Yum! There’s something about the flavor of home-brewed kombucha! It really hits the spot, especially during the warmer months. And I’m not talking about any ole’ kombucha either. I’m talking about jun kombucha. Have you heard of it? It’s fizzy, sweet, and full of good stuff for your gut.
A friend recently introduced me to jun kombucha, and I’m so glad she did! I’d never heard of it before, but after listening to her talk about it and trying some, I was hooked and knew that I wanted to switch over from regular kombucha to this delicious variety.
Today, I want to tell you a bit about this kind of kombucha as well as why I chose to make the switch. And, I’m even gonna show you how to make it in case you wanna try this deliciously healthy fermented drink too!
What Is “Jun” Kombucha?
Jun kombucha is a fermented tea that’s traditionally made using green tea and honey, and it’s referred to as the “champagne of kombuchas.” Now that’s saying something!
It’s been around for quite a long while, and yes, it does taste a bit different from regular kombucha.
The major difference with jun kombucha, compared to regular kombucha, is that the SCOBY has been trained to feed off of honey rather than cane sugar.
From my understanding of regular kombucha, when you start out, you’re only supposed to use plain tea (no flavored teas) and use white cane sugar because that’s what the yeast in the SCOBY is used to. This will produce the best fermentation and really help establish your culture. If you switch and use something right off the bat, you can either kill the SCOBY or not get the results you’d hoped for. Eventually, you can alter things by using different teas, flavors, and types of sugars to get different flavor results in the finished kombucha, but you have to go about things slowly.
I’m sure the same is true with jun kombucha. You can probably use black tea if that’s what you have, but it will turn out with a different flavor and won’t be a true “jun” kombucha. I’ve also heard of people using herbal tea to make it. I’ve not personally tried that yet, but I’m sure I will at some point.
4 Reasons We Drink Jun Kombucha
1. It’s Good For Your Gut
So the first reason we drink jun kombucha is that it’s healthy. All kombuchas provide your body with quite a bit of healthy bacteria, and I’ve not found any information that says the jun variety is any better than regular kombucha as far as the bacterial count goes.
Having plenty of good bacteria in your gut has not only been linked to improved digestion but a strong immune system and decreased risk of major diseases too.
2. The Kids Like It
The second reason we drink jun kombucha is that my kids love this stuff, and it’s so nice to not have to force them to take something that’s healthy for them.
Are you with me, mama?
So, the kids love drinking this “healthy pop” as they call it, mostly because it seems to be fizzier than regular kombucha and retains a sweeter flavor after fermentation (regular kombucha can taste too vinegary when fermented too long).
WARNING: I’ve read that jun kombucha has a higher alcohol content (2% compared to the typical .5%) than regular kombucha does. I can’t find any hard evidence or any expert sources to back this up, but I’ve decided to only give my guys small sips of this kombucha each day as opposed to the full glasses they used to drink of regular kombucha.
3. It’s Made With Healthier Ingredients
The next reason we like to drink jun kombucha as opposed to regular kombucha is that jun kombucha is made using green tea and honey rather than black tea and cane sugar. Green tea is well-known for its health benefits, and honey is a natural sugar with good-for-you nutrients.
Regular kombucha is made with black tea, which tastes great, but doesn’t have as many health benefits as green tea, and it’s sweetened with cane sugar which has zero nutrients as far as I’m aware.
Now, I’m not knocking regular kombucha. It’s good stuff, and almost all of the sugar is gone after the fermentation process anyway so it’s not like you’re really drinking a cane sugar drink. However, there is something to feeding the kombucha SCOBY with natural sugars. I can’t help but think it produces healthier bacteria. Maybe I’m way off — who knows.
It’s also important to know that any kind of honey can be used when making jun kombucha. We use raw honey, but you can use cheap store-bought honey too. Just know that the cheap stuff doesn’t have all the health benefits of the raw stuff. However, honey is more expensive so jun kombucha does cost more to make than regular kombucha.
4. It Ferments Quickly
Lastly, we prefer jun kombucha because it ferments faster. I’ve read that this is because honey doesn’t need to be broken down as much as cane sugar does which leads to faster fermentation. I don’t really know the science behind fermenting, but if you’re interested, check out The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz.
Okay, so enough about why we made the switch. If you too would like to give jun kombucha a try, let’s get into how to make it.
Are you with me?
How To Make Jun Kombucha
Making jun kombucha is very similar to making regular kombucha.
All you need is:
Step 1
Start by making a fresh batch of green tea.
I make a 1/2 gallon of jun kombucha at a time so I use 2 green tea teabags and 1 1/2 quarts of water to make my tea. Double this if you’re making a gallon at a time.
Place water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn heat off, add your tea bags, and let it sit for 10 minutes. If you let it sit longer, it can make your tea bitter. When the tea is finished infusing, remove the bags and pour your tea into a clean, glass jar. Let the tea sit out until it cools down to room temperature. You can refrigerate the tea to make it faster.
Step 2
Next, add 1/2 cup of raw honey to your tea (3/4 – 1 cup for a gallon of jun kombucha). Mix well using a wooden spoon. DO NOT use metal bowls or utensils with your kombucha.
Step 3
Next, remove the jun kombucha SCOBY from your current batch of kombucha. Place the SCOBY along with 1 cup of your current kombucha liquid into your green tea and honey mixture (2 cups of starter liquid for a gallon of jun kombucha).
Step 4
Cover your jar with a thin layer of cloth and secure it with a rubber band. Let this sit out on your counter or in your pantry for four days before repeating the process.
Storing Your Jun Kombucha
After you remove your kombucha SCOBY and 1 cup of kombucha from your current batch to feed your next batch, feel free to pour the remaining kombucha into glass bottles and store it in your fridge.
You can use glass flip-top bottles, or you can use old store-bought kombucha bottles or quart jars. I feel that the flip-top are best as they keep the kombucha the fizziest. No matter what bottles you use, be sure that you open them up and “burp” the bottles every day so they don’t explode in your fridge.
What About A Second Ferment?
A lot of people like to put their regular kombucha through a second ferment to make it fizzier, but I haven’t found this to be necessary with jun kombucha as it turns out fizzier than regular kombucha from the start.
And that’s it! That’s how I came to use jun kombucha, and how I make it. Kombucha of any kind is a great way to add ferments and extra probiotics into your daily life through diet.
Thanks, Meagan, for this information. Questions–where do I procure a jun scoby? Or can I use the scoby from the “classic” kombucha currently brewing on my kitchen counter and “train” it to become a jun scoby? Thanks for answering! Have a great day.
Great question M. I added links into the post on where to get a scoby if you don’t have a friend who can offer you one. I’m not sure about the training thing, though. I think you can, but I think it’s a gradual shift to green tea and then to honey and takes months. Again, I’ve never trained one so I don’t really know. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Yup! It only took 3 batches to convert a kombucha scoby to jun. I switched from black to green tea all at once, then used a little more honey/less sugar each time. I keep both going – The kombucha is piddling along, but the jun Brews up fast, throws off babies like crazy, and is really delicious. I like it better but I keep both going just for variety. Google some articles on converting your Scoby for confidence but definitely give it a shot.
Yai!
Hi, Didn’t know I had to train the Scoby.I just made the tea like when I switched from black to green tea.my first kombucha I ever made wasn’t great,but the next was very good,better than store bought.well with my first batch of jun it tasted great,but no fizz.will try the 1/3 honey and 2/3 sugar and increase honey over 3 more batches and see what happens.looking forward to the fizz. thanks,Dee.
Amazon has Jun scobys. I just started mine a week ago.
I just risked and tried out to use ‘classic’ scoby with it’s liquid and I am AMAZED – this really IS a kombucha shampagne!!
And it took 2 times less time to brew it!
I LOVE it!
Thank you!
♡
Yay! Glad it worked so well for you!
Do you have to use green tea? could you use herbal teas or red tea as a Base?
Like I mentioned in the post, Leann, I have heard of some people weaning their scoby off of green tea and onto another tea. I’ve not personally tried it, but it can be done. However, it will not have that “true” jun flavor behind it anymore.
Hey this is really interesting as I have customers asking me about using honey instead of sugar but I’ve never tried. Making it right now as we speak.
I actually rarely use black tea and mostly use green, flavored green, rooibos (caffeine free) and fruit flavored teas all with great success.
Thanks so much for your great post!
I make kombucha, but I didn’t know know this existed! I may have to give this a shot!
I love it! I think the taste of jun is so different from regular kombucha, and I love that I can use honey instead of cane sugar.
I’ve read about making kombucha. I’d love to try it, and this would be great since I’m a firm believer in using local raw honey for health benefits (and I have my own bees!). I don’t know anyone who I can get a scoby from, and I have to admit ordering something like this from someone I don’t know worries me. Any way to start from scratch?
I totally hear you about ordering from people you don’t know. I’ve always gotten my scoby from a friend, but Kombucha Kamp has a great reputation so I wouldn’t hesitate to get one from them. They’re a business, and they have to be really careful with their products, especially since it’s for food use. I’m sure there are all kinds of regulations and whatnot that they have to follow. As far as growing your own goes, I’m sure you can. There are instructions on how to do it online. My SIL started the regular kombucha scoby that we all used for years from a bottle of store-bought. If you can find jun in the store, then I’m sure you can start to culture your own scoby. Best of luck!!
It is crazy super easy to start a Scoby from scratch. Every jar of kombucha I have sitting out starts making a baby Scoby! Google some articles for confidence but basically just buy some good unpasteurized as plain as you can find (i used ginger – you can’t really buy a bottle of plain kombucha), Dump it into a jar of cooled sweetened tea, and wait for your baby. It is also easy to then convert your kombucha to Jun. Definitely try it – so easy and so much fun
I used GT’S Original, it’s unflavored and unpasteurized
You’re quite right! I’ve been making kombucha and jun for several years. Jun scobys (and kombucha scobys) grow readily in every bottle, so super easy to start or give away to your neighbour. Also, I use a mix of black, green, and herbal teas, hibiscus flowers, rose hips during primary fermentation. I prefer ginger flavour so I always use grated ginger during secondary fermentation and about 1/4 tsp cane sugar to ensure adequate carbonation. I bottle into Grosch flip top bottles and i burp them only to check progress, not to relieve pressure. I find that variations from traditional methods are great and I’ve never had a failure.
I’ve heard of training a Jun scoby to use fruit juice instead of honey, but can’t find the details. Do you have any ideas? I’d rather not use honey and would like to lower the sugar content of juices that are too sweet by letting the scoby convert the excess sugar into Jun goodness.
Kombucha question…I have two scobys languishing on my kitchen counter (one regular, one jun). I kind of let them go, because I figured that if I was going to drink, I would be better to drink water. Now I am seeing that you can drink too much water. What would your opinion be?
I try to drink water continuously throughout the day, and I never drink more than half my body weight in ounces. In fact, I’m good if I get to that much every day. As far as kombucha goes, I think it’s great to add into your diet. I only drink around 8-ounces a day of it though. Hope that answers your question!
Half a body weight in oz may be quite a work out for the body to deal with.
E.g. I am 200lb man with a healthy BMI (<25) and low fat ratio.. that would set me at 100oz of water = 1.5 gallons A DAY. Unless I find myself in a dry air environment I could not consume that much without either risking my kidneys failing or DEHYDRATION.
In my humble opinion, a healthy dose of water would be around 1/2 gal on a regular day and UP TO 1 gal if you find yourself in a dry environment (such as Colorado, mountains, desert…) or during heated summer months/exercise when you sweat a lot (again.. you drink a gallon a day… make sure you replenish your minerals or you wind up DEHYDRATED FROM DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER! as water alone dehydrates).
The “half your body weight in ounces” is a guideline… not a rule. There’s a lot of disagreement when it comes to how much water a person should drink. Personally, I think keeping an eye on urine is one of the best guides for water intake. And you’re very right about the minerals. We use reverse osmosis water in our home so we always try to add trace mineral drops back into it to help in this area. Also, 100 oz of water would be closer to 3/4 a gallon… not 1.5 gallons. Thanks for your comment!
Jan, your numbers are off. 100oz is ~¾ of a gallon, or half of what you calculated. Water does not dehydrate, and drinking 1½ gallons of water a day is nowhere near going to risk kidney failure in any healthy person.
Wait…200lbs= (16×200) 3200 oz x 50% =1600 oz = 12.5 gals….does any of this compute?
No, the formula is to drink half your body weight in ounces per day. So if he weights 200 lbs then he would drink 100 oz of water (12.5 cups or just over 3 quarts) a day. That is a totally appropriate amount of water. I weigh much less than 200 lbs and most days I drink 3 quarts of water.
This sounds awesome. I love kombucha, but I also love the idea of jun kombucha using honey instead of sugar!
I’m just curious if you know if jun kombucha safe to drink while pregnant and/or nursing?
I think it has the same risks as regular kombucha. I always drank it in small amounts when I was pregnant, and I know other pregnant mamas who love it. However, it is a culture of bacteria and yeast, and I believe there are risks with that. If I were you, I’d do a bit more research and see where you stand on the issue. Hope that helps, and thanks for your comment, Katie!
This is so interesting! I recently switched to Jun because I found out I was allergic to black tea. BUT the instructions that came with it said to brew for 7 days. And it’s not very fizzy at all! I’ll have to try 4 days. Also, my instructions said 6 tea bags for a half hallon. Where did you get your recipe?
I got my recipe from the friend who gave me the Jun scoby. She’s been fermenting things for a long while now, and she knows a lot about this sort of thing. I think, like most other kombucha recipes, instructions vary from person to person. Obviously, the more tea you add, the stronger your brew will be. Some people like it stronger and some don’t so the choice is yours. As far as fizziness goes, I was never good at getting my regular kombucha to be very fizzy (even with a second ferment) yet my mother-in-law’s kombucha was always super fizzy. I always figured it was a difference in room temperature or some small detail that varied in the way we made it. I’m sure that could be the case with the Jun too. Sorry I’m not much help! If you want yours to be fizzier, perhaps you can try the shorter ferment, ferment it a second time, or drink it several days to a week after you finish the ferment. All of those things can help to increase the fizz it has.
I’m confused about the recipe. If i acquire a Jun SCOBY from a friend, your recipe says I need some of the liquid from the previous batch. How do you proceed if you don’t have the liquid?
You have to have some liquid from a previous batch as it acts as a starter for the new batch. If you get a Jun SCOBY from a friend, you’ll need to get some liquid as well.
If you are starting kombucha or Jun And don’t have any starter liquid brewed, you can use equal amount white vinegar, cup or so. It may take a little longer to get going but it works perfectly well. Save some of that batch for the next brew. If you order A dehydrated scoby online that’s what they have you do
Hi, I like you blog, 1st time here 🙂
Anyhow, I just wanted to drop this thought on the honey;
Be ware where is your honey coming from as not all honey is good for you and actually, many of the different types coming [largely] from China or even US are tinted with toxins – often due to lacking legislation or virtually no testing of honey in USA.
You may be better of sticking to the “ole” combucha and just feed it organic cane sugar. If you do decide to go down the honey path … think organic honey or honey produced in EU (European Union) which has very high standards when it comes to honey (domestic or imported!!) testing for pesticides and other toxins.
Do read your labels and avoid honey from China or do your research on which (few) companies are worth taking the risk. Nothing against China but…. On occasion -often the case in USA producers will MIX in Chinese honey to bring their price down and to meet their contractual obligations… To wrap it up: think honey combucha.. think high end honey and that is $$$$. What goes in… goes out.
Good point. Like all our foods, it can be beneficial to know where it’s sourced from. I definitely recommend finding a local source of raw honey for jun kombucha or finding a store brand that is of good quality. Thanks for your comment!
Do you know the calorie and nutritional values of Jun. I make my own and love it but am also a Weight Watcher and need to work out its points value
Great question, Kaz. From the info I could find online, most 8-ounce glasses of kombucha are between 1-2 Smart Points. If your kombucha is plain and unflavored it would be close to 1 SP, and if it’s flavored then it would be closer to 2 SPs. Also, the longer you ferment it, the less point value it would have as there would be less sugar. Hope this answers your question!
It does. thanks.
I was wondering since you mentioned not doing a second fermentation because you found it fizzy enough if you wanted to add flavour to it how would you do so? Such as adding ginger or say some fruit like blueberries or raspberries? They usually suggest adding the fruit with the second fermentation with the black tea variety.
If you wanted to flavor your kombucha, Charity, you would definitely want to put it through a second fermentation. When I was making jun kombucha regularly, I didn’t feel the need to flavor it (like I did with regular kombucha) because it’s sweeter and fizzier after the first ferment. But yes, you can add your fruit or ginger, and put it through a second fermentation. That should do the trick! Best of luck!
You can “train” your scoby gradually , I did mine.
First I used only black tea. Then when my scobies grew I used more and more green tea with black tea until 50-50%. After some time I gradually used less and less black tea so now I use only green tea with the sugar.
I also added herbal tea but did not decrease the green tea: I use 1TBS green tea to a quart of water plus I add herbal teas. My kombucha is good tasting and the scobies are fine.
I did not try it but probably you can do the same with sugar and honey. Maybe you can add honey to sugar and decrease the sugar gradually. I ususally have spare scobies in a big jar in combucha tea and that is a “hotel” so if something happens with the scoby , while I “experiment”, I have healthy scobies to replace it but it never happened.
I guess the key is doing it gradually and always with the new scobies.
Of course it is only my experience and I don’t know if it is working for other people.
Of course I bought my Jun scoby online and make jun tea , too, but I thought I share my experience my “training ” regular kombucha to using only green tea.
That makes totaly sense, Judith. Thanks for sharing, and I may try this sometime.
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Raw honey has antimicrobial properties and kombucha purists do not use raw honey at all. So called “jun kombucha” scoby may have a different population of yeasts and bacteria that have adapted to raw honey or resistant to the antimicrobial action of raw honey. Remember not to feed raw honey to babies because of possible presence of clostridial spores which may prove fatal to babies with little or no immunity.
This is true, Steve, but I didn’t notice any issues in using raw honey when making jun kombucha in the past. Are you saying it won’t work unless you use a pasteurized honey?
Can you use Hellenic Gaia Greek Honey with Mastic & Honey with bee pollen & mastic to brew Jun Kombucha?
I’m assuming so, Odelia, but I don’t know for certain as I normally use plain raw honey.
I have always heard that honey, due to it’s antibacterial properties, was not good for use with a SCOBY. This is the first time I’ve heard of using it in kombucha/jun kombucha. Is the bacteria in a jun SCOBY resistant to the honey’s antibacterial properties? Is it truly a different SCOBY or a regular one “trained”?
From my understanding, Tami, the jun SCOBY is different from a regular scoby and has been trained to feed off of honey. There’s varying opinions about using raw honey versus pasturized honey, though. The friend I got my SCOBY from uses raw honey successfully with hers, but I’m not sure what others use. Hope this helps!
Natural anti-microbials as in raw honey and herbs do not kill beneficial bacteria or yeasts. People have used honey and herbs for thousands of years to ferment medicinal wines and beers. You would only put the raw honey in after the tea is cooled to room temperature to preserve the raw benefits.
I love the idea of using honey instead of processed sugar when it comes to making these types of drinks. I want them to be healthy for my family and I – so I feel like honey is a better route so I know exactly where it is coming from. Thank you for your information on Jun instead of kombucha! I definitely want to try this instead next time I make a probiotic drink!
You’re welcome, Billy. Thanks for your comment!
Does jun tea need to ferment in the dark like kombucha?
I’ve never heard that it needed to be in complete darkness, but it should be out of direct sunlight. When I’m fermenting (jun or regular) kombucha, I let mine ferment in a cabinet. Hope that answers your question.
Great information here! I love Jun tea .. but I have a problem with getting it fizzy. I see so many different posts online on how Jun tea is so fizzy, but I cant even get a tiny bit of fizz from mine.. first OR second ferment. I use those bottles with the cork lids like recommended, but nothing. I’m not sure where I’m going wrong here .. any suggestions?
These are the bottles I use, and adding extra sugar during the second ferment usually causes it to be fizzier. Hope this helps!
I got my jun scoby on Monday, today, Friday, I tasted it and it’s fantastic and fizzy.
Hey Meagan, I finished my 5 week tea bath to grow my Scoby and have since brewed the Jun tea batch I intend to drink. I have removed the Scoby, and bottled the Jun. That was yesterday. Today it has a white film on the bottom and tendrals stretching from the bottom to top. Is this trying to grow a new Scoby? Is it ok to drink at this point? Do I need to try to remove the tendrals. Not sure how to proceed. It is turning into a jelly fish. 🙂
Hmm… I’m not sure, Chris. When I was brewing Jun kombucha, I remember the liquid looking stringy and sort of gross. It’s normal, but I’m not sure about the white film part. If I were you, I’d contact a company that works with ferments a lot like Cultures for Health or Kombucha Kamp. Their customer service may be able to help you.
That’s the scoby.
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My jun turned thick and syrupy. Did you ever ecoerience this problem?
I’ve never had mine turn out that way. It’s always very liquidy like regular kombucha. I think I’d try another batch if it were me. Best of luck!
Where have you found the information on alcohol levels in Jun? I have seen this also but not seen it in any for other then anecdotal. Do you have a source for your information?
I heard that information from a friend who enjoys making and studying fermentation so what I’m sharing is also anecdotal. However, I wonder if kombucha companies would have that information on their websites (or maybe customer service would know) if they sell Jun. Just a thought, but it may be worth checking with a few to see. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
If you use a hydrometer to test specific gravity before and after fermenting (some have balling scale that shows alcohol %) instructions also explains the formula to use to find %
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[…] Jun delivers the same benefits that you get from Kombucha, but without the strong vinegar flavor that even kids like! […]
I am making both waterkefir and jun, but I do not get a good taste on my jun. I have tryed to make it with flavor but it doesn’t taste good. Is it because of it is to warm in my kitchen, do I brew it to long, shall I leave the ginger/ berries in the bottle or take it out before I put it in the fridge. What do you recommend for flavors.
Thank you so much for your website
If it tastes too vinegary, Ewa, you can try cutting the first fermentation time down until it’s slightly vinegary with a hint of sweetness. The second fermentation, the one where you add the flavorings, should alter the flavor that much as it’s only sitting out for 12-24 hours. My personal favorite flavorings are ginger and grape juice, but it really just depends on what you prefer. Best of luck!
Hi, I am new to fermented drinks but I have managed to make some lovely kombucha I have recently bought a Jun scoby but the result is awful, strong vinegar taste I ferment it days then I put it in bottle for F2 until it gets fizzy but the taste is awful, where am I going wrong? Thanks a lot. Corinne
Hi there, Corinne. If your kombucha tastes too strongly of vinegar, you may need to double-check that you’re following all the steps correctly and cut your first fermentation time down a bit. Best of luck!
Hi Meagan!
Why do you recommend avoiding metal? I’ve seen most people make kombucha with stainless steel appliciances (spoons, funnels, pots, etc). What would you recommend instead?
Thanks!
Kayla
I’m not actually sure about the science behind it. It probably has to do with taste. I’m not sure. That’s just how I was taught. I mix everything in a gallon-sized glass jar and use wooden spoons for mixing.
The metal kills the bacteria 🙂
Gotcha! Thanks!
Hey Meagan,
Thanks for this!! Question- we’re in northern VT, where it’s pretty chilly right now (inside and outside : )). Do you think our Jun will take, or should we wait until it’s warmer to start brewing?
Thanks!
I think it depends on the consistent temperature inside your home, but based on my experience, my kombucha and water kefir always do better during the warmer months.
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Hello! I’m happy to have stumbled across your article. I’ve been brewing and drinking regular kombucha for over a year now. I mainly brew herbals and decaf green tea. Now I believe I can successfully add Jun to my rotation of kombucha, water kefir, and cultured veggies. Thanks for the inspiration!
You are very welcome!
Tea bags…….are you talking about the smaller one or the large ones?
I use the small ones.