here's how it's made, what's in it, and the Canadian bottles we stock.

What is kombucha?

Kombucha starts as sweet tea, usually black or green tea brewed with cane sugar. A culture of bacteria and yeast, called a SCOBY, goes into the cooled tea and starts to ferment it. You'll sometimes see it called "tea fungus" or "mushroom tea", but there's no mushroom involved. The SCOBY is a rubbery mat of living yeast and bacteria that floats on top of the brew.

Over 7 to 14 days at room temperature, the yeast eats the sugar and makes carbon dioxide and a little alcohol. The bacteria then turn much of that alcohol into acetic acid, the same acid that gives vinegar its bite, along with other organic acids. Some kombucha cultures also carry lactic acid bacteria. The result is a drink that's tangy, a little sweet and naturally sparkling, and the culture grows a new SCOBY layer on the surface as it goes.

Bottled kombucha is usually flavoured after that first ferment with fruit, juice, herbs, flowers or spices, then sealed so it builds more fizz. That's where the variety on the fridge shelf comes from.

Kombucha fermentation, step by step

1. Brew sweet tea. Black, green or white tea leaves are steeped in hot filtered water, and sugar is stirred in to feed the culture.
2. Add the culture. Once the tea is cool, the SCOBY and some finished kombucha go in. The finished kombucha makes the mixture acidic from the start.
3. Ferment. The glass jar sits covered with a cloth for 7 to 14 days, ideally somewhere warm, around 24 to 29°C. The yeast and bacteria turn sweet tea into a tart, tangy drink.
4. Flavour and bottle. Fruit, ginger, botanicals or other flavourings are added, and the kombucha is sealed so it carbonates.
5. Chill. Cold slows the culture down, which keeps the flavour bright and the fizz just right.

Does kombucha have caffeine?

Yes, most kombucha does. It's made from caffeinated tea, and while fermentation may lower the caffeine a little, it doesn't remove it. How much is left depends on the tea, how strong it's brewed and how much the finished kombucha is diluted with juice or water. The only way to know is to check the brand's numbers for that flavour.

RISE Kombucha, crafted in Montreal, gives a good picture of the range. Here's the caffeine in a full 414 mL bottle, worked out from the amount per 207 mL serving:

For comparison, the same 207 mL of brewed coffee has roughly 84 mg, so a glass of kombucha sits below a cup of coffee across the whole range.

Sugar, fizz and freshness

Sugar feeds the fermentation, and the culture eats a good share of it, but finished kombucha still has some, and many bottles have sugar or juice added after fermentation. Fruit-forward flavours usually mean more. Even so, many kombuchas have less sugar than a typical pop. Read the nutrition facts and compare per bottle, not per serving, since a single bottle is often two servings.

The kombucha on our shelf is a non-alcoholic drink. Fermentation leaves only a tiny trace, and it's made to stay under 0.5%; RISE, for example, holds there through its shelf life when it's kept at 4°C. Keeping your bottles cold also keeps them tasting the way the brewer intended, since a warm bottle can keep fermenting and turn more sour.

Kombucha health benefits: what we can say

Kombucha brings live cultures to the table, along with the organic acids made during fermentation and the antioxidant polyphenols that come from tea. Many people enjoy it as part of a diet that includes other fermented foods, like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi. If you're after a fizzy drink with fibre rather than cultures, see our guide to prebiotic soda.

It's also a satisfying swap for pop or a drink with dinner: fizzy, tart and interesting enough to sip slowly. It's acidic, though, so not everyone finds it sits well. And plenty of the bold health claims you'll read online come from lab or animal studies rather than people, so we keep it simple. Enjoy kombucha because you like it.

Drink kombucha because you love the taste. The live cultures come along for the ride.

Goodmore Kombucha, made in Dartmouth

Goodmore Kombucha is a true local maker, brewing in Woodside, Dartmouth, a few minutes from our Portland Street store. Before kombucha, the team spent 15 years making wine around the world, then came home to Nova Scotia, and that shows in how the flavours are built. Every batch starts with 100% organic teas and raw cane sugar, layered with botanicals and fruit, with no artificial sweeteners and no "natural flavours". Goodmore is also a member of 1% for the Planet.

For the table, Goodmore's artist series comes in 750 mL bottles with labels by local artist Islay McNab. Rosette is made as a non-alcoholic alternative to sparkling rosé, and Fleurette leans toward apricot, nectarine and golden honey.

GoodmoreRosette, 750 mLRare flowers, whole vanilla bean and Celtic sea salt, with notes of raspberry, strawberries and cream. A soft blush sharing bottle.Shop →

More kombucha from across Canada

Alongside Goodmore, our kombucha Canada shelf has makers from Quebec and Ontario. RISE has been crafted in small batches in Montreal since 2008. Greenhouse is a Canadian company that started in 2014 in a former coach house on Toronto's Macpherson Avenue, which is still its flagship shop, and its kombucha is organic and cold-pressed. Connected Craft Beverages filters its kombucha for a clear, clean-looking pour that's easy to bring to a party.

We also carry GT's and Brew Dr. from the US, and You + I, whose Black Cherry kombucha uses oak-fermented Assam tea.

Kombucha or jun?

Brewing kombucha at home

Making kombucha at home is a popular kitchen project, and kombucha kits make it easy to start with a healthy SCOBY. The basics are the same as the steps above: sweet tea, a culture, some finished kombucha, a clean glass jar and patience. Use glass or another non-reactive container, not metal, since kombucha is acidic.

Food safety matters more than any recipe. Start with very clean jars and utensils, keep the brew acidic by adding finished kombucha at the start, and cover it with a breathable cloth. Mould is fuzzy and dry, often blue, green or black, on the surface; if you see it, throw out the whole batch and the SCOBY. That's how you keep harmful bacteria out. Brown stringy bits hanging under the SCOBY are normal yeast.

How to store and serve kombucha

Keep kombucha in the fridge from the moment you get home, and open it gently, as it's naturally carbonated. Don't shake it. The sediment at the bottom is normal: it's mostly tea and culture, so give the bottle a gentle swirl before you drink kombucha if you'd like it mixed in.

For an easy spritz for two, pour 250 mL of chilled ginger or citrus kombucha over ice in two glasses, top each with 75 mL of sparkling water, stir once and add a lime wedge. For a small tasting with friends, open three styles, such as ginger, floral and fruit, and pour 60 to 75 mL of each.

Questions we get a lot

Does kombucha keep you awake?

It can, because most kombucha has caffeine. If caffeine affects your sleep, treat kombucha like tea: choose a lower-caffeine flavour and enjoy it earlier in the day.

Is kombucha high in caffeine?

Usually not compared with coffee, but it varies a lot. A 414 mL bottle of RISE ranges from about 20 mg to about 118 mg depending on the flavour. If caffeine matters to you, check the brand's numbers for the exact flavour.

Why do I feel buzzed after drinking kombucha?

The caffeine is the most likely reason, especially on an empty stomach. Some flavours, like Mango & Papaya, simply have more caffeine than others.

Is it safe to drink kombucha every day?

Many people enjoy a bottle a day as part of their routine. If you're new to it, a small glass with lunch is a nice way to get to know the taste, and the low-sugar flavours make an easy everyday habit.

Where can I buy kombucha in Canada?

Kombucha is a fridge item, so we sell it at both stores and through pickup and Luminate Express in HRM, rather than shipping it across Canada. Look for Goodmore, RISE, Greenhouse, Connected Craft and more in our kombucha fridge.

Kombucha is in the drinks fridge at both stores: 486 Starboard Drive in Bedford and 590 Portland Street in Dartmouth, open seven days. For more alcohol-free options, see our non-alcoholic drinks and our guide to non-alcoholic spirits and wine, and for an evening cup, our guide to lemon balm tea covers a caffeine-free herbal cup. In HRM, order by 11 am with Luminate Express for same-day delivery, or choose pickup.

Sources: RISE Kombucha FAQ (caffeine and alcohol); RISE, About; Goodmore Kombucha, About; Greenhouse, About; product labels. This article is general information, not medical advice.