So that’s what the Mad Hatter was drinking

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, June 28th, 2010

Perhaps you found yourself perplexed recently in the aisles of Whole Foods while searching for your favorite brands of Kombucha Tea.  Or perhaps you’ve never heard of the drink.  It’s a fermented tea which some claim as a panacea for a range of physical afflictions from hair loss to alcoholism.  Whether valid claims or no, my interest is piqued to taste it just as it is being pulled off the shelves faster than you can say leggo-my-kombucha.

 

(image: The New York Times)

The problem is that the product is under suspicion for containing an uncontrollable alcoholic content.  Popular brands such as Synergy may continue to ferment in the bottle and thus raise the alcoholic content level above what the label claims to be under .5%.  Well, the Treasury Department calls it a problem, I’d prefer to label it as a semantics issue or a gift that keeps giving.  The issue is not only a misleading label for consumers, but also that if the content increases over the .5% level it is subject to  taxes along with other alcoholic beverages. 

To clarify, the drinks are under review for labeling concerns rather than health and safety violations – unless you are in the habit of driving with a glass of kombucha on the rocks, that is.  

And if you were thinking to just look elsewhere for your Long Island Kombucha cravings, the bad news is that other stores have pulled most brands off the shelves as well.  The good news is that the Kombucha Wonder Drink remains because its pasteurization process guarantees it is within the regulations.  You can find this brand at your local MOM’s Organic Market.

Until further notice, it looks like the only other resource is brewing it in the bathtub – but where will we put the moonshine?

-Jamel Daugherty

Tags: alcoholic beverages, fermented tea, Kombucha Tea, Kombucha wonder drink, Lindsay Lohan, MOM's Organic Market, Treasury Deparment, Whole Foods