Adding fermented foods and drinks to your diet, such as sauerkraut, home-made yogurt, kombucha, and JUN, are helpful ways to balance gut, skin, and immune health. These foods are loaded with good bacteria and live enzymes which can improve overall intestinal flora.
The following recipe uses green tea, honey, and a JUN scoby (symbiotic-culture-of-bacteria + yeast) to make a drink similar to the popular kombucha found in stores. JUN ferments at a cooler temperature than kombucha which is ideal for temperate climates such as British Columbia here in Canada. It also takes less time for the scoby bacteria to transform the honey sugar into an effervescent beverage. I believe JUN has an overall more beneficial ingredient profile than kombucha due using honey as opposed to cane sugar and I personally prefer green tea to black tea. Honey and green tea are high in antioxidants, and honey in particular contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, as well as live enzymes, prebiotics, and trace minerals. Note: Raw honey should not be given to infants less than 1 year old as there is a risk for botulism.
HOW TO MAKE JUN
Tools
Measuring cup and measuring spoons
1 gallon glass jar
2, 2 1/2 cup mason jars
4 regular, 3 flip-top, or 1 large glass bottle (I use old GT kombucha bottles)
1 large wooden spoon
1 silicone spatula
Paper towel
Small stainless steel strainer
1 medium funnel
Natural cheesecloth
Elastic bands
Ingredients
4 cups filtered water
8 organic green tea bags, or 7 - 8 teaspoons loose leaf green tea in a large tea strainer ball
3 cups filtered water
2/3 cup raw, unpasteurized honey
1 - 2 cups starter liquid from most recent batch *this is the first step fermentation liquid that is ready before pouring into flavouring jars or bottles
JUN scoby starter
Flavouring options: ginger, citrus zest (orange, lemon, lime), fresh squeezed juice (carrot, orange, lime, lemon, etc.), fresh turmeric, blueberry, cranberry, etc.
Directions
1. Sterilize all equipment before use.
2. Bring 4 cups of water just about to a boil in a large saucepan. Snip the strings off of the tea bags and add to the water. Steep for 10 - 15 minutes, covered.
2. Remove the tea bags with a large spoon after 10 - 15 minutes.
3. Wait for the tea to cool to 28 degrees celsius or below. Add the additional 3 cups of water in this step to speed the process.
4. Once cooled, add the 2/3 cup raw honey. Stir with the silicone spatula to make sure the honey has completely dissolved.
5. Pour the tea and honey mixture into your 1 gallon glass jar. Add the starter liquid and JUN scoby.
6. Cover with paper towel and an elastic band. Set aside in a dark, cool place for 3 - 5 days. After one day you can take the elastic band off as the paper towel will shape to the rim. You will know it’s done when a white coloured scoby forms on the top and the smell is sweet-sour. It’s natural to see some dark brown clumps or white bubble type blobs as these are yeasts. Yeast creates the carbonation and provides nutrition for the bacteria. *Note: It’s okay to ferment for longer than 3 days. I’ve left it for as long as 10 days and it was fine. Do not ferment for a shorter period than 3 days.
7. Remove the scoby with a wooden spoon into a clean glass sterilized mason jar. Add 2 cups of the starter liquid to this jar for your next batch. Cover with cheesecloth and an elastic band and keep in a dark cupboard until you’re ready to start your next batch.
8. Pour the starter liquid into 2 1/2 cup glass mason jars until they are just about full. Add 2 - 5 teaspoons of flavouring of choice. Screw on the jar caps tight and set aside in a cool dark place to ferment for 2 - 3 days. Making sure the caps are tight is one way to ensure adequate carbonation. You can throw a tea towel over the jars to block out extra light. During this time you do not need to ‘burp’ the bottles as in kombucha making. *Note: If this is your first time making JUN I recommend adding 1 - 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed carrot or orange juice per jar. This is because JUN scoby can take a batch or two to get used to its new environment and at first may need extra sugar from the fresh juice to feed the natural yeast during fermentation so that carbonation is adequate.
9. After 2 - 3 days you are now ready to pour into bottles for the final fermentation step. Cover a stainless steel strainer set over a funnel with natural cheesecloth and strain into the bottles. Screw on the caps tight. Set aside in a cool and dark place for 2 - 3 days.
10. Now you can refrigerate your JUN. Once it cools it’s ready to drink!
Creating and Maintaining a JUN Scoby Hotel
Every time you make JUN you will end up with an extra scoby. Here’s how to keep your scoby’s to give away or to rotate between new batches. The goal is to maintain a healthy ‘hotel’ aka a jar of scoby’s so that undesirable bacteria, yeast, and mold do not occur. Managing the natural balance of yeast and bacteria is achieved through removing the yeast and allowing the bacteria to thrive.
Here are the links to learn how:
How to make a scoby hotel + how to store a scoby hotel
Long term maintenance of your scoby hotel
I hope you have fun with making JUN tea! Please comment below if you have any questions.
If you’re interested in nutrition and acupuncture I’d be happy to guide you along. Please visit www.vcaspa.com to book online or call 250-590-4341. To learn more about my acupuncture practice, follow @hayley_stobbs on Instagram.
May you be nourished,
Hayley Stobbs, R.Ac, CNC
References:
How to Make JUN - The Champagne of Kombucha! by Kendra Lee
How to Make JUN Tea - First and Second Fermentation by Little Mountain Ranch