Heirloom Tibetan Kombucha scoby

Name: Heirloom Tibetan Kombucha scoby
Brand: Happy Kombucha
SKU: hpkom001191
Price: 10 GBP
Availability: InStock

£10.50

Tibetan Kombucha is a fermented tea drink whose origins are thought to be the same as a normal Kombucha Scoby however this variety of herloom cultures differs slightly because it comes from Tibetan's who have brewed Kombucha using only Pu'er tea, Tibet has been the original source of some of the best

variety's of scobys (like Jun).

Pu'er tea is a fermented tea in its own right, Using a scoby to ferment a fermented product is believed to have changed the bacterial makeup of the Kombucha Scoby originally used and thus Creating this unique heirloom variety of the Kombucha Scoby.

Tibetan (or Pu'er) Kombucha is a dark, earthy tasting Kombucha due to the Pu'er tea with the added benefits that come from drinking that style of fermented tea. We very are proud to now have the Tibetan Heirloom Kombucha Scoby in our collection and the Kombucha it creates is amazing.

Tibetan Kombucha is just as easy to work with as normal Kombucha and can be brewed using either the batch or the continuous method.

We do feel its only fair to mention, Pu'er tea can be a little harder to find and can more expensive.

For the scoby to remain a pure heirloom (and its babies) then you will need to use only Pu'er tea to brew with.

So what is Pu-er tea?

Pu-er tea is a variety of fermented black tea which originates in China. Fresh leaves are tossed by hand in giant woks for just long enough to halt the tea's oxidation, but not so long as to drive off all moisture and kill natural bacteria. The tea is then left to dry in the sun, but the bacteria lives on, and over years and decades, they'll help completely transform the tea from a fresh, bitter green into something more dark, mellow, and rich. It has a very unique taste that is very enjoyable

All of Kombucha Cultures are:

Grown in Soil association Certified ingredients, which are GMO free.
Soil association certified
UKAS Lab tested
We guarantee that your culture will work
Lifetime supply of Culture- If you take care of your scoby you will never need to purchase one again. Your brew will grow a baby every time you use it.
We are a food registered company with a 5 star food hygiene rating
All of our food handlers hold at least level 2 food hygiene certificates
We have a full food safety programme in place (Haccp plan) and a state of the art purpose built facility.
Daily Ph tests are carried out on our cultures
All live cultures are ready to to ferment as soon as they arrive
All cultures are picked and packed to order daily
All packaging is food grade and heat sealed and fully recyclable.
Full paper instructions are provided with every culture (not just online) but we also provide access to our online instructions and tutorial videos and youtube channel
Full customer support- We are here to help and for as long as you need us. When you buy one of our cultures one of our Culture experts is available to via email or telephone or in person to help you with your brew. You can come back to us at any point for help. We will do everything we can to help you happily make wonderful Kombucha.

Kombucha is similar to Kefir in that it creates a probiotic drink and reproduces itself in a similar manner. Many people call Kombucha a fungus or mushroom however it is not. It is classed as a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of Bacteria and Yeasts) and it lives on sugary tea.

With every brew a new baby is formed so if well cared for your Scoby will give you Kombucha for life.

KOMBUCHA IS A RAW LIVE PRODUCT, Full of Gut Loving Living bio cultures.

Again unlike other sellers we are not going to give you a long list of unproven and possibly misleading health claims, if you are reading this then you already know how good Kombucha is for you (if not, feel free to google it you really will be amazed!).

If you need any further information please feel free to contact us and one of our team will be very happy to help.

Please note: our dispatch times are around 2-5 working days at the moment as we packing the New Year backlog. Email response times are currently around 5-7 days.

Due to the fact we are selling live bacterial cultures and lots of glass- We only dispatch Mon-Thursday to avoid the live cultures sitting in the post over the weekend and sometimes we may have to wait for a culture to finish growing before we can send it.

We will try to get orders dispatched as quickly as possible but due to the nature of the goods as well as the volume of orders we receive it is not instant dispatch and in most cases it will take us at least a day or so to pack up orders.

If you have questions or want a rough estimate of the wait give us a call 01323 730091

Updates and Delays:

The strikes are over but the service from Royal mail is still as shaky as ever but at the moment they are the best of a bad bunch. We are currently using Royal mail and DPD services.

We apologize that this will increase postage costs but this is because we have had to switch to fully tracked services as Royal mail do not seem to want to deliver letters or untracked post. They have also just increased their prices by 10% and added a new climate surcharge and also a further fuel surcharge and a peak time surcharge (they are now charging more when they are busy!) and they now charge us to return to sender if there has been an address issue that prevented delivery.

Please feel free to complain to Royal mail about the prices and the new surcharges they invent on a weekly basis. but sadly we have to pass them on.

From 2 January 2024, proof of non-delivery from the intended recipient will be required to support a claim for loss with Royal Mail.

If you believe your item is lost/not delivered/incorrectly delivered, you need to provide specific evidence. This applies if the item has been tracked to the recipient's delivery office, and there's no tracking to confirm delivery has been made or attempted. Alternatively, if the item has been confirmed as delivered, but you believe the delivery information is inconclusive, you will need to provide evidence if any of the following apply:

No photo on delivery captured (not currently available for Tracked Returns®)
Photo captured but not believed to be at the intended address
Poor quality photo capture
The photo shows the item left in an inappropriate location (at the property
but in an insecure location)
No or incorrect signature (signature products only)

Please note that where an item is tracked as delivered to the intended address, and delivery evidence supports this, they will not consider any claim for loss. If the item has been stolen from a secure location or by a neighbour this will need to be reported to the police.

All claims must include supporting evidence.

These are Royal Mail's new rules, we have no option but to follow them. If you do not provide us with the evidence that Royal Mail require we will not be able to help. Royal Mail are doing this due to a huge rise in fraudulent claims and mail fraud.

Our standard postable service is currently being sent via Royal Mail

Our Express service is being sent via Royal Mail/DPD (up to 500g)

Our Express parcel service is sent via DPD (500g-10kg)

Our standard service/free shipping is sent via Royal Mail/DPD(500G-10KG)

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/12556/~/service~update

Important Update to DPD delivery terms

These recent changes have been implemented by DPD country-wide – they are not specific to Happykombucha parcel deliveries.

Please take the time to read through the following bullet points carefully so that you are aware of steps that will need to be taken in order to receive your delivery on time:

DPD will now only attempt to deliver your parcel ONCE. If no one is available to take receipt of the parcel, a delivery note will be left, and you will need to take this to your nearest DPD ‘drop off shop’ in order to receive your parcel
If your parcel is not collected within seven days, it will be returned to us at Happykombucha.
It is recommended that you download the DPD app, which can be used to receive updates on your delivery, as well as to collect your parcel at a DPD ‘drop off shop’
DPD will confirm an hour delivery slot via text message, at which point you will be able to request delivery to a safe place, or neighbour – if you do not do this and there is no one available to take receipt of the parcel, a delivery note will be left, and your parcel will be taken to the nearest DPD ‘drop off shop’
When you are placing your order with HappyKombucha, please inform us of any specific delivery requirements (such as, “please leave in my porch”/”please leave with next door neighbour”), so that we can amend delivery notes for DPD on our system
Please follow this link to find your local DPD ‘drop off shop’ https://www.dpdlocal-online.co.uk/products-and-services/dpd-drop-off

We will endeavor to ensure that missed deliveries are minimized, but we would request your help to do this by taking note of the above, and informing us of any relevant details at the point of order. Please note DPD deliver Mon-Fri (excluding bank holidays).

Packaging:

As we sell a lot of glass and fragile items we do have to use a great deal of packaging. We do try to keep it to a minimum BUT we would rather your item arrived in one piece than be mean with the packaging.

HOWEVER all of the packaging that we use is either recycled, can be recycled or is biodegradable. The only exception to this is the tape we use which is made from PVC and needs to be thrown in the normal waste.

Boxes-Our boxes are made from recycled cardboard and can be recycled

Bubblewrap- This is Biodegradable

Packing peanut-These are biodegradable

Culture Packaging-Plastic but it can be recycled*

If you purchase an item that we have not physically made (ie from Kilner or Kefirko) we cannot guarantee the internal packaging is plastic free but we do encourage our suppliers to use as little plastic as possible.

*all culture packaging has been audited and passes Organic standards.

Postage costs:

Please note: Any delivery times quoted are in addition to the 1-7 working dispatch wait.

UK Mainland

Standard delivery-small items - Delivery aim 3-7 working days £4.95 (Delivery confirmation, GPS delivery scan)

DPD parcel - Delivery aim 1-2 working days £7.95 (fully tracked, delivery confirmation, GPS scan) UK mainland only. One hour delivery timeslot.

Standard delivery-parcels - Delivery aim 3-7 working days £6.95 (fully tracked, delivery confirmation, GPS scan)

DPD- Delivery before 12 noon. Delivery Aim 1-2 working days- weekday delivery's (MAX 15kg) * £16.95 (fully tracked, delivery confirmation, GPS scan, delivery window) UK mainland only * This service is NOT suitable for liquids in bottles.

FREE SHIPPING- Available for all orders over £50* UK mainland and Northern Ireland only

Please note: all delivery times are aims and are not guaranteed. Please do expect some delays at present. Please do not worry about live cultures please see the guide below for how long they can be in their packaging.

Kombucha scoby-Up to 1 year

Kefir (both milk and water) - 14 days

Sourdough (all varieties) - 3 Weeks

Viili - 7 days

Ginger beer/Turmeric bug - 3 weeks

Northern Ireland and Highlands and Islands are included in our free delivery

Free shipping offer is available for orders over £50* to any UK address and is sent via our standard service. It is not available for deliveries to a non UK address or for orders that are heavier than 15kg.

*Or subject to any current free shipping promotion, Excludes liquid deliveries

Please note: it is your responsibility to ensure that the name & address you have given us correct. Our website sends your address exactly as you input it into Royal Mail/EVRI/DPD to produce the delivery label. It is very difficult to amend details once they have been passed on to the couriers. We cannot amend an address once an order has been dispatched. If you need us to change a name or address then please give us a call on 01323 730091 (Mon-Thurs 9am-4.30pm) please do not sent the request by email. We will try our best to amend address's where we can but we cannot always guarantee that we will be able to.

We use DPD/EVRI/ROYAL MAIL as our standard shipping method. You will be informed of the progress of your order via email or SMS depending on the details you have given us. We will provide the courier with your email address or mobile number and they will contact you with delivery information, this email/text message also contains the information needed to rearrange or alter the delivery.

Please note: we cannot ship to Poste Restante address' and if you would like something sent to a BFPO address please check that whatever you are purchasing is allowed to be sent. The rules have changed on this and items returned due to incorrect customs will not be resent.

Royal Mail Surcharges:

Royal mail charge surcharges in certain circumstances

Where items are returned to the sender for the below reasons, you will be charged a standard rate by Royal mail to return the item back to us (£5.95) These charges will be taken from any refund issued.

Undelivered items that have not been collected, nor a Redelivery arranged within the 18-day holding period
Incorrect/incomplete address
Recipient moved (gone away)
Recipient refused

Please ensure your address details and contact details are correct as once Royal mail has issued charges we cannot get them refunded.

Northern Ireland and Highlands and Islands are included in our free delivery

What happens if your order states that it has been delivered but you cannot find it?Free shipping offer is available for orders over £50* to any UK address and is sent via our standard service. It is not available for deliveries to a non UK address or for orders that are heavier than 15kg.

*Or subject to any current free shipping promotion, Excludes liquid deliveries

Scottish Highlands & Islands (see below)

Scottish Highlands: FK17-99, G83, IV1-28, IV33-39, KW all, PA21-33, PA35-40, PH18-26, PH30, PH31-42

Scottish Islands: HS1-9, IV40-51, IV55-56, KA27, KA28, KW15-17, PA20, PA34, PA41-48, PA60-78, PH42-44, ZE1-3

FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE DESTINATIONS PLEASE CHOOSE HIGHLAND AND ISLAND AS YOUR POSTAGE OPTION. if incorrect postage option is selected we will either send your order out via Royal Mail where possible or will contact you to pay additional postage costs.

What Happens if your order is delayed?

If your order is delayed by the delivery company please contact us and we will chase up the delivery. If we replace your order and the original order then arrives please contact us to arrange to have the goods returned to us. DO NOT THROW THE GOODS AWAY. We will replace goods once the delivery company have confirmed that the goods are lost, we will no longer replace the order until we have had this confirmation from the courier. Sadly we have had to implement this policy due to the levels of fraud that we are currently facing. We will ask you to fill in a form in order to claim with the courier. This is for GDPR compliance. Royal Mail do not class an order as late until 10 working days have passed since posting.

What happens if your order arrives damaged?

If your order arrives broken or damaged then please inform us within 7 days and take photographs of the damaged goods and packaging. Once we have received photographs of the damaged items and packaging we will replace the item as soon as possible. If we do not receive photographic evidence of the damage we will not be able to process a claim and therefore will not be able to offer a refund/exchange.

Please do not throw away any broken goods until we have confirmed it is ok to do so as sometimes the couriers ask for the goods as part of their investigations.

We will ask you to fill in a form in order to claim with the courier. This is for GDPR compliance.

What happens if your tracking states that the order is delivered but you cannot find it?

We send all orders with a GPS delivery confirmation and some with full tracking (depending on what you select at the checkout). This is a scan shows the location of the delivery as well as the time and date. Some of our smaller orders are sent in letterbox boxes so check that it has not simply been posted through your door (or an immediate neighbors). Often with these deliveries another member of your household has picked up the delivery and forgotten to mention it so its best to double check this. Some of the services that we use provide a delivery confirmation photo so please check the photo as it will often show you were they have left the delivery. If it still cannot be located contact us on 01323 730091 (Mon-Thursday) and we will get that investigated. Please be aware that if the delivery needs to be investigated we will no longer replace the goods until this investigation is completed due to the current high levels of mail fraud we are currently experiencing.

What happens if there is something missing or wrong with your order?

We do try and make sure that all orders are 100% correct however they all packed by humans so occasionally we do make mistakes. If we have made an error with your order please give us a call (01323 730091 Mon-Thursday) and we will get that investigated and rectified for you.

We Charge VAT on all applicable orders and our VAT registration number is 191475390

International Shipping:

Currently we have had to suspend shipments to the EU countries due to difficulties with the EU border and our logistic partners. We are currently working on a solution and hope to reinstate ordering very soon. Trade shipments are still able to be processed.

Please be advised that the courier may look to leave your parcel with a neighbors if you are not at home when they deliver, if you are not happy for this to happen please ensure that you display an opt out sticker available from Royal Mail and notify us in the notes to merchant section of the shopping cart so we can note it on your parcel.