Raising a Glass to Real Fermentation: Happy World Kombucha Day!

Considering there seems to be a national "day" for just about everything now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there is a day entirely dedicated to celebrating our favorite fermented tea: World Kombucha Day.

Well, this is one holiday that we are more than happy to raise a glass to. Iechyd da!

But as kombucha grows in popularity, the market has become crowded. So, what exactly is kombucha?

The short answer is: fermented tea.

The long answer? It gets a bit more complicated. There are a lot of inferior, mass-produced products out there claiming to be the real deal. If you want to make sure you are drinking genuine, living tea, here are our three golden rules for buying kombucha.

1. Keep It Cool

Always buy kombucha that needs to be refrigerated. Authentic, living kombucha is packed with active bacteria and yeast that will continue to ferment if left in a warm room. While it is perfectly fine out of the fridge for a few days (it will just ferment a bit further and taste a bit more sour), long-term shelf stability is a red flag. If a brand doesn't require refrigeration, it has been aggressively pasteurized—meaning all those living probiotics, bacteria, and yeasts have been killed off.

2. No Sugar = Impossible

If you are interested in real fermentation, sugar is a non-negotiable part of the process. It isn't there to make the drink sweet; it is there as food for the SCOBY culture.

Additionally, we steer clear of "zero sugar" diet brands. Artificial sweeteners have been shown to have a negative effect on the gut microbiome, which completely defeats one of the main reasons people drink kombucha in the first place! (Feel free to email us if you want the link to the medical study!) So yes, real kombucha contains sugar. The good news is that during a proper, traditional fermentation process, the culture breaks that sugar down and converts it into beneficial organic acids and fructose.

3. Natural Carbonation

Another wonderful, natural byproduct of the fermentation process is CO2. The natural carbonation of authentic kombucha is light, delicate, and beautifully effervescent.

We simply don't see the point of force-carbonating a drink when nature does it so perfectly on its own. A lot of commercial kombucha brands use force-carbonation (like a standard soda) to create a faster, more homogenous product. But hey, we're not in that game. We are interested in crafting a finer, artisan kombucha that cannot be beaten on taste or quality.

The Blighty Booch Guarantee

Of course, our award-winning Blighty Booch meets every single one of these points. We brew it the traditional way, with organic ingredients, real sugar, and a whole lot of patience right here in North Wales.

There are plenty more reasons to love kombucha, and I literally could bang on about it all day! But I think my chilled glass of delicious Booch is calling my name right now, and I'm going to indulge that urge.