Raw Organic Jun Kombucha Scoby Starter + Recipe E-Card (2024)

FAQs

Is jun SCOBY and kombucha SCOBY the same? ›

Both beverages involve fermentation by way of a SCOBY. The microbial species present in jun SCOBYs are different from those in kombucha SCOBYs, as they are specialized in consuming the different types of sugars that are in honey compared to cane sugar.

No Need For A Jun-Specific Culture

In our opinion, there is no need for a separate Jun-specific culture. Just use a SCOBY from your kombucha and brew away! A few notes: *This will produce a very light SCOBY as the ingredients you will be using are light in color and this is normal.

Raw Honey (JUN) vs Sugar or Pasteurized Honey (Kombucha)

As mentioned above, JUN is brewed with RAW honey only, meaning unpasteurized. Using regular sugar produces a bad smelling brew due to sick yeast, and often mold. Kombucha can be made with a wide variety of sugars, including pasteurized honey.

Both Jun and Kombucha offer a delicious dose of probiotics in addition to an energy-boost from the tea base and natural, sparkly effervescence. Both fermented teas have similar health benefits and mystical origins, they are each unique in their own right.

This is the method we recommend. You can store the extra scobys in a large jar at room temperature with a combination of finished tea and sweet tea. And as the liquid evaporates, you need to top it off with sweet tea (every week or two) for the scobys to eat.

A healthy SCOBY is always white or light tan, or some shade in between. A darker brown SCOBY might just mean that the SCOBY is older, and probably won't work to brew kombucha. A SCOBY can have streaks of brown or black on it – this is just leftover remnants of tea from the last brew.

A moldy or dead scoby is quite distinctive, and there is no mistaking it when you see it. The mold will be white or colorful, fuzzy and dry. It can appear as spots on the scoby, or cover the scoby altogether. A dead scoby will be black.

Organic Green Tea: Green tea provides the Jun SCOBY with nutrients that help facilitate the fermentation. It's traditional to use all green tea when brewing jun kombucha.

The beauty of it is that it can be reused endlessly! Once you've finished fermenting your kombucha, simply recuperate the scoby and store it to start a new kombucha recipe. The easiest way to store a kombucha scoby is to start a new fermentation just after bottling.

Every 4 to 6 weeks, discard some of the liquid and add either fresh sweet tea (up to 80% of the jar) or sugar (¼ cup per quart of liquid). Stir to combine. Fresh sugar tea is preferable as it provides all the nutrients the SCOBY needs to survive and thrive during the break.

How do I know if my SCOBY is working? ›

Layer Forming at the Surface

Look for a thin, translucent film on the surface of the kombucha; this will be the new SCOBY or “pellicle.” This is a sign that the yeast and bacteria are doing their thing and fermenting the tea.

You will only need to replace your SCOBY if it has developed mold or if it is continuously struggling to ferment. Often with struggling SCOBYs, things can be done to help bring balance to your culture depending on the situation, and you won't need to start over completely.

Your kombucha culture or SCOBY is shelf-stable, so it doesn't require refrigeration. If you just bought a SCOBY, It's best to keep it at room temperature until you are ready to brew. If you are in-between brews, just store it in a jar with a cloth cover much the same as your primary fermentation.

Instructions: Dissolve sugar in water, steep tea, let it cool, remove tea bags, add vinegar or starter tea, and SCOBY, cover, and culture for 7-30 days at room temperature (68-85°F) out of direct sunlight. Retain tea and SCOBY for the next batch. Repeat.

Care for Your Jun SCOBY

I recommend a SCOBY hotel — that is, keep excess SCOBYs in a jar, covered in plenty of Jun brewed from previous batches. Cover the jar with a tightly woven cloth cover. You won't need to feed the hotel or do much at all; just rotate the backup SCOBYs into your weekly brews to keep them happy.

Jun has a smoother, lighter flavor and the SCOBY needs to be fed honey, prefers a cooler environment (70° - 80°F), and ferments faster (3-6 days). Kombucha has a stronger, bolder flavor and the SCOBY needs to be fed table sugar, prefers a little warmer environment (75° - 85°F), and ferments slower (7-30 days).

You can't really save or re-use your baby SCOBYs to make future batches of kombucha or anything like that, because they've already been flavored with fruit (and because they're too small to be effective for brewing more kombucha anyhow).