Nathan Hague

Caffeine In Kombucha: The Quick Answer

You might be wondering does kombucha have caffeine levels higher or lower than other drinks? Well, there’s 31mg of caffeine per 250ml of our commercial Phuket kombucha, which compares to approx 90mg caffeine in a standard cup of coffee (240ml). However, how much caffeine is in kombucha that’s home-brewed can’t be accurately determined, as there’s too many factors that will affect it.

Above, is our KombuchaWOW Thailand-Government lab report that clearly shows the per litre caffeine content as 125.93mg as the highest for one of our 5 flavours. If we divide that by 4 to get the per 250ml bottle caffeine content, then we get 31mg. This is almost 200% LESS than caffeine than is found in a standard cup of coffee (240ml). So when going further and perhaps comparing a standard energy drink to a standard bottle of booch; Does kombucha have caffeine levels at much lower levels? Yes. Yes it does – by a magnitude lower, in fact! 160mg of caffeine Vs 31mg.

Plus it’s got 1g of sugar Vs the 54g of sugar in your average can of Monster.

Reach for the kombucha rather than the energy drink for your mid-afternoon energy pick-me-up drink!

There Are 4 Main Kombucha Fermentation Variables That Affect Caffeine In Kombucha

Whilst you likely already know that there is a trace amount of alcohol in commercial kombucha (<0.5% ABV), it’s the question of does kombucha have caffeine levels more or less than a coffee or energy drink, that is amongst the most common one people ask (interestingly, tied to the third position, would be the questions of “how much sugar is in kombucha” (less than 1g of sugar per 250ml bottle by the way), and “is kombucha halal” – which it is, providing you’re not drinking standard homemade kombucha with those higher alcohol levels!)

Seeing as all kombucha is made from tea, and tea has natural caffeine in it – then does kombucha have caffeine levels the same level as a standard cup of tea? Well, this caffeine level in the booch is mainly dependant on 4 main factors:

1. Tea type used to make the kombucha (green tea Vs black tea Vs white tea, for example)
2. Fermentation time
3. Fermentation average temperature
4. Vessel size and type used during the fermentation (glass barrel at home Vs commercial 500L stainless steel vat, for example)

I’m going to use the rest of the article to deep dive on these 4 variables for you.

Type Of Tea Used To Make Kombucha

All kombucha starts out from being a mix of tea, water, sugar and a SCOBY. Over a period of time, the sweet tea is converted by the microbes in the SCOBY, into kombucha. Those are the only ingredients used, so the tea is our first major variable as to how much caffeine is in kombucha at the end of the fermentation. Does kombucha have caffeine at higher levels or lower levels depending on what tea you use to make it?

Well, yes. It turns out the tea used in the production does absolutely affect the caffeine levels.

Here at our KombuchaWOW Phuket kombucha brewery, we use a mix of all three of the following teas to give our distinct flavour profile. As a home-brewer, you might like to use only a single tea, or a mix of two such as green and black teas.

How Much Caffeine Is In The Different Teas?

• White tea caffeine content = 20mg per cup (240ml)
• Green tea caffeine content = 60mg per cup (240ml)
• Black tea caffeine content = 80mg per cup (240ml)

As a comparison:

• Coffee caffeine content = 90mg per cup (240ml)

• Kombucha caffeine content (commercial) = 31mg per bottle (250ml)

Fermentation Time

Kombucha fermentation time is almost always 30 days for commercial kombucha breweries. This is the optimal time for the balance between the taste and the ABV% alcohol level being low enough to be classed as a soft drink under most countries’ 0.5% ABV law.

But when does kombucha have caffeine levels lower or higher in this fermentation process? Well, a 30 day fermentation time allows the caffeine content to be reduced from its initial production levels as the microbes in the scoby convert some of this caffeine into organic acids and compounds that are really good for you.

Actually, you can see from the graph below that after 21 days under a strict experimental brew environment, does kombucha have caffeine at levels that are 40% LESS than at Day 0 (initial brew day)? Yes! We’ve reduced the natural caffeine levels by allowing a longer fermentation time. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, this is a great tip for your own homemade kombucha brewing method.

Diving a little bit deeper into this; As the kombucha takes longer to ferment, it’s pH lowers towards being more acidic (the organic acids found in kombucha such as acetic acid, are the same ones as you find in vinegar that gives its sourness, for example).

When the fermenting kombucha’s pH lowers, then it’s also been found in studies that the caffeine levels in kombucha also lower. (Although Researchers in this study were using coffee kombucha in their trial, but what they found when does kombucha have caffeine, is that it’s lower the longer you ferment, and the lower the pH of the liquid.

Fermentation Average Temperature

Optimal kombucha brewing temperatures list between 24 degrees – 29 degrees Celsius. You can go lower for sure, but it just means the fermentation cycle will take a lot longer. It also means an increased risk in mold formation if you’re brewing at home at these lower temperatures. You want the kombucha to ferment so the caffeine content is reduced during that process, so a faster ferment at higher brew temperatures will mean a faster conversion of the sweet tea mix by the microbes.

So it stands to reason that we can get a faster reduction in caffeine content with a faster successful fermentaton.

At our Phuket kombucha brewery, we ferment for 21 – 30 days at a higher temperature range, in the higher 20 degrees. See the lab report excerpt image at the top of this article again to see how does kombucha have caffeine levels at a much lower rate, compared to perhaps a homemade or other commercial kombucha brand out there.

Vessel Size And Type During Fermentation

During the first fermentation process (1F), the entire brewing process is aerobic. This means the microbes in the SCOBY need air to perform their biological duties in converting the sweet tea mix into kombucha, and caffeine degradation can occur.

Most people that are home-brewing kombucha will use a glass vessel of some description to ferment in. This is totally fine, and of course it works. However, if the brewing process is aerobic (which means “with air” – it’s why we all use fermentation vessels that are covered with material to let the air in, but keep bugs etc out), then it stands that having a higher surface area for the air to reach the sweet tea mix, is going to increase the successful fermentation chances AND reduce the fermentation time.

So does kombucha have caffeine at lower levels with this aerobic process where the fermentation air surface area is increased? Yes! It’s another way we can reduce caffeine levels by choosing the right-sized vessel. I recommend sticking to wide-necked glass barrels where the air can more freely make contact with the fermented kombucha liquid.

Can You Lower Caffeine Content In Kombucha?

Yes, but the process varies whether you’re talking about commercial or home-brewed kombucha. It’s also extremely expensive equipment that is needed.

While you can make kombucha with decaffeinated tea, the results we have achieved as a commercial kombucha brewery have been not optimal. You need to remember why does kombucha have caffeine in there to start with?

The tea that contains the caffeine is an essential part of the fermentation process, where the various microbes will be converting the sugar and caffeine into alcohol, organic acids (such as acetic acid, gluconic acids), and carbon dioxide. As part of this process, beneficial and gut-friendly probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are created – along with other amino acids that all help towards making kombucha a healthy beverage of choice for us!

When we tested fermentation using caffeine-free tea, the results were a very sweet tea mix still after 21 days. We reasoned that when does kombucha have caffeine REMOVED from it, then because we’ve also removed a source of nutrition to the microbes; The fermentation stalls.

Whatever the reason, the ONLY factor that had changed was the decaffeinated tea. Every other variable remained the same during the production and 21 day fermentation.

Beyond letting the kombucha ferment for a longer time than 21 days, commercial equipment will remove caffeine from liquids such as kombucha WITHOUT requiring biological solvents or processes. For example, fast and efficient removal of caffeine from water using dielectric barrier discharge can be performed, and requires no solvents – it just lets the kombucha flow past electrodes with a plasma source essentially pulling out how much caffeine is in kombucha as it flows over it.

Final Thoughts

Does kombucha have caffeine higher or lower than a cup of coffee or energy drink? Well, the average 250ml (8oz) serving size of kombucha will have around 30mg of caffeine, versus a standard cup of coffee having 3 times more caffeine, sitting at 90mg of caffeine.

However, as always – it’s always a risk versus reward question: You might want all the health benefits of drinking kombucha, but does kombucha contain caffeine at levels that you are comfortable with, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, for example? Or you suffer from anxiety, increased heart rate or insomnia? You know your own body better than anyone, and you’re better placed to make that call whether to drink kombucha or not.

I would also suggest that if you are making your own kombucha at home, that you now understand it will may have a higher caffeine level than commercially-produced brands.

And finally, if you’re looking to completely eliminate caffeine from your diet? Well I’ve not personally-heard of how does kombucha have caffeine levels of zero from any brand to date – that’s not to say there isn’t a brand out there somewhere, but certainly no Thailand kombucha is zero caffeine, I’m afraid.

And as always, if you want to message Alice or myself (Nate), then head to our socials over at Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. We LOVE reading your comments. And hey – if you want to post a picture of you with our booch, or you want to do a few cheeky little KombuchaWOW reviews on your fave flavours, (*cough* mine’s Apple Pie *cough*) then please be sure to tag with #kombuchawow ..if we see your pic and like it, you might find a little something in your inbox from us!

Peace out and booch on!

Nate