FAQ

What’s kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented and naturally-carbonated drink brewed from four ingredients – tea, sugar, natural kombucha culture and water. Brewing kombucha is an ancient practice, dating back all the way to the Tsin Dynasty in 221 BC.

What ingredients do you use?

All our kombuchas are made from the same four ingredients – organic tea, filtered water, organic beetroot sugar, and our living kombucha culture. We’ll never use artificial flavours or preservatives because we want the tea, and only the tea, to be the star of this show.

Organic Tea
The teas in our Essential kombuchas come from master tea blenders in China, while the teas in our Single-Origin kombuchas are sourced from single estates in West Bengal in India and Neluwa Gardens in south-west Sri Lanka.

Filtered Amsterdam Water
Amsterdam’s water is of excellent quality, but we pass it through an extra filtering process so it’s really (really really) pure.

Organic Beetroot Sugar
Our sugar is sourced from organic suppliers in the Netherlands and Germany.

Kombucha Culture
We have been nurturing this living culture since 2016. It’s the magic ingredient that naturally carbonates our kombucha and keeps it alive. You might find a little bit of it in your bottle, don’t worry, that’s a good thing, and it’s totally edible.

How do you brew your Kombucha?

The goal of our brewing process is to interfere as little as possible, giving the tea and the culture the freedom to develop their own delicious flavours. Our kombucha is unpasteurized, unfiltered, naturally carbonated, contains up to 2.5% alcohol, caffeine and less than 0.5gr of sugar per 100gr.

Our unique brewing process is strongly inspired by craft wine and beer, providing clean flavour profile, with the lowest sugar content and no vinegar profile.

What does your name ‘Leave Your Sword’ mean?

Our name was inspired by tradition of Japanese tea ceremonies. We see it as invitation to leave behind any preconceptions you might have about how kombucha should be created and consumed.

How should I store Your kombucha?

Best is to store it in the fridge in upright position so the pressure always applies on the cap and prevent any leakage overtime. Just like any carbonated drink, its best to chill a couple of hours before serving.

What’s that weird thing floating in the bottle?

That’s a by-product from the fermentation composed of 95% cellulose. It’s a sign the kombucha you’re drinking is totally unfiltered, unpasteurized and alive. Don’t worry, it’s totally edible and safe.

What sizes does your Kombucha come in?

Our kombucha comes in 75cl bottles. Why nothing smaller? We believe it should be shared with your favourite people, just like a good bottle of wine.

Is your kombucha pasteurized?

We don’t pasteurize or filter our kombucha, because we want it to stay alive and continue to age and develop complex flavors after bottling.

How do I try your Kombucha?

If you’re a cafe, bar, restaurant or store curious about stocking our kombucha, conatct us to arrange a tasting at your place or our brewery.

If you want to buy our kombucha you’re in luck – we’re available in over 20 of Amsterdam’s best stores, cafes, bars and restaurants. Find one of our stockists here, or purchase directly from us on our online store.

We also run regular tastings & events at our brewery – follow our instagram for updates on all that good stuff.

How should I drink Leave Your Sword kombucha?

Think of our kombucha as a great bottle of wine, or high-end mixer. Serve it chilled in wine glasses, in place of ginger ale or sparkling soda in your favourite cocktail, or just raw.

How long does your kombucha last?

Unopened and stored in the fridge at a constant 4°C, our kombucha has no expiration date. The oldest vintage we have tasted so far was four years old, and it had evolved in complexity much like a wine.

Once opened, keep your bottle of kombucha closed and stored at 4°C, and consume within a week. After that it will start to noticeably oxidise and lose its natural carbonation.