So wait, why are we losing our Kombucha?

Some blame Lindsey Lohan. This seems like a stretch of the imagination. However it does appear that concern around the alcohol content within the fermented drink became an issue suspiciously soon after the actress publicly claimed her elevated BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) was due to Kombucha consumption.

 It would seem highly unlikely that one could reach a BAC level similar to that achieved from an entire mixed drink by simply guzzling Kombucha. But it does appear that the attention this has brought to the detoxifying, metabolic balancing tea is enough to cause the major producers of Kombucha to voluntarily stop providing the drink until they can clarify its alcohol content more definitively.

The issue is: there is no clear way to determine the precise alcohol content of the non-pasteurized drink – by its nature, the fermentation of the fruit juices within the drink will continue after bottling, leading to some trace alcohol development, the amount of which is not clear since it depends upon storage temperatures, bottling dates, quantities of sugars and fermentable ingredients present, etc.

The current labeling suggests some trace amounts of alcohol may be present, but less than 0.5%. It is this vague percentage that is being called in to question and that will likely need to be clarified before the Kombucha manufacturers resume peaceful production. Attention like this will not disappear and if you ask enough steady Kombucha drinkers, they’ll likely admit they get a little buzz now and then when they drink it – meaning that as ridiculous as it may sound, the tea probably needs to fall under the same restrictions as NA beer.

For now, stock up while you can steady Kombucha heads: what you see is what we’ve got at the Co-op, and it’s not a whole lot at this point.