WHAT IS SPARKLING TEA?

Sparkling Teas are naturally fermented as the perfect, non-alcoholic alternative to Champagne and sparkling wine. We take the world’s finest loose-leaf teas and ferment them for 6 weeks, filter, and bottle age to create a well-balanced and beautifully complex non-alcoholic sparkling.

WHAT ARE WINE ALTERNATIVES?

Wine alternatives are non-alcoholic beverages modeled on the experience of great wines, but without trying to copy or imitate them. They are multi-layered compositions consisting of various ingredients and are sometimes produced using different fermentation methods, such as kombucha, kvass, water kefir, juices from fruits or vegetables, teas, and infusions of herbs, flowers, and spices.

IS WHAT YOU MAKE KOMBUCHA?

Great question! There are more than 81 names for fermented tea. The name Kombucha has become mainstream as a drink marketed for its health benefits and positioned as an alternative to soft drinks. You can expect a more tart, vinegary, and ‘funky’ profile from kombucha, and the liquid is often cloudy due to remaining microorganisms. For the majority of Kombucha brewers, tea (Camellia sinensis) is used as an essential nutrient source necessary for fermentation.

In contrast, we employ techniques and tricks used by beer brewers and wine makers to extract and enhance the flavors and nuances of loose leaves produced by artisans who spend their working lives inflecting the tea into different styles and expressions. We curate our culture (microorganisms) and monitor and control component changes of the culture’s metabolites in order to improve the taste and mouthfeel of each batch. Amongst other things our process is provien to boosts the production gluconic acid which delivers a smooth, rounded and sweet profile.

We wear labels loosely. If you must put a label on sparkling tea, then we’d like you to think of them as a ‘cousin of kombucha’.

WHAT DOES SPARKLING TEA TASTE LIKE?

We ensure that our Sparkling Teas achieve the perfect balance of top notes, astringency, acidity, and sweetness, just as winemakers do when fermenting their grapes. The result is a well-balanced non-alcoholic sparkling with elegant top notes from the teas and a soft but complex palate.

HOW IS SPARKLING TEA MADE?

We apply winemaking techniques to the world’s finest loose-leaf teas to create well-balanced and complex non-alcoholic Sparkling Teas. We use only four ingredients: loose-leaf tea, live cultures, sugar, and water. These interact during a fermentation process to deliver the flavors we expect, celebrating nuances of the world’s finest and rarest teas and uncovering delicious top notes.

HOW LONG DOES A BOTTLE LAST?

Bottles of Hairy Armadillo Sparkling Tea should be stored in a cool place (ideally 20ºC or lower) and chilled before opening. Once opened, reseal using a champagne stopper to keep fresh and effervescent for around a week. Consume by the best-before date.

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU USE?

We use only five ingredients: water, live culture, loose-leaf tea, sugar, water, and vegetable gum.

HOW MANY CALORIES ARE THERE IN A GLASS?

There are 6 calories per 100ml of our wine, meaning that an average 150ml wine glass contains around 9 calories. Not bad when compared to a glass of white wine, which is around 100 calories! See nutritional panel of each product for rmore info.

CAN I DRINK IT IF I’M PREGNANT?

We recommend that you consult your doctor before introducing anything into your diet while pregnant or breastfeeding. Our products contain a residual amount of alcohol (~0.2% ABV), which is by-product of fermentation. To put this into context a ripe bananas can contain up to 0.2% ABV.

Most of the concerns related to fermented drinks relate to the risk of fermentation after packaging which can result in higher than expected alcohol levels. At Hairy Armadillo we mitigate this risk by filtering out 100% of the yeast responsible for alcohol production.

DOES SPARKLING TEA CONTAIN ALCOHOL?

Yes, ourNaturally Fermented Sparkling Teas contain a trace of alcohol as a by-product of the fermentation process. Our beverages typically contain around 0.2% ABV. A beverate with less than 0.5% ABV, this is legally considered non-alcoholic in the state of Victoria. In certain states this can be 1.15%. Always check the label.

DOES SPARKLING TEA CONTAIN CAFFEINE?

We brew with a strength of tea that is far below the level you’d have in a standard cup of tea, however, as it is a tea-based product so allergies and sensitivities should be taken into consideration.

ARE YOUR SPARKLING TEAS PASTEURISED?

We don’t pasturise but we do filter down to 0.8 micron to remove 100% of yeast. This ensures that we can safely bottle age and ship our wine alternatives without risk of bottle explosions.

WHERE CAN I FOLLOW YOU?

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