Have you heard of kombucha? It’s sort of the trendy drink right now. It’s fermented tea, and is part of the whole probiotics, healthy gut scene. I’ve tried a few varieties of GT’s brand, and since I love just about anything tart, the “Cosmic Cranberry” is my favorite. (Update: new favorite – Lavender Love. Later update: Now I make my own!) I have it with soda water; about 1 part kombucha, 2 parts soda water. (I drink my own straight up, no soda. It’s milder than GT’s.)
But since it’s made of tea, I’ve been wondering how much caffeine is in kombucha. And should I stay away from drinking it too late in the day?
I didn’t find any info on the GT’s website (although it did say that “the Classic line may contain more than 0.5% alcohol per volume”), but I did track down this info about caffeine on the Peaceful Table blog:
“I emailed GT’s and asked about caffeine content, and here was their prompt and satisfying reply:
“”Many thanks for reaching out and for your interest in our products! GT’s Kombucha is considered naturally decaffeinated and contains anywhere from 8 mg to 14 mg per 8 oz. serving. (By comparison, coffee has 100 mg of caffeine per 8 oz. and decaf has 5 mg per 8 oz.). The reason it has any caffeine at all is because we cultivate Kombucha in a medium of black and green tea combined. The live Kombucha organism breaks down most of the nutrients in the tea, including the caffeine, and cultures an elixir naturally rich in probiotics, essential enzymes and organic acids. Hope that helps!””
I tried the drink and had a sleepless night. All night it felt like my heart was knocking on the door wanting to get out of my body, and my heart was racing. I believe the medical term is tachycardia. I didn’t think with that little caffeine it would have that effect, but it did. Though I did like the drink and wanted to(and still want to) take it for the health benefits, I think I have to not drink it for now.
What time of day did you drink it? Limiting it to morning might be helpful. I’m super sensitive to caffeine, too, so I don’t drink it after 2 pm. It’s also possible that the sugar played a role in your experience. I find if I eat much sugar in the evening, I have that heart-racing experience.
I do not find any caffeine effect from Kombucha. If it has less caffeine that decaf coffee it should not be a problem for people who can drink decaf in the evening. My heart does not race when I drink it either. Everyone is different, so try for yourself with moderation. Thanks for the information and cheers everyone!
How much caffeine is in the GT’s Kombucha “Koffee” drink? I read the entire label and found no caffeine content listed. Why isn’t the amount of caffeine in this product not listed on the label?
Manufacturers aren’t required by law to list caffeine content. I wish they would, anyway.
I am concerned about the added lactic and acetic acids. It clearly adds an acidic bite that I find unnatural and excessive. There should be enough acidity from the natural fermentation. Adding it artificially seems like a shortcut and contrary to claims of a totally natural product
Where did you hear that lactic and acetic acids are added? The acetic acid makes sense as you start the next batch with “starter tea” from the prior batch, but this is only to jump start lowering the Ph and make a safer to consume drink. This is my understanding anyway. But lactic acid?? That is a milk product fermenting acid, not tea. Again, my understanding anyway. Can anyone officially confirm that lacti acid is added to Kombucha? I know I don’t when I make it at home, or do the scores of people on the internet teaching how to make it, anyway.
I am pretty caffeine sensitive and totally missed like 100% missed that this was a product made with TEA!!! I bought one box and got into the habit of drinking them at night after my kids went to sleep. I had no issues sleeping. I bought a second box and drink it with no issues as well during the day and during the evening. There was a sale in the boxes at Costco and I just bought three boxes and then thought to turn it over because somebody had told me that it contains alcohol. I am an alcoholic, so I was wondering if this was the reason that I love it so much LOL! And then I thought it was made with black tea and green tea!! I couldn’t believe it! I am also breast-feeding a four month old baby and she has been sleeping through the night just fine. I might add that I can’t drink decaf coffee after 5 PM without her suffering through the night. She’s a great sleep at night but horrible if I have any caffeine at all. I was kind of blown away that I hadn’t noticed anything at all in terms of energy side effects from this product. I wish I hadn’t read about this because I did enjoy drinking it at night. Now I’m frightened LOL
That’s all good to know! If you drank it without incident before knowing, it’s probably okay for you.
:lol I too am waking up (as it were) to the fact that kombucha has caffeine. So far it has not posed a problem for me. Of course I drink only 2-4 ounces at a time, never a whole cup. I haven’t noticed a correlation between drinking kombucha and sleeping (or not). Fortunately I fall asleep easily so maybe it is just not a significant amount of caffeine. In any case, I am glad that I am getting some green tea via kombucha so I guess I will go on drinking it as usual. I make it myself and get 1 quart every 10 days or so.
i would love to drink a kombucha drink for the health benefits but i tried and i have slight high BP
and i just could feel it going up. what to do? which flavor has the least caffine. i have one cup of
coffee in the am and then no other caffine. i would really like to be able to use kombuha.
thanks you,
jude love
I have no medical expertise to answer that, but my inexpert opinion would be to listen to your body, and weigh the pros and cons. If it creates havoc with your BP, it’s probably not worth the benefits you’d get from it. Also, there are other ways to get probiotics, which (as I understand it) is the main benefit with kombucha.
I am new to Kombacha but have not found a problem with the caffeine. Kevita’s pineapple peach does list caffeine in its ingredients. Must be minute because I am very sensitive to it. Helpful site to learn from one another. Also trying Amazon’s assortment of teas that promote healing of health issues.
I have chronic kidney disease, lingering between stage 3 & 4. Nephrologist doesn’t seem promising but going to a post-visit after an ultrasound to see what his treatment plan includes. Mayo will be my next option which I probably should have availed myself to in the first place.
Best wishes to all to regain their health in 2020.