I just read in one of saved1986's comments that the Kombucha brought back on the market is no longer effective. Can you elaborate? I see a few videos out there entitled, "Will Store Bought Kombucha No Longer Be Raw?" but I can't listen to a video right now. I did find this one article that says that this brand is still raw and unpasteurized:
First Raw Kombucha Back on the Market: High Country Kombucha
by Dane Halter on 07/27/10
As many of you already know raw, unpasteurized kombucha was voluntarily pulled from distribution in June due to concerns over alcohol content exceeding legal limits for unregulated beverages. This has left a gaping hole in supply of raw kombucha with demand higher than ever.
Well, worry no longer Kombucha drinkers & grocers, High Country Kombucha has revamped their formulas and undergone all the appropriate testing and legalities necessary to once again sell their raw, unpasteurized kombucha. This brand of raw, organic, fair trade Kombucha is back on shelves this week!
The results of scientific tests (in a TTB certified lab) show that High Country Kombuchas are well under the legal alcohol limit of 0.5% when aged to the extent of their shelf life (9 months). High Country has decreased the amount of yeast in their kombucha to guarantee that it will not exceed 0.5% alcohol while on the shelf. This has had the added effect of decreasing the vinegar taste, meaning the fermented beverage will now appeal to more customers.
Before their voluntary recall mid-June, High Country Kombucha was the second best-selling brand of kombucha in the US market. The category leader and most of the newer brands on the market have not provided ETAs on when they will be able to supply their products again. This is due to the fact that all raw kombuchas will need to be reformulated & tested to guarantee the <0.5% alcohol standard. High Country is able to be first back on the shelves b/c their products never contained the high amounts of juices (and therefore sugars), which increase fermentation on the shelf and lead to elevated alcohol levels. High Country needed only to tweak their formula to guarantee that the alcohol level doesn't elevate above 0.5% on the shelf. Many of the other brands will need longer to create new formulas and demonstrate that their products will stay under legal limits. Furthermore, many of the other brands rely heavily on juices and sugars to give them their tastes, so when they hit the shelves again, long time customers will notice a much different flavor profile (not to mention a much different state of mind since the alcohol content of brands such as GTs will have decreased considerably).
High Country Kombucha will be back in UNFI, Nature's Best and TOL/KeHE distributors this week. Retailers like Sprouts, Whole Foods, Mother's Market, Central Market, Vitamin Cottage, PCC, New Seasons, Mrs. Greens, My Organic Market, Henry's, Sun Harvest, Sunflower, Newflower, Lassens, Earth Fare and independents will be quick to follow. You can see a list of their organic, fair-trade products at
https://www.hckombu.com/products.html.
Enjoy a raw, unpasteurized High County Kombucha today and get the benefits of increased energy and enhanced digestion from billions of probiotics!