Crastney Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Yikes Shaggy! Scoby doby do! *SCOBY - Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast - theliving thing that ferments sweet tea into Kombucha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shsparky Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 20 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said: It is compliant and I answered your question about how the sugar is labelled two posts up. HA! Sorry, I totally missed your reply (too many repeat pictures!). Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 On 1/22/2017 at 6:08 PM, SugarcubeOD said: Yes, you're right about the juice. It's the ingredient list we care about, not the nutrition facts. And GT's Kombucha is compliant as well but please remember that we recommend that you mostly drink water (1/2oz per pound of body weight) and go easy on the alternative cocktails etc... I picked up a bottle of that kevita master brew kombucha, tart cherry - I see sugar and stevia on the label. It's a no go and it did taste sweet. You can tell a difference between a GT compliant one and added sugar after fermentation brands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shsparky Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 Why, oh, why is Kombucha such a perennially confusing topic?! lol. Here is another question: A small production/artisanal kombucha brand, vaguely worded label, but the company is on hand to describe the process of where sugar is used. They describe that the only sugar is in the fermentation - not any added sugar. Is that enough clarification? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted May 21, 2017 Moderators Share Posted May 21, 2017 4 hours ago, shsparky said: Why, oh, why is Kombucha such a perennially confusing topic?! lol. Here is another question: A small production/artisanal kombucha brand, vaguely worded label, but the company is on hand to describe the process of where sugar is used. They describe that the only sugar is in the fermentation - not any added sugar. Is that enough clarification? Yes, if the maker can vouch for the product and where sugar is used, then go ahead... this would be much like making your own... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee whole30/30 Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 On 2/8/2017 at 6:28 PM, SugarcubeOD said: Good find! Yes, that type of labelling is actually indicating that the sugar was used in the production of the kombucha (fermentation) and would be totally fine for a Whole30. I'm sure you know but for people who don't, if the sugar had appeared not in brackets behind the ginger for instance, that would not be acceptable. So, I make my own kombucha and add .5 tsp of sugar after the 1st fermentation to carbonate it. Would this be considered non compliant because of added sugar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted July 6, 2017 Moderators Share Posted July 6, 2017 3 minutes ago, Renee whole30/30 said: So, I make my own kombucha and add .5 tsp of sugar after the 1st fermentation to carbonate it. Would this be considered non compliant because of added sugar? Yep! Leave off the sugar... it should carbonate fine on its own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 6, 2017 Administrators Share Posted July 6, 2017 36 minutes ago, Renee whole30/30 said: So, I make my own kombucha and add .5 tsp of sugar after the 1st fermentation to carbonate it. Would this be considered non compliant because of added sugar? You can add fruit juice or fruit puree if you like. Some fruits/juices encourage more carbonation than others. Watermelon is very fizzy. Strawberry is very fizzy. I had less luck with lime/lemon, no luck with apple. As long as your juice you use has no sugar added to it, you're good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crastney Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 I have another batch of Kombucha bottled, and conditioning. I was under the impression that if you add any sugar to the bottles, then this will get converted by fermentation in the bottle, and the CO2 will be trapped, which is what causes it to be fizzy. I'm not currently doing a W30, so added 1/2 tsp of sugar per litre bottle, which is less than I use for conditioning when brewing beer. I'm always unsure of kombucha, as it's fermented, there's a small amount of alcohol, which would make it non compliant, however, the benefits of the antioxidents, and other benefits of fermented tea drink, apparently outweigh the small amount of alcohol. I'm guessing that the sugar thing is a bigger issue, and yes it'll carbonate, although less, and slower, if you don't add sugar to the bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 21, 2017 Administrators Share Posted July 21, 2017 You don't need to add actual sugar though to make carbonation. Fruit juices, cut up fruits and fruit puree work just as well and would not be non-compliant from an ingredients perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shsparky Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Moderators - if you have any pull with Melissa, I wonder if she would update/clarify, once again the labeling requirements. There is so much discussion, over and over, about sugar labelling - what is used in the fermentation and sugar after/added. I trust the answers I have received from moderators (see above), but honestly, a Facebook thread I was just in (and I quoted your exact words) was shut down because of a discussion about this! If Melissa could concur (or not) that kombucha with parentheses showing sugar in the fermentation is ok, life would be soooo much simpler! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted July 24, 2017 Moderators Share Posted July 24, 2017 2 minutes ago, shsparky said: Moderators - if you have any pull with Melissa, I wonder if she would update/clarify, once again the labeling requirements. There is so much discussion, over and over, about sugar labelling - what is used in the fermentation and sugar after/added. I trust the answers I have received from moderators (see above), but honestly, a Facebook thread I was just in (and I quoted your exact words) was shut down because of a discussion about this! If Melissa could concur (or not) that kombucha with parentheses showing sugar in the fermentation is ok, life would be soooo much simpler! Melissa has weighed in as of August last year - nothing has changed with the ruling as written out in the article I"ve linked here. https://whole30.com/2016/08/kombucha/ Facebook is not the best place for discussions about what is and is not compliant or in the spirit of the Whole30; you'll get the absolute best answers from the Whole30 forum, blog newsletters and the rules and recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shsparky Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 However, you specifically stated above (February 8) that kombucha labeled with sugar in parentheses as part of the kombucha would be ok. That completely is the opposite of what Melissa states - that sugar listed at all on the label is not compliant. Can you please clarify? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted July 24, 2017 Moderators Share Posted July 24, 2017 50 minutes ago, shsparky said: However, you specifically stated above (February 8) that kombucha labeled with sugar in parentheses as part of the kombucha would be ok. That completely is the opposite of what Melissa states - that sugar listed at all on the label is not compliant. Can you please clarify? The article SugarcubeOD listed is the final word on this. We had a discussion among the moderators with Melissa about this in March or April of this year to clarify exactly what the rule was, since several of us had some questions about this based on our previous understanding, and Melissa's ruling was that we cannot actually know what the label means based on where the sugar is listed in the ingredients list because there are no actual rules governing how the labels were worded, and that it is easiest all the way around to say, if there's sugar on the label, you cannot have it during your Whole30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Kombucha: Read your labels We like the probiotic benefits of ‘booch, and we think it makes a fine addition to your Whole30 menu. Just read your labels carefully—sugar listed in the ingredients generally means that it was added after fermentation, and that’s a no-go. Some varieties, like GT Dave’s Enlightened flavors, have fruits and fruit juices added, which are just fine. For the in-depth behind-the-scenes on kombucha, read this. https://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/ This ^^ is the earliest Melissa Hartwig ruling that leads to the current version but it confirms what Shannon, SugarCube, Lady Shanny and Tom Denham have said multiple times on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shsparky Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 10 hours ago, ShannonM816 said: The article SugarcubeOD listed is the final word on this. We had a discussion among the moderators with Melissa about this in March or April of this year to clarify exactly what the rule was, since several of us had some questions about this based on our previous understanding, and Melissa's ruling was that we cannot actually know what the label means based on where the sugar is listed in the ingredients list because there are no actual rules governing how the labels were worded, and that it is easiest all the way around to say, if there's sugar on the label, you cannot have it during your Whole30. Thanks for the clarification. I will report back to the various groups I chill with. It is confusing, particularly when, even in this thread, there is conflicting information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tparker Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Looks like while GT’s original used to be approved because it did not list sugar on their ingredients list, according to Melissa, their new label now lists it. I did my first whole30 in January of 2018 and was thrilled to be able to have this beverage but now (three months later) it’s off limits (right?) due to their labeling change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted March 24, 2018 Moderators Share Posted March 24, 2018 Oh shoot, that's too bad about the labelling change. The way it's written still indicates that the sugar is used in the first fermentation (where the kombucha is actually formed). According to the way Melissa layed it out, you're right, this would not be compliant, but if you were to contact the company to confirm that the sugar is from the first fermentation and not added after, that would work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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