People who care about their health like the fizzy, fermented tea drink kombucha a lot. Many people want to know if this well-known drink has caffeine in it. The answer is not as easy as yes or no, it turns out.
For the base, kombucha is made by brewing black, green, or oolong tea that has been sweetened. All of these teas have caffeine in them, which comes from the camellia sinensis plant. Since this is the case, it makes sense that the final kombucha would still have some of that natural caffeine.
But how much coffee do we really mean? A lot of things can change the exact amount, like the type of tea used as a base, how long it ferments, and any sauces, fruit purees, or other flavorings that could water it down.
Each 8-ounce serving of most store-bought kombucha has 8 to 14 mg of caffeine. How much is that? A regular cup of black tea has around 47 mg of caffeine, and a green tea cup has around 28 mg. Kombucha does have caffeine in it, but it’s not nearly as strong as a cup of tea that hasn’t been spoiled.
Where Caffeine Comes From in Biology
But what is caffeine, and why does it happen naturally in coffee, tea, and cacao? This bitter alkaloid is made by many species to keep insects and other animals away. It gets rid of weeds naturally.
Caffeine can mostly change how people feel because it can block adenosine receptors in the brain. That chemical in our brains called adenosine builds up during the day. At night, it makes us feel sleepy and slow. Coffee makes your brain think it’s not tired because it stops these receptors. This makes you more alert and focused.
People love coffee, tea, and other drinks with caffeine because they wake them up. But coffee also has other effects on the body. For example, it raises dopamine levels, which makes you happier, opens up the lungs in the bronchi, and even speeds up your metabolism for a short time.
Fermentation Process
The biggest difference is that kombucha has less caffeine because of the special fermentation process that is used to make it. A SCOBY, which is a group of bacteria and yeast that work together, is put on top of a base of sweet tea. Over the course of seven to thirty days, this culture breaks down the tea and changes it in two steps of fermentation.
The yeast eats most of the sugar in the first stage, which makes alcohol and bubbles. The alcohols are then changed into acetic acid by the bacteria. This is what gives kombucha its sour and tangy taste.
It is also thought that these busy bacteria break down the caffeine straight and use some of it during the process. It ferments for a longer time, and the caffeine breaks down faster. This effect is bigger when non-caffeinated drinks like juice are mixed with water to make it less strong.
In the end, kombucha naturally loses less caffeine than normal tea. But how much coffee is taken away? There aren’t many studies on this subject, but we do know that the caffeine levels in the finished product are usually 25 to 50 percent of the caffeine levels in the tea base.
Variance in Kombucha Caffeine Levels
The amount and type of tea used, as well as the time it takes to mature, can all be different. That’s why the caffeine levels in kombucha can be very different between brands and amounts.
Most of the time, black tea kombucha will still have more energy than green tea kombucha. Because the coffee is being brewed for longer, that caffeine rate keeps going down.
If you add a lot of caffeine-free ingredients to kombucha to make it color or water it down, like fruit drinks, it will have even less caffeine.
In an 8-ounce serving, some pure black tea kombuchas may have up to 25 mg of caffeine. This is pretty low, but some green tea mixes that have been fermented faster or for longer may only have 2–4 mg of caffeine left.
As the coffee business tries to find a reasonable level of caffeine that everyone can enjoy, most bottles on the market seem to have between 8 and 14 mg of caffeine per dose.
Caffeine Sensitivity & Side Effects
Of course, coffee has different effects on different people. Some people may find that the small amount of caffeine in kombucha is enough to give them headaches, sickness, or trouble sleeping if they drink too much or too close to bedtime.
On the other hand, kombucha’s small amount of caffeine may be just the mild pick-me-up that some people need to improve their focus, memory, or physical endurance without getting too high like energy drinks with a lot of caffeine do.
FDA safety rules say that most healthy people can handle up to 400 mg of caffeine per day. But coffee can make anxiety worse in people who are already prone to it, even in small amounts.
An awful lot of experts say that pregnant women shouldn’t drink more than 200 mg of coffee a day. Also, little kids shouldn’t drink too much coffee because their brains are still developing.
Finding the Right Amount of Caffeine
How much kombucha caffeine you drink is important for your health, but not too much or too little. Pay close attention to how your body responds to this fizzy ferment. Then you can decide if it can help you.
Some people who like kombucha start to like and handle drinks that are high in caffeine, and they go out of their way to find black teas that have been saved for longer. Coffee that isn’t too strong can really help some people feel calm and clear.
Some people also want to know how little caffeine is in kombucha that has been juiced or mixed. This way, they can enjoy the sour taste and health benefits of the bacteria without getting too high.
Some people like their coffee somewhere in the middle. There are more and more commercial kombuchas that are carefully measured to meet their needs for healthy food that is light and doesn’t get in the way.
Conclusion
The best way to get the most out of your kombucha experience is to be a smart and well-informed customer. Read the labels and figure out how sensitive you are to coffee. Then make the choice that is best for your mind and body.
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