Preparation of Ivan tea

If you prepare raw materials for brewing willow-tea using a certain technology, you will get a wonderful tea that can compete with other popular varieties in terms of taste and aroma. Tea made from fireweed, is called Koporsky tea.

Ivan-tea leaves are harvested during the flowering period of the plant. In some regions, it blooms from early summer to early autumn, in some it finishes blooming in August. In order not to damage the plants, the leaves are collected, starting from the flowers and moving down the stem by hand. This method is preferable, since the upper leaves and inflorescences remain intact.

The main secret of making such delicious tea is the proper fermentation of raw materials (in other words, fermentation). It is due to this that the leaves have such a magnificent aroma. The essence of fermentation is the frying and oxidation of the leaves with oxygen. At this stage, fermentation processes appear, which are suspended by roasting. In order to get a more fermented tea, you need to increase the time interval between the start of fermentation and its stop.

Due to different production methods, fireweed tea may differ in taste and color, for example, be red, black or green. Fermenting raw materials is necessary in order to get the desired taste and preserve as many vitamins as possible in the leaves.

• First, the leaves are dried, for this they are laid out in a small layer and slightly dried, constantly stirring.
• When the leaves dry, they will darken and curl into small flagella.
• In this state, they are folded into dishes (preferably non-metallic) and covered with a cloth soaked in water. In this way, fermentation is carried out, which should last 12-13 hours at room temperature. The leaves will have a fruity aroma.
• The leaves are then dried. To do this, they are cut and laid out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. They need to be dried at a temperature of 90-100 degrees and no more than an hour so that they do not crumble.

This method was traditional in the old days.

• On a linen fabric soaked in water, the leaves are laid out in a layer of several centimeters and the fabric is twisted into a tourniquet.
• For half an hour, the tourniquet is pulled with a string or rope and crumpled.
• The initial fermentation requires several hours at a temperature of 38 degrees. After that, the crushed grass will turn out.
• In order for the fermentation to be final, the greens are rammed into plastic buckets. The total fermentation time is still 12 hours.
• The leaves are laid out on a baking sheet and dried for about an hour and a half at a temperature of 100 degrees.
• Leaves should be stirred frequently during drying. To get a special taste, you can sprinkle them with water with honey dissolved in it. The oven must not be completely closed. In order not to overcook the leaves, you can put a few bricks in the oven (it will create a semblance of an oven, where the leaves used to be dried).

• The leaves are harvested and dried in the shade for about 24 hours.
• Each leaf is twisted by hand until the juice is released.
• Flagella from the leaves are laid out on a baking sheet and left for 7-9 hours under a wet cloth.
• Manually untwist the flagella and spread in a small layer on a baking sheet.
• Drying is carried out at 100 degrees and the oven door ajar for 45 minutes.

The process of fermenting Koporye tea using traditional methods is a long and laborious procedure.

In order to save time, you can use the method of rapid fermentation of tea:

• To do this, the raw materials are placed in plastic bags and frozen in the freezer.
• The leaves are kept in the refrigerator for about 8 hours, after which they are laid out on an oilcloth surface.
• In the process of defrosting, cell membranes are broken, and juice is released, the leaves become dark.
• The leaves are wrinkled by hand, covered with a layer of gauze and waiting for the end of fermentation. The end of the process is the appearance of a pleasant rich aroma.
• The fermented leaf is cut.
• Lay in a 1 cm layer on a baking sheet.
• Drying time at a temperature of 100 degrees about two hours. During the process, the oven door must be ajar.
• Then the temperature is lowered to 60 degrees and dried until the moisture has completely evaporated.
• After removing the baking sheet from the oven, allow the raw material to cool.
• Lay out in canvas bags, which must be hung in the shade, in a well-ventilated place, in order to remove moisture from the tea.

In order for tea to retain its taste and aromatic qualities, it must be poured into glassware and hermetically sealed. If you store the leaves correctly, then over time the taste of tea will become even more saturated, as the process of dry fermentation will take place. Tea can be stored for up to several years.