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FAQ
House Kombucha contains approximately less than one-third as much caffeine as its equivalent amount of tea. Because we use either green, black or white tea in our brews, each one has a different caffeine concentration. Also some our brews are mainly herbal, which cuts down the caffeine level as well. For context, House Kombucha is about the level of decaffeinated coffee which ranges between 5-12 mg of caffeine per 8oz. serving.
Our independent tests have shown the following results for House Kombucha:
- Citrus Hibiscus 12.93 mg per 8 oz. serving (Assam Black tea and hibiscus flowers)
- Ginger Fire and Ginger Ice 7.66 mg per 8 oz. serving ( Imperial Green tea and chili peppers or dried peppermint)
- Lavender Lemonade 3.7 mg per 8 oz. serving
- Rose Black: 19 mg per 8 oz. serving (Assam Black tea)
- Sun Blossom: 5.6 mg per 8 oz. serving (White tea)
- Vanilla Sarsaparilla 12.93 mg per 8 oz. serving (Assam Black tea and Chicory Root)
While some traditional healers suggest that a 4 ounce serving of kombucha daily is sufficient to have a positive probiotic effect, there is no recommended serving size.
Is it Non-GMO, Organic Vegan, and Made in an Allergen-Free facility?
YES.
Do I need to refrigerate it?
Refrigerate as soon as you can for the best quality. It's alive but it's not going to spoil like milk. The main concerns about leaving it out at room temperature is continued fermentation and flavor alteration. The pH of the kombucha keeps it naturally preserved from spoilage.
Are there Mushrooms in this? Do you use a SCOBY?
Kombucha is also known as mushroom tea because of the gooey awesome layer that grows on-top of a batch of kombucha. This layer can develop super thick and globular layers. Some people are making kombucha leather and other cool things from this material. It is basically a cellulose mat that is both the by-product and the substrate in which yeast and bacteria to grow, kind of like a coral reef for bacteria. Back in the 1990's moms were giving these mushrooms to each other and teaching each other to make "mushroom tea". That's how I learned about kombucha, from my mom and her wacky Thai immigrant friends!
This mushroom is not really a mushroom at all. It is commonly called a SCOBY, which stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. Home brewers tend to get a little over fascinated by SCOBY. I eventually learned that the SCOBY is not necessary for brewing because the yeast and bacteria are abundant in the kombucha beverage itself. We use an aged vat of kombucha as our Starter and do not intentionally save or grow SCOBY. We strain it out and compost it. No, we don't sell it and we probably can't save it for you. Since we don't have a ton of space and capacity to get into a SCOBY venture this stuff goes straight into the compost.
I am avoiding yeast. And sugar. And I need to alkalize my body! Can I drink Kombucha?
Yes!
Candida fighting diet
Kombucha cultures consist of beneficial yeasts, which ought to rebalance the system and help fight pathogenic yeast like Candida.
Alkalizing diet
Kombucha is considered alkalizing because it is like a raw vinegar. The acid profile of kombucha is mainly from aceterbacter, the same bacteria that is used to make mother of vinegar. In fact, kombucha vinegar is what happens if you don't bottle your kombucha and just let it continue to ferment. While processed vinegars are acid forming, raw vinegar has an alkalizing effect. So does raw lemon juice which we use in some of our brews. Ultimately the House Kombucha flavor profile strives to be mild and not too acidic, so it should be easy on your system. However, everyone's body is different and it is important to pay attention to what you put in your body and how it makes you feel.
Sugar-free diet & Sugar Content
As for sugar, the sugar content is far lower than soda and juice, but there is some sugar! These sugars are mainly pre-digested by the SCOBY into a low-glycemic form. There is 4 grams of organic cane sugar per 8oz serving of House Kombucha.
House Kombucha is considered a non-alcohol beverage because the alcohol levels are kept below the .5% legal limit. There is less than half a percent of alcohol in House Kombucha. Whether you are in recovery, breastfeeding, pregnant or have a religious aversion to alcohol, understand that there may be a trace amount of alcohol in it. Personally, I drank kombucha through both pregnancies and am a member of a religion that forbids alcohol consumption. It is my interpretation of my body and faith that kombucha is a healthy choice for me. Others may be more sensitive and cautious, so I want to be clear that a trace amount of alcohol is in traditionally fermented kombuchas pretty much regardless of brand. House Kombucha is considered non-alcoholic, unless you leave it out of refrigeration for an extended amount of time which could increase the alcohol content slightly.
How long do you ferment?
We use a long ferment continuous style brew starter that is well aged for over two months and use this starter to do a shorter fermentation tailored to the needs of each flavor.
Shipping
How much does shipping cost?
Select zones in the Bay Area (SF, East Bay and Marin Country) qualify for $8 delivery directly by House Kombucha. Anything out of our Bay Area will vary. The best way to know your cost is to place a draft order to find out the full shipping cost.
When will my order arrive?
All orders are shipped out every Wednesday via UPS, meaning they will be delivered Friday/Saturday depending on location of delivery. During holiday weeks it may vary depending on UPS schedules during the holidays.
My package was damaged.
If this happens we will email you to let you know of the damages and send a new package. However, if you do receive a damaged package please email us at sales@housekombucha.com and we will send over a new order or refund an amount to cover price damages.
Subscription
How to subscribe?
When ordering on the website, choose the option SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE. When subscribing please make an account with House Kombucha website as it is easier for you to change address with an account, if you ever move are decide to change address.
Types of subscription w/ discount
We have 5 different subscription options each with a different % of discount.
Weekly subscription = 15%
Every 10 days subscription = 12%
Every other week subscription = 10%
Monthly subscription = 7%
Every other month = 5%
How to pause/cancel or change the subscription?
If you would like to pause, cancel or change the subscription, you can email us at sales@housekombucha.com OR login to your account and select "Manage my Subscription"
How to fix card information?
If you cannot update your payment within the Manage my Subscription portal, it may be because your card needs to be updated through your Shop Pay, Google Pay or Paypal account. If Google Pay and PayPal were not picked during paying it may have automatically gone through Shop Pay. Shop Pay is sometimes automatically set up whenevere you buy something on a shopify website. You can find your account using your phone or email.
- Sign in to your Shop Pay account.
- From the Home page, select the purchase that you want to change the automatic payment settings for.
- In the Automatic payments section, click Edit.
- Use the drop-down list to select a payment method or use a different card.
- Click Update.
- Click Continue.