You have surely already tasted fermented drinks, like beer, cider… or maybe even kombucha. At Ucha, it is precisely this fermented tea that we are highlighting. And yes, when we talk about fermentation, it often means… a little alcohol. But then, is there really any in kombucha? How much? And above all: is it a problem? Don’t panic, we explain everything to you, simply and honestly.

What fermentations for kombucha ?

The fermentation of kombucha is a delicate process to master. At the heart of this transformation is the famous “kombucha mother,” also called SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). Composed of a unique blend of yeasts and a wide variety of bacteria, this living culture transforms sweet tea into kombucha through a fermentation that our teams carefully accompany every day.

Alcoholic fermentation

You have surely noticed the mention "low sugar content" on our labels. Well, that’s largely thanks to the yeasts! Indeed, they feed on the sugar present in the drink and produce, in return, ethanol and carbon dioxide (the gas responsible for the slight fizz of kombucha). It’s this natural process that reduces the amount of sugar while providing that little effervescent touch so appreciated.

Acetic fermentation

But the kombucha mother also contains bacteria and good news: they consume the ethanol produced by the yeasts. This is what we call acetic fermentation, which is responsible for the slight sour taste found in our kombuchas.

You can also find the benefits of our fermented drinks here.

An alcoholic fermentation without alcohol ?

Yes, it’s possible… well, it all depends on the amount! In France, a drink is considered non-alcoholic as long as it contains less than 1.2% alcohol. Kombucha, although it undergoes a natural alcoholic fermentation (thanks to the yeasts), remains below this threshold in its non-pasteurized artisanal version. Result: you enjoy its benefits and unique taste, without it being considered an alcoholic drink under the law.

But then how can we be 100% sure that there is no alcohol in our drinks ?

At Ucha, our production and quality teams perform daily checks on each batch ready to be shipped, in order to ensure compliance with the current regulations.

At the same time, our R&D team conducted stability studies over several months, to ensure that this living drink, which sometimes continues to evolve in the bottle, always remains below the legal alcohol threshold (1.2%) for our kombuchas.

At Ucha, we have rigorous monitoring so that you can enjoy our kombucha with complete confidence.