Jun Tea – Blueberry & lime
Jun Tea, often considered the “champagne” of fermented drinks, is a delicate, naturally fizzy drink made with green tea and raw honey. During second fermentation, you can flavor it by bottling mature Jun with fruits, herbs, or juices, letting it sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 days to build carbonation. What results is a type of homemade soda that will rival store-bought varieties.
Why Do a Second Fermentation of Jun Tea?
You certainly don’t have to, and if you’d prefer, you can start drinking your jun straight away. A second fermentation though, is a great way to increase the carbonation. And of course, you have the opportunity to build the flavour profile to suit your preferred tastes.
Is Flavoring Jun Tea Easy?
Yes, it is! A second fermentation just means bottling up your mature jun with added flavours. It’s left on the bench again for 1-2 days at room temperature and the fermentation process continues. The SCOBY isn’t needed this time because the tea is already matured.
When doing your second fermentation there is really only one step:
Combine your mature jun from a previous batch, with blueberries and lime into a large glass bottle, put the lid on and leave to ferment. So simple!
Aside from the taste of blueberry and lime, I absolutely love the colour these ingredients produce. It’s so rich and vibrant! Remember though – the flavour combinations are endless so let your imagination run wild in the kitchen.
Things To Note
A second fermentation jun can become very effervescent. There are a couple of important things to remember here because of that:
- Use appropriate fermentation bottles. This is necessary because the glass is much thicker and unlikely to explode under the pressure build-up.
- Make sure you ‘burp’ the bottles carefully each day. This just means slowly open the lid so you don’t get a jun fountain spurting up to ruin your ceiling paint.
Another tip is to store your bottles inside a cardboard box and close it up each night. Should a bottle explode it will at least be contained there.
There have definitely been cases of exploding bottles (of many fermented drinks) so do ensure you get yourself some good ones. Particularly so if you’re in a warmer climate where fermentation can happen much more quickly. Great bottles can be bought relatively cheaply online.
Other Recipes To Try
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Jun Tea – Blueberry & Lime
Equipment
- 1 One litre/quart glass bottle with a swing top or screw on lid.
Ingredients
- 1.8 pints mature jun saved from the last batch (875ml)
- 10 blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 lime, juiced (or you can simply add a ¼ slice into the jar)
Instructions
- Add 1.8 pints/875ml of mature jun from your previous batch into your swing top or capped bottle.
- Toss in the blueberries and lime juice (or slice of lime). Close the lid and leave to ferment on the bench for 1 – 2 days. Be sure to 'burp' the bottles each day (carefully!) to help with the gas build up. This just means slowly popping the top of each bottle to release the build up of carbonation.
- Once they're nice and effervescent, place in the fridge and enjoy a small glass daily.
Notes
- Mature jun is what you make in your initial batch. You can find the recipe for that in my ‘how to make jun tea‘ post.
- The sky is the limit in terms of flavours so if blueberry and lime aren’t your thing try others. Things like raspberry and ginger, strawberry, or even ginger and lime are all as equally delicious.
Now this sounds like something I would love to sip on during hot summer days!
Thanks, Julia! It’s perfect for hot days, but I definitely enjoy it all through the cooler months too.
I’m a tea lover and I would love to try this out! sounds very refreshing!
Thanks, Priya! I hope you enjoy it.
I have never heard of this but love the idea of a naturally carbonated drink that is healthy too!
Jun is delicious and so easy to make. Definitely a wonderful drink for health too.
This is a very original recipe! I love the simplicity of it. We need thirst quenching drinks like this in Australia and I can’t wait to try it. Cheers
Yes, it’s super simple Adrianne! And so very refreshing. I hope you enjoy it!
These drinks look so lovely. I can’t wait to try them!
I hope you enjoy it!
Hi Gabby,
Great Post!
This recipe sounds delicious.
Just a quick question, when placing the blueberries in the bottle do you need to slightly squash/crush them so the sugars get infused with the tea? I’ll be trying this recipe in the next few days.
Thanks.🖖
Hi Dan – So sorry for my late reply! I’ve been out road tripping in Western Australia with no internet. With regards to your question – no you don’t have to crush them. The flavour / sugars still get released even when they’re used whole however, the flavour can intensify if you do crush them so I do find myself doing it sometimes. I always encourage experimenting with your ferments because we all have different tastes. Maybe make yourself a batch doing it both ways and see which you prefer? Hope you enjoy it!