Kombucha FAQ

Kombucha is a fermented tea drink. A living culture of bacteria and yeast, called a SCOBY, eats the sugars in sweetened green tea and turns them into acids, bubbles and flavour. Rudy's adds real fruit, ferments in Kuldīga, Latvia, and cans the result at 330 ml without pasteurising it.

We brew green tea, sweeten it lightly and let a kombucha culture ferment it for days until most of the sugar is gone. Then we blend in real fruit juice and puree, add plant fibres and a sweetener, and can it at 330 ml in Kuldīga without pasteurising.

Yes. Rudy's Kombucha is made from water, green tea, a kombucha culture, fruit juice and puree, plant fibres and sweeteners. Nothing on the ingredient list comes from an animal, and the culture itself is bacteria and yeast. The Hard range lists no animal-derived ingredients on its label either.

Yes. Rudy's Kombucha is kosher certified, parve, by BIR (Badatz Igud Rabbonim, Manchester). The certificate covers the ingredients and the production process at our brewery in Kuldīga, Latvia, and the BIR mark sits in the footer of this site. Need the certificate itself, or a check on a specific flavour? Write to woof@rudyskombucha.com.

Pasteurising heats a drink until the living culture is gone. We leave ours in, so the kombucha keeps fermenting slowly in the can and keeps its tartness and fizz. That is also why the label asks you to store cans between +2 and +25 °C and drink them within the shelf life.

Yes, people do. You need a SCOBY, brewed tea, sugar, a clean glass jar and about a week at room temperature. Home brewing is hard to keep consistent, which is why we ferment to a fixed recipe in Kuldīga and hold an ingredients and quality certificate for every flavour.

Kombucha is fermented, so a trace of alcohol forms naturally. Rudy's Kombucha is certified as a non-alcoholic drink and stays under 0.5% ABV, stricter than the statutory limit in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, where a drink counts as alcoholic above 1.2% by volume, or above 0.5% for beer. Hard Kombucha is separate, at 4.5% ABV.

Rudy's Kombucha stays under 0.5% ABV, the same order of trace you find in ripe fruit or bread, and it is sold as a non-alcoholic drink with no age limit. Drink-driving rules differ by country, so check yours. Hard Kombucha is 4.5% ABV and is an alcoholic drink.

Not zero, but non-alcoholic. Fermentation always leaves a trace, so Rudy's Kombucha is not sold as alcohol-free; the certificates call it a non-alcoholic drink and it stays under 0.5% ABV. If you avoid alcohol entirely, for religious or personal reasons, that trace is worth knowing about.

Yes, a little. Rudy's Kombucha is brewed from green tea, and green tea contains caffeine, so some carries through into the can. We do not publish a measured caffeine figure, because none of our certificates carries one. Cold Brew Coffee & Orange also contains coffee, and Matcha & Passion Fruit contains matcha.

Two. Cold Brew Coffee & Orange is brewed with cold brew coffee on top of the green tea base, and Matcha & Passion Fruit contains matcha, a powdered green tea. Every other flavour gets its caffeine only from the green tea the kombucha is fermented on. We publish no measured figures.

Between 8 and 18 kcal per 100 ml, and between 0.8 and 2.4 g of sugars per 100 ml, depending on the flavour. Lemon & Ginger, Rhubarb, Pear & Fireweed by Madara Meiere and Matcha & Passion Fruit are the lightest at 8 kcal per 100 ml; Pineapple & Peach is the highest at 18.

Erythritol in eight of the nine certified flavours, often with xylitol or steviol glycosides alongside it. Lemon & Ginger uses erythritol on its own; Matcha & Passion Fruit uses steviol glycosides on its own. No sugar is added to any flavour, so the sugars listed come from the fruit and the tea.

Water, kombucha culture, fruit and a sweetener. The kombucha itself is water, green tea and the living culture; on top of that go fruit juice and fruit puree, plant fibres, and erythritol with xylitol or steviol glycosides depending on the flavour. No colours, no stabilisers, no added sugar.

Yes. Every certificate lists, per 100 ml, 19 to 20 mg of vitamin C, 0.34 mg of B1, 0.31 mg of B6, 33 micrograms of B9 and 0.80 micrograms of B12, plus 1.6 g of fibre. Those are the declared amounts on the certificate, and we make no claims beyond them.

We do not give medical advice, so here are the facts: Rudy's Kombucha is unpasteurised, contains a living culture, carries a trace of alcohol under 0.5% ABV, and contains caffeine from green tea. Whether that fits your pregnancy or breastfeeding is a question for your doctor or midwife.

Rudy's Kombucha is sold without an age limit, because it is a non-alcoholic drink under 0.5% ABV. It is unpasteurised, tart, lightly fizzy and contains caffeine from green tea. Parents decide; if you want guidance for a particular child, ask your doctor. Hard Kombucha is 18+ (20+ in Sweden and Lithuania) and never for children.

Kombucha is fermented by a culture of bacteria and yeast, so yeast is part of how it is made and traces stay in the can. Yeast is not one of the 14 allergens EU law requires on a label, so it will not appear in an allergen line. If you react to yeast, ask your doctor.

Between +2 and +25 °C, out of direct sun. The label does not require a fridge; cool storage is enough, and the shelf life is 365 days, with the best-before date printed on the can. We like it cold, so chill a can for a few hours before you open it.

The shelf life is 365 days, and the best-before date is printed on the can. Because the culture is still alive, an old can turns more sour and can build more pressure, so open it over a sink. Past the best-before date the drink changes; the date is the honest guide.

Because the culture is still in there. Rudy's Kombucha is unpasteurised, so small strands or a little sediment from the kombucha culture can settle in the can. It is a sign the drink is alive, not a fault. Turn the can gently before opening if you would rather not see it.

Fermentation makes carbon dioxide. The kombucha culture produces it as it works through the sugars in the tea and fruit, and the sealed can holds it in, so the drink pours with a natural sparkle. Warm cans build more pressure than cold ones, which is why we suggest chilling before opening.

Hard Kombucha is our alcoholic range. We take the same fermented green tea and fruit, then ferment it again with champagne yeast until it reaches 4.5% ABV. It is dry, lightly sparkling and sold to adults 18 and over only (20 and over in Sweden and Lithuania). The range won a SIAL Paris innovation award in 2022.

4.5% alcohol by volume, printed on every can. That puts it near a light beer or a dry cider and well above ordinary Rudy's Kombucha, which stays under 0.5% ABV. Hard Kombucha is an alcoholic drink under Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian law and is sold to adults 18 and over (20 and over in Sweden and Lithuania).

In our online shop, under the Hard range: Passion Fruit, Guava and Mandarin & Yuzu as nine-can packs, plus a mixed Hard Set with three of each. It is sold to adults 18 and over (20 and over in Sweden and Lithuania). For bars, shops and restaurants, the Become a stockist form is the way in.

We ship within Latvia, across the Baltics and to Europe. In Latvia and the Baltics you can choose a DPD parcel locker, a Venipak parcel locker or Venipak delivery to your address. Delivery times are not published on the Delivery page, so the estimate shown at checkout is the one to use.

Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania: parcel locker or pickup point 3.50 EUR, home delivery 6.50 EUR, and parcel locker or pickup point delivery is free from 2 sets (orders from 30 EUR). Finland: 19.00 EUR, free from 60 EUR. Rest of the EU: 19.99 EUR, free from 150 EUR. Norway: always free, Hard Kombucha range only. All prices include VAT.

Pick the Monthly Kombucha Subscription instead of a one-off purchase and a box arrives every month at 15% off. The plan runs on Appstle, so you manage it from the customer portal linked in your subscription emails. To change a flavour or stop the plan, use that portal or contact us.

If a can arrives damaged or the order is wrong, send us a photo and your order number and we will replace it or refund you. For online orders in the EU you also have 14 days to withdraw, under the Consumer Rights Directive. Our detailed returns terms are on the way.

Rudy's is carried by shops, cafes and bars, and that list changes often, so we do not publish a store finder. The online shop is the route we can always vouch for. If you run a shop or a bar and would like to stock us, the Become a stockist form is the place to start.

Nine 330 ml cans, one of each flavour: Mango & Passion Fruit, Pineapple & Peach, Mandarin & Yuzu, Raspberry & Basil, Pear & Fireweed by Madara Meiere, Rhubarb, Lemon & Ginger, Coconut & Pineapple and Dragon Fruit Mojito. It is the easiest way to find your favourite before you commit to a nine-pack.