Jun Tea

Bring 1 liter of filtered water to 80°C — not boiling. Boiling water scalds green tea, making it bitter. Steep the green tea for 3-4 minutes — do not exceed this or the tea becomes harsh. Strain out the leaves or remove the bags. Add the remaining 1 liter of room-temperature water to cool the tea to below 35°C before adding honey. This is critical — honey added to hot liquid destroys the beneficial enzymes and probiotic cultures it naturally contains.

Once the tea is cooled to below 35°C, add the raw honey. Stir gently but thoroughly until completely dissolved — raw honey dissolves more easily in slightly warm liquid than in cold. The sweetened tea should taste distinctly and pleasantly sweet — the SCOBY and bacteria will consume much of this sugar during fermentation, so you must start with enough. Pour the sweetened tea into a clean 3-liter glass jar.

Add the starter liquid first — this acidifies the environment immediately and protects against mold. Gently lower the SCOBY into the jar (it may sink, float, or angle sideways — all are normal). Cover the jar with a tightly woven cloth, coffee filter, or paper towel secured with a rubber band — NOT a solid lid. The ferment needs airflow. Place in a spot at 21-27°C, out of direct sunlight, and away from strong drafts or other ferments. Ferment for 7-14 days. Taste from day 5 by inserting a straw past the SCOBY. A new SCOBY will form on the surface — this is normal and healthy.

Remove the SCOBY and reserve it with 200ml of Jun as your starter for the next batch. Strain the Jun through a fine-mesh sieve into clean swing-top bottles. For a second fermentation (to develop more carbonation and complexity): add a small amount of optional flavoring to each bottle — a few slices of ginger, a strip of lemon peel, a tablespoon of fruit juice. Seal the bottles and leave at room temperature for 2-4 days until the carbonation builds (test daily by gently opening a bottle). Then refrigerate to stop fermentation. Refrigerated Jun lasts 2-4 weeks.