Forget kombucha, Jun is a tastier probiotic alternative that you’ll love more

With kombucha having carried out its due diligence on this planet of probiotics, its tastier different, Jun, is right here to seize the eye of well being fans. Dubbed the ‘champagne of kombucha’, Jun is a naturally effervescent fermented drink made with inexperienced tea and uncooked honey as an alternative of black tea and cane sugar. Jun affords crisper and lighter trace of flavours than that of the normal kombucha, which has a powerful vinegar-like style.

Brimming with well being advantages as a result of presence of dwelling micro organism, yeasts, natural acids and antioxidants, Jun is brewed by fermenting inexperienced tea that’s naturally sweetened with honey and fermented with a symbiotic culture of micro organism and yeast (SCOBY).

Historical past of Jun

With a wealthy non secular historical past relationship again 1000’s of years, the bubbly probiotic tonic is believed to have its roots in historic Tibetan culture. The historical past and origin of the drink relies on a folklore claiming Jun to be a sacred elixir that was consumed by Himalayan monks to achieve non secular enlightenment. The main points relating to its previous are obscure at greatest.

Legend has it that the fizzy, fermented beverage was born out of heirloom cultures handed down from Lao Tzu — historic Chinese language thinker and author of the Tao Te Ching — to the monks of Bon in Tibet for the aim of vitality cleaning.

The absence of recent affect on the distant area of Tibet and the truth that Jun is being brewed by monks even at the moment furthers the assumptions about its historic roots. Provided that Jun cultures are able to rising constantly and surviving in perpetuity, these heirloom cultures are prone to be in existence for 1000’s of years.

Despite the compelling accounts and assumptions of Jun and a historical past that traces again to Bon monks, there’s little proof obtainable to help the claims of it being sacred. Whether or not it’s a thousand years outdated or a renaissance of its sister brew, kombucha, the probiotic drink is a scrumptious different you probably have moved on from the kombucha tea bandwagon.

Jun vs Kombucha

Elements
The first distinction between Jun and kombucha is the bottom substances. Whereas Jun is comprised of inexperienced tea and uncooked honey, kombucha makes use of black tea and refined or cane sugar as its fermentation medium.

Flavour
Jun has a extra delicate and refined style as in comparison with kombucha. Its fermentation colonies feed off honey fairly than sugar. It isn’t as acidic as its sister brew. Jun additionally tends to be fizzier than kombucha. The intestine health-boosting tonic is a bit candy, pleasantly tart and holds much less of a vinegary chunk than conventional kombucha.

Alcohol Content material
The alcohol content material in Jun is greater than that of kombucha, owing to the substances with which the drinks are cultured. As in comparison with cane sugar, which accommodates greater percentages of fructose and glucose, honey has decrease quantities of the 2. This, coupled with the variations within the strains and yeasts at play, Jun lends a better alcohol content material, which matches as much as two p.c.

The yeast or SCOBY digests the sugars within the honey, changing it into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The micro organism additional processes this combination into wholesome natural acids, enzymes and nutritional vitamins to supply a tasty and healthy drink.

Fermentation Time
Whereas kombucha is fermented over a interval of seven to 30 days, Jun requires a shorter window of time to be prepared. The latter is fermented in simply 3 to 7 days. One other issue concerned within the fermentation course of is the temperature at which the drinks are brewed. Whereas Jun is cultured at a cool room temperature, kombucha is ready at a temperature which is 5 to 10 levels hotter.

Learn how to brew Jun tea

With convincing wellness potential packed within the fermented beverage, health-seekers can brew their very own Jun tea at residence with simply a few substances. Brewing Jun or kombucha is a two step course of consisting of major and secondary fermentation. Step one is once you make the beverage and the second is once you bottle the tonic so as to add flavour and carbonation.

In step one, the SCOBY transforms the honey within the candy inexperienced tea into the marginally bitter, tangy and candy Jun that everybody loves. By the tip of this stage, you have got a Jun tea, however it could be slightly flat and flavourless. That is the place the second spherical of fermentation is available in.

Within the second a part of this course of, you must enable the drink to ferment slightly longer in an hermetic bottle for 3 to 7 days and may add flavours like hibiscus, rosemary or basil primarily based on what you favor. This allows the yeast to naturally carbonate the beverage in an hermetic surroundings.

Jun tea recipe

Elements

For making this effervescent and mildly candy and bitter beverage, you want 8 cups of filtered and purified water, 2 teaspoons loose-leaf inexperienced tea or 2 inexperienced tea luggage, half a cup of uncooked honey and 1 Jun SCOBY for the fermentation. Half a cup of beforehand brewed Jun tea additionally turns out to be useful throughout this course of.

Provides required

You solely want hermetic brewing jars, cheesecloth and some fermentation-grade bottles for this recipe.

Directions

To arrange the inexperienced tea and honey, convey the water to roughly 80 levels celsius in a kettle. Within the meantime, unfold the free inexperienced tea leaves in a big jar or pitcher. Pour the recent water over the tea and let it simmer and infuse for not less than 3 and as much as 10 minutes.

As soon as that is allowed to steep, pressure the tea via a fine-mesh sieve right into a jar. Steeping is the method of extracting the flavour and health-promoting compounds from the solids used to make tea. Let the concoction cool right down to room temperature earlier than you begin the brewing course of. Add the uncooked honey to this combination to present it a barely candy flavour with floral notes. Stir until the honey is totally dissolved.

Subsequent, add the SCOBY and its liquid starter, together with half a cup of Jun tea brewed in a earlier batch, to the brand new tea and canopy it with cheesecloth or muslin fabric or perhaps a espresso filter. Enable this tonic to ferment for 3 to five days or till it provides off a faintly sweet and tart scent.

As soon as that is carried out, fastidiously extract the Jun SCOBY layer and slowly stir the Jun tea. Reserve half a cup of this on your subsequent batch, similar to you’ll do whereas making ready homemade curd or yoghurt. You possibly can eat the recent Jun tea instantly, however a second spherical of fermentation for enhanced carbonation and a deeper flavour profile is really useful. You possibly can retailer the microbes (SCOBY) and the half cup reserved tea within the fridge for as much as per week on your subsequent batch.

Secondary fermentation

For the secondary fermentation, stir the completed tea as soon as once more and pour it into pint-sized hermetic bottles to decant it. At this level, you may optionally add fruits, herbs or juice to jazz it up. Enable this combination to tradition at room temperature for an additional 1 to three days to enhance its style and effervescence. As soon as carried out, benefit from the tea as is or with a few ice cubes. This tea could be saved within the fridge for as much as 3 months.

You possibly can watch the recipe on YouTube

(Hero and featured picture credit score: Geraud Pfeiffer/Pexels)