[Written in partnership with WonderBrew, but the editorial team had full control over the content.]
Believe it or not, this is not the first time I’m talking about gut health and bowel movements on Vulcan Post. (It may also not be the last.)
While I won’t be doing a deep-dive on these subject matters for this article, here’s your heads-up that the conversation will still come up.
For a good reason, of course. Over the past week, I had the chance to try out homegrown beverage brand WonderBrew’s latest product line, Jun Tea, to see what this sparkling new health drink brought to the table.
Meet jun
Jun tea, or just jun, is a fermented drink similar to kombucha, often called its cousin. But there are some key differences.
Kombucha is typically made with black tea and sugar, while jun has a green tea and honey base.
Beyond that, though, their health benefits are said to be similar. Packed with probiotics, they’re ideal for improving gut health with regular consumption.
Here’s the tea
Wonderbrew’s Jun Tea doesn’t promise anything too good to be true.
Rather, it simply positions itself as an enjoyable drink to grab for when you crave a refreshing and healthier drink.
Now, I’m not completely sure about my gut health, but I go to the bathroom for Number 2 pretty regularly each day, often several times daily too.
I don’t know if that is correlated with having good gut health or simply an irritable bowel, but I also don’t recall facing many issues with indigestion, constipation, or bloating in general.
Based on these, I would say my gut health is pretty average. So, then, what did Jun Tea do for me?
Let’s start with taste, which is one of the main factors in deciding how much we enjoy something.
Compared to the vinegary smell and taste that kombuchas tend to have, Jun Tea is more floral or fruity. I still found Jun Tea to be quite tart like kombuchas I’ve tried, though I personally didn’t mind it.
For the Original flavour of Jun Tea that I consumed for a week, the honey flavour shone through. It’s less apparent in the other two flavours, Bentong Ginger & Honey and Raspberry & Lemon.
I found Raspberry & Lemon to be the sweetest of the trio, while the Bentong Ginger had a spicy kick.
If the flavours are too strong for you even when chilled, try diluting the drink with a few ice cubes.
It could be because I drank mostly the Original flavour for the week, but I think that’s my favourite flavour of them all.
Regardless, all the flavours were actually easy to enjoy, and they were not too fizzy.
Just like with the brand’s other drinks, WonderBrew aims to keep its ingredients as local as possible, hence the use of Bentong ginger, for example.
However, the honey used for their Jun Tea fermentation comes from wildflower bee colonies in Thailand, as our kelulut (stingless) bee honey is too expensive, limited in supply, and more sour than they’d like.
Now, in terms of the health benefits, I didn’t notice any major changes to my bowel movement or overall gut health throughout the week.
There was one day where I was constipated, but I suspect it was simply due to a lack of hydration. The next day, it was back to smooth sailing.
Whether or not the Jun Tea helped speed things up in this case, I don’t know, but I can say with confidence that I did not experience any adverse effects as a result of drinking Jun Tea for seven days straight.
For the record, just like with kombucha or tepache (a fermented fruit drink), Jun Tea is not meant to be a surefire cure for any gut or bowel issues you may have.
Not enough studies have been done to ascertain the proven effects of these health drinks on common gut issues, plus their effects might vary from person to person.
So, if you’re facing serious gut woes, it’s still best to speak to a medical or health professional.
SCOBY-ing out new opportunities
Now in its seventh year of business, why has WonderBrew chosen to start a whole new line of beverages, when they’ve secured their position as one of Malaysia’s well-loved kombucha brands?
Founder and CEO Joseph pointed out a few reasons.
For one, it’s always been on the brand’s mind to diversify their product line into energy drinks, sports drinks, and similar.
So, when he and his team spotted a gap for premium honey-based drinks in Malaysia, they jumped on the chance to craft something special.
Joseph also acknowledged that kombucha has become quite a saturated market, with WonderBrew’s kombucha itself having 15 flavours at the time of writing. In fact, it’s so many flavours that stores can’t list all of them at the same time.
By creating Jun Tea, the team was able to secure more shelf spots without needing to delist any of their kombucha flavours, allowing the brand to grow its reach. For now, Jun Tea can be found on WonderBrew’s website, or in stores at Jaya Grocer, Village Grocer, Ben’s Independent Grocer, The Food Merchant, and Qra.
“With the new brand, our partners also get excited, like, ‘At least it’s not another kombucha!’ So this is how we grow the business.”
Joseph added, “WonderBrew has always wanted to be known as a lifestyle functional beverage brand, not just kombucha.”
While Kombucha is still their bestseller, Jun Tea is catching up fast.
Over the past few months since they launched it, the CEO reported that the new drink has grown to contribute to about 10% of WonderBrew’s overall sales.
It’s clear Joseph and his team put in remarkable time and effort into making Jun Tea stand out in the Malaysian beverage market.
After all, they intend for Jun Tea to be more than its health benefits—it’s a drink to be enjoyed.
To that, I would say they’ve succeeded.
Featured Image Credit: Vulcan Post