By: Brew Your Bucha Posted: August 16, 2018 in Kombucha.
Kombucha is no longer a secret as thousands around the world enjoy this healthy, fizzy beverage on a daily basis. While the popularity of kombucha is at an all time high, many people are still unfamiliar with Jun kombucha click resources, a different version of the drink.
While regular and Jun tea kombucha share many similarities, such as their delicious taste, there are quite a few differences between both brews. We’ve got you covered and have all the facts about Jun tea, its benefits, and how to brew it at home.
What's the Difference?
Every brew of kombucha needs three things: a SCOBY, starter tea, and food for the micro organisms in the SCOBY. Conventional kombucha uses black tea as a starter tea and relies on sugar, be it organic or regular, for the food. The bacteria within the SCOBY consume the sugar and nitrates in the tea during the fermentation process that leads to kombucha.
Instead of using black tea and sugar, Jun kombucha uses green tea and raw honey in its fermentation process. This difference is what gives Jun kombucha its unique and different taste from conventional kombucha.
Moreover, the fermentation process of Jun tea lasts about 3-4 days, which is a much shorter fermentation time when compared to the 7 day fermentation period for conventional kombucha. In addition, the fermentation temperature for Jun kombucha is lower, which is perfect for those who live in cooler environments. For people who use heating blankets for their conventional kombucha fermentation, Jun kombucha may be a better fit for your environment. Consequently, it’s important to know this difference if you’re switching from brewing regular kombucha to Jun kombucha.
When looking at both drinks, Jun kombucha has a much lighter colour than its conventional counterpart. Many say that Jun kombucha has a much lighter, less sour taste than regular kombucha. Historically, many believe that Jun tea and kombucha derive from different strains of SCOBY which evolved over time to survive in different environments.
Benefits of Jun Kombucha
The benefits of Jun Kombucha lie in its two main ingredients: green tea and raw honey.
According to WedMD, green tea has a host of benefits for those who want to live a healthier lifestyle. Paramountly, green tea is full of catechins, which “are antioxidants that fight and may even prevent cell damage. Green tea is not processed much before it's poured in your cup, so it's rich in catechins.” This means that green tea can be helpful in improving blood flow and lowering cholesterol. Moreover, green tea is shown to aid in cell growth, which lead to some believing it is beneficial in fighting cancer. It’s clear that green tea enjoys a host of health benefits.
Raw honey is “the most original sweet liquid that honeybees produce from the concentrated nectar of flowers. Collected straight from the honey extractor; it is totally unheated, unpasteurized, unprocessed honey”, according to benefits-of-honey.com. Since the raw honey is unheated, it retains all its enzymes and nutrients. Much like green tea, raw honey is an antioxidant that helps rid the body of toxins. Moreover, since raw honey contains similar ingredients to fruits, it does not ferment in the stomach and can help aid in battling indigestion. There is also some evidence that show raw honey as an aid in curing a sore throat.
How to Brew Jun Kombucha
The first thing to discuss before we introduce recipes is the myth that brewers cannot use a SCOBY from conventional kombucha to brew Jun kombucha. Now, this is in ways a myth, but there are some things that need to be said. While you can use a regular SCOBY to brew Jun kombucha, you must first prepare your SCOBY. This is a process in which you are converting your SCOBY to become more accustomed to a changing environment. In turn, your results in switching to Jun Kombucha will have a higher success rate.
This is done starting a brew with the SCOBY in tea that is half black tea and half green tea with a little bit of raw honey in addition to sugar. Then on the next brew, you can use that prepared SCOBY with a complete green tea starter tea and raw honey to brew Jun kombucha. To be even more careful, you can start with an even slower transition process using 2/3rd black tea 1/3rd green tea, and and so on. So, the myth that you can't use a regular SCOBY for Jun kombucha is not false, but there still needs to be some preparation.
The other important note to review is the conversion between using regular granulated sugar and raw honey. While there are a few conversion charts out there, Kitchn recommends that "for every 1 cup of sugar, substitute 1/2 to 2/3 cup honey." However, it is important to note that these conversions are not exact and it is always better to experiment yourself to see how much raw honey is needed for your brew of Jun kombucha.
All that is left is to follow your regular kombucha recipe, but make sure to use green tea and raw honey instead of black tea and sugar. Moreover, it is also crucial to remember that Jun kombucha's fermentation time is shorter than conventional kombucha at about 3-4 days. So you may want to begin testing a bit earlier than you are used to. Always experiment for yourself and see what works for you. If you need any kind of tea, be it green or black, we have it all in our shop page.
Brewing Multiple Types of Kombucha
It's important whenever brewing different types of kombucha in the same equipment to make sure all the equipment is cleaned and sanitized properly. This will lead to decreased chances of cross-contamination and off putting flavours.
Or, if you don't want to risk your brew or juggle multiple brews in one jar, you can always buy multiple brewing kits or brewing jars to ensure that you always have a constant supply of Jun and regular kombucha. We have all the jars, bottles, and filters needed to allow you to brew as many types of kombucha as you want. Also, if you don't want to use your main SCOBY to brew Jun kombucha, you can always use a baby SCOBY you have produced, or buy another one from us.