The 'Champagne of Kombucha'? I'll Drink To That!

Felicity Evans FELICITY EVANS

You know the feeling well – you finish up your daily grind and you just need something to take the edge off. Something sweet but not full of sugar.  Something bubbly but not fake. Something delicious but not packed with strange ingredients you wouldn’t touch with a yoga mat. 

Something that’s gonna help slide you into your yin class with that hot yoga teacher (oh wait, is that just me?)   

Let’s face it, we all live full-on lives, with a to-do list that never gets to-done, and shiny things going beep, ding and dong every minute of the day. 

That’s why, when it comes to nourishing my body, I make sure it’s gonna give me the sparkle and not the slump!  Are you the same? 

Alcohol just dulls my energy and makes me look and feel like I’ve been trekking through the Sahara for a week without water. Seriously, we parted ways a few years ago and I couldn’t be happier.  My skin is more glowey, my energy is on point and I’m just a nicer person to be around. 

This sparkly drink, called JUN is sure to become your new BFF. 

It’s not only a delicious alcohol replacement – it’s an all round probiotic drink, packed with living enzymes, active probiotics and antioxidants from the green tea, perfect for any time of the day. 

JUN is the perfect adjunct to add to your amazing life. 

So, what is JUN anyway? 

JUN is an ancient fermented green tea-based drink that is so incredibly delicious, you’ll have a hard time believing it’s so good for you. 

It’s fermented using a JUN SCOBY, which is the mother culture responsible for fermenting the honey tea and leaving you with a fizzy delicious probiotic drink.  This SCOBY is a specific JUN SCOBY – you can't just use a kombucha SCOBY and hope it will work – nope, its got to be the real deal. 

I’ve been growing these JUN SCOBIES for about a year now and sending them all over the world and I gotta tell you – it’s such a special culture.  It’s light, a little spongy, like a padded mushroom disk. 

While kombucha can be quote acidic and a little harsh on the tummy, JUN is lighter and much softer on the belly and taste buds. 

JUN is known as the “Champagne of Kombucha” because during the fermentation process, the mother SCOBY ferments the green tea and honey, leaving you with a deliciously fizzy, sparkle in your mouth drink. 

And JUN can only ferment green tea and honey – don’t add any crazy sugars like rapadura, erythritol or stevia – straight up honey is all it will ferment.  “But Felicity,” I hear you ask, “isn’t it gonna be a sugary drink?” 

Nope!  In fact, JUN is super low in sugars.   

By the time the 7-14 day fermentation has happened, your mother SCOBY has consumed most of sugars in the honey, leaving you with a truly low sugar drink. 

So, here’s your recipe: 

Jasmine Green Tea Jun With Apple 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 x JUN SCOBY
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 4 jasmine green tea bags
  • 1 litre water
  • ¼ cup apple juice

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

  • 1 x 1-2 litre fermentation jar (old coconut oil jar works well)
  • 1 x 1 litre bottle with firm lid
  • 1 x funnel and sieve
  • Muslin and elastic band

 METHOD

  1. Boil the kettle and make a cup of strong tea using the jasmine green tea bags.  Only use 250 ml hot water for this.  Allow to steep for a minute or so.
  2. Add the honey to your fermentation jar.  Pour over a little warm water to dissolve.
  3. Add the warm jasmine green tea to the honey mix.
  4. Top up with cold filtered water.
  5. Add the JUN SCOBY.
  6. Cover with a muslin cloth and secure with elastic band.
  7. Place in a warm, darkish place for between 7 – 14 days to ferment.  

 BOTTLING

  1. Once the JUN is a little sour (after 7-14 days or so) it’s ready to bottle.
  2. Gently remove the JUN SCOBY and put it into a container.
  3. Take out around ½ cup of the JUN liquid and add that to the JUN SCOBY as the “starter liquid” for your next batch.
  4. Place your sieve into the mouth of your funnel and insert the funnel into the neck of your bottle.
  5. Add ¼ cup apple juice into your bottle.
  6. Pour the JUN into the bottle.
  7. Seal with a tight fitting lid.
  8. Leave out for 1-4 days (or longer) until its nice and fizzy (open the bottle every day or so to test for fizz.  You want it nice and fizzy, without being explosive!).
  9. Once it’s fizzy enough to your liking, place in the fridge and enjoy cold from your favorite champagne flute!

You can explore more of Felicity’s fermenting resources here...

Felicity Evans

BY FELICITY EVANS

Felicity Evans is an alchemist and creator, in love with the healing powers of fermented probiotic products. Her passion is handcrafting a range of sparkling probiotic water kefir drinks, called Imbibe Living, that bring the energy and radiance into your everyday life.

She’s the author of “Probiotic Drinks at Home” and the creator of “Kitchen Alchemy,” an online course unleashing the inner Kitchen Goddess in you.