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By Sarah Coleman 4 Comments
Have you tried Jun? It is often referred to as the “champagne of fermented drinks.” I remember the first time I tried it. A friend of mine has huge ceramic crocks on the go, full of Jun. She prepared a tall glass for me with ice and freshly crushed verbena leaves. That was it. I was in love!
What is jun?
Jun is a fermented drink that is related to kombucha. It has an elusive aroma and taste, like elderflower – hard to pin down.
Like kombucha, you ferment it with a rubbery SCOBY (a Symbiotic Community Of Bacteria and Yeasts). Unlike kombucha, you float the SCOBY in a solution of raw honey and green tea, not sugar and black tea. The synergy of the raw honey and green tea gives Jun its unique taste and aroma.
Beware. Jun is a much faster ferment than kombucha. If you are fermenting in a warm environment, you might find that you have reached a good ferment after only four to five days.
The history of jun – don’t believe what you read
The master of all fermented things, Sandor Katz has trawled through the available literature on Jun. He concludes it is a “recent divergence from the kombucha family tree”.
Mysterious Origins
- Himalayan Legends: Some legends suggest monks brewed that Jun tea in the Himalayas for over a thousand years. It was considered a spiritual elixir, believed to aid in enlightenment and energy cleansing.
- Tibetan and Chinese Roots: Other accounts claim that Jun originated in the remote sections of Tibet and northern China. It is said that prized variations of Jun cultures are still available only to monks in these regions.
- Lack of Historical Evidence: Despite these legends, there is no concrete historical evidence or mention of Jun in Tibetan or Chinese lite. This has led some experts, like food writer Sandor Katz, to believe that Jun might be a modern invention attributed to Tibet as a marketing gimmick.
Jun tea, oftenreferred to as"Jun kombucha" orsimply "Jun," isa fermented beveragemade from greentea and raw honey. It is similarto kombucha butuses differentingredients andhas a distinctflavour profile.is like
Ingredients
- One Jun SCOBY
- 1 litre of freshly boiled filtered/unchlorinated water
- 4 tea bags of green tea or 25g green tea leaves
- 1/4 cup of raw honey
- 60mL of jun, bought unpasteurised or from a previous batch
Instructions
- Place tea in a heatproofglass or ceramic jug and pour over the boiled water. Let steep for around ten minutes.
- Choose a wide-mouth, glass heatproof vessel that will accommodate 1L of liquid plus a SCOBY (I use No.36 Fowlers preserving jars.
- Remove the tea bags; if you have used leaves, strain the tea into the jar/vessel. If I have used leaves, I pop a folded nut bag into the strainer as extra protection to catch all the leaf particles; I find it keeps the SCOBY clean and healthy.
- Stir in the honey until dissolved.
- When the solution reaches room temperature, you can add the reserved Jun and then float the SCOBY on top.
- Cover the vessel with clean, fine-woven cloth or kitchen paper and secure it with a rubber band. After four days, uncover the brew and remove a little with a clean stainless steel spoon. It should taste fizzy and pleasantly tart. If not, recover and test every day until it reaches this stage.
- When your batch has brewed, remove the SCOBY and reserve some Jun for the next batch. Repeat the brewing steps above, and enjoy your first batch of Jun!
Notes
- Remember, brewing jun tea is a personal journey. As you delve into it, you'll discover your unique preferences. Perhaps you prefer a stronger brew, steeped for 20 minutes instead of 10. It's all about finding what suits your taste buds best.
- Remember that Jun can be a fast ferment. If you forget to check it, you might find it way tootart. We have made this mistake a few times and ended up using it in salad dressings!
- If you have a sensitive palate, you will also notice that the taste of the raw honey you use changes to reflect the season and locality in which it was produced.
- Once you start to produce more SCOBYs, you can upscale the batches, doubling or tripling the ingredients. Your SCOBYs will grow to fit the new vessel.
- I have also brewed some rather strong batches with leatherwood honey, which is common here in Tassie. It is not to everyone’s taste, however, I find it gives a complex taste that feels rather “adult”!
Enjoy experimenting with your Jun fermented drink. What do you think? How would you describe the taste? Tell me in the comments below :)
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Reader Interactions
Comments
KayeThanks Sarah! Jun will become a favourite – with Grand-daughters as well, we all love making Kombucha from your original Mother….
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- thekitchenapothecary
Thanks Kaye, what a wonderful thing, fermenting love with your granddaughters <3
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- Mary Davidson
Nice article! If using leaf green tea wouldn’t the stepped liquid have to be strained?
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- Sarah Coleman
Hi Mary, thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. Just changing the recipe now x
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