How to brew Jun Tea, the fermented green tea drink.

It's been over a couple of years now that I'm brewing Kombucha. My favourites flavours are cloudy apple and a mix of Ginger and Turmeric. Recently, I've been given a Jun SCOBY and have been told that it has a smoother taste, less vinegary and more floral.

Kombucha vs Jun Tea

The similarities

• They are both fermented tea drinks.
• They can be drank flat or fizzy via a second fermentation process
• Both are made with a SCOBY and starter tea

Specific to Jun Tea

While you use black tea and sugar for Kombucha, to make Jun Tea you use green tea and raw honey. You cannot use the Kombucha SCOBY to make Jun Tea but I've read that you can convert a Kombucha SCOBY to a Jun Tea SCOBY, however, I cannot confirm it as I have never tried.

The taste of Jun Tea is more delicate with a floral flavor thanks to the less processed green tea and honey.

Jun Tea prefers a cool room temperature to brew (ideally 18-21C or 65-70F), while the Kombucha prefers warmer temperatures.

You only need 3 to 5 days to brew Jun Tea compared to the 9 - 14 days for Kombucha.

Health benefits

Like Kombucha, Jun Tea is loaded with gut beneficial probiotics but contains more lactobacillus bacteria and less acetobacteria than Kombucha. The health benefit of both drinks is pretty similar. However, because green tea is less processed than black tea and raw honey is less processed than sugar, Jun Tea should contain more nutrive qualities than Kombucha.

Brewing Jun Tea

The ingredients

• An authentic Jun SCOBY
• 8 cups of dechlorinated water, let it sit for 24 - 48 hours or aerate it for 2 - 4 hrs with an airstone.
• 1/2 cup of quality raw honey
• 2 teaspoons of quality loose-leaf green tea
• 1/2 cup of starter tea (Jun tea from the previous batch or from a SCOBY hotel)

The first fermentation process

• Boil 2 cups of water and add the tea leaves and let it steep for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, filter and transfer the tea to a jar large enough to hold 10 cups of liquid.
• Add the rest of the water to cool down the tea and leave it to cool down to room temperatures
• Add the honey and stir until complete dissolution
• Add the starter tea and stir
• Finally, add the SCOBY. It might float or sink, it does not matter.

Now, just use a paper towel or a cheesecloth to cover the jar and hold it in place with a rubber band. Leave in a cool room for 3 - 5 days until there is a light sour and faint sweet smell.

The second fermentation process

If you like it fizzy, and you probably will, then a second fermentation will be what you need to do.

First, reserve 1/2 cup to use as starter tea for your next batch. Then pour the remaining into flip-top bottles. Use quality bottles or plastic brewing bottles as the pressure from the carbonation can be string and break glass bottles. Close the lid tightly and leave the bottles for 2 - 3 days before transferring them to the fridge.

Just like with Kombucha, you can drink Jun Tea raw or add some flavour during the second fermentation by adding 1/2 cup of fruit juice or pulp.

Previously on my blog:

• Collecting Black Soldier Fly eggs from the wild population
• Worms & Black Soldier Flies: Interview of Wyoming (NSW) worm farmer Huy by ABC Radio Central Coast
• Having fun preparing Chimarrão (Erva Maté)
• My town has been spared from the Australian bushfire
• Having fun with primitive skills and making a bamboo bowl

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