You’ve started drinking kombucha after all of the great things you’ve heard about it, but life is busy, and you’ve left your opened kombucha bottle on the counter for a few hours, and now it’s all warm.
Oh no! Can you still drink it? I hear it’s fermented. Are those fermenty things I see floating around in there going to wreak havoc on my internal organs?
If you’ve taken a sip of warm kombucha, the only thing that will happen is you’ll wish you had put it back in the refrigerator for a bit, but rest assured, your internals will be okay.
Does kombucha need to be refrigerated? Yes, it does. There’s a reason you see your favorite kombucha brands in refrigerators at the store and not on warm shelves, and I’ll uncover that reason, plus a few more throughout the rest of this article.
Pasteurized vs. Organic Raw Kombucha
If you’re buying kombucha off of store shelves, it could be pasteurized, and if it’s in the fridge, it’s raw and may also be organic. You’ll want to examine the nutritional label closely.
Pasteurized kombucha may taste and look the same as raw kombucha, but it is not the same.
Raw kombucha is a living beverage with specific yeast and bacteria obtained from the SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), where the colonies of yeast and bacteria remain alive during fermentation, delivering the health benefits that dieticians recommend adding to your health arsenal.
On the other hand, pasteurization is a heat treatment process that kills harmful bacteria in food and beverages, which sounds great, until you realize the method also kills all of those friendly colonies of yeast and bacteria that make raw kombucha beneficial.
You may also be surprised that pasteurized kombucha usually has added preservatives and higher sugar content.
How Long Can Kombucha Be Left Unrefrigerated?
One of the reasons raw kombucha should be refrigerated is to stop the fermentation process. The optimal temperature to ferment kombucha is around 70F. If left unattended, it will continue fermenting, producing more carbon dioxide and alcohol, and eventually, turn into vinegar.
Reducing the temperature to around 39F will stop the fermentation process, which is one of the primary reasons kombucha needs to stay cold and refrigerated.
Don’t worry; a few hours unrefrigerated isn’t going to turn your kombucha into its rebellious “hard” version. However, if you have multiple bottles, you should always store them in the refrigerator for the long term.
Not doing so will result in continued fermentation, but as C02 builds pressure, it can also create bottle bombs, and you don’t want that!
Is Kombucha Safe If Not Refrigerated?
Yes. Kombucha is safe to drink if not refrigerated. However, like beer, drinking warm kombucha isn’t optimal, and storing and drinking it at the right temperature will make for a more enjoyable experience.
Store your kombucha stash in a cold refrigerator or storage cooler for the best results. If left out longer than a few hours, the flavor profile and culture content can change, resulting in a less-than-desirable outcome.
What Happens If Kombucha Is Not Refrigerated?
I’ve eluded to this, but drink up if it’s only a few hours. If left out for days or weeks, nature will take its course, and fermentation will continue, making your kombucha sour, producing more alcohol and C02 buildup, and could result in exploding bottles.
Does Kombucha Go Bad In The Fridge?
The mileage you’ll get depends on the raw kombucha brand you’re buying, but most should stay fresh for at least 6-8 months in the fridge unopened, but you should go by the drink by date if you’re unsure.
It doesn’t mean you can’t consume kombucha beyond that recommended date; it’s just that the quality may not be what the manufacturer intended.
If you open your kombucha, you should finish it as quickly as possible, and I’d probably not let it go beyond a week.
Zero Sugar Kombucha Can Be Unrefrigerated
Remedy Kombucha is a brand that uses a longer fermentation process that results in zero sugar. Since sugar feeds fermentation, having zero sugar means you can store their kombucha outside the fridge without the fear of re-fermentation.
The longer fermentation process is different than pasteurization in that you don’t lose the gut-loving live cultures due to their small batch brewing process.
Learn To Make Your Own Homemade Kombucha
Homebrewing kombucha is much easier than it seems and can save you a ton of money over buying store-bought.
Does kombucha need to be refrigerated when homebrewed? Yes, it still needs to be refrigerated and to learn more about the process, check out this guide to get started in 3 simple steps.
Cheers!