How to make a fermented ivan-tea

In good restaurants, along with expensive and very famous brands of Chinese, Indian or Ceylon tea, you can be offered a kopor or fermented ivan-tea. What kind of drink is this? This is Russian tea, or rather, an infusion of a plant called Ivan tea. Another name is kiprej. In this article, we will tell you what it is and in what, in fact, the benefits of fermented willow-tea. In this regard, we will tell you something from the history of the origin of the blend recipe, popular in the village of Koporye, near St. Petersburg. Maybe you will be interested in a unique plant and want to learn how to ferment Ivan-tea at home.

Some information from the history

The story of the origin of Kopor tea is interesting . Before the British learned about Indian tea and began to export it to European countries, everyone drank only Chinese. Since it was very expensive, it would be an exaggeration to say that everyone drank it. Drank herbal, fruit and cereal drinks, infusions, snacks, decoctions, sbitni, etc.

The trade route from China to Europe went through Russia. To the Russian taste, Chinese tea differed little from the drink from the Cyprian. Some of its varieties were better, and others were even worse than what they were making from the same spray. However, in the Middle Kingdom, by that time, for many centuries, a whole tea culture had formed. Bushes of tea were divided into varieties depending on the area of growth - soil quality, air temperature and illumination. The properties of the same plant depended on how the tea was cooked. Methods of drying and fermentation of the Chinese and now know a great many. They are systematized and described in the medical and philosophical treatises of the Oriental sages.

The same plant, depending on the area of growth and the method of harvesting, had not only different taste, color and odor, but also differed in biochemical composition and, accordingly, in terms of therapeutic parameters. Koporsky kiprei, probably, was like one of the very good varieties, and therefore became known outside of Russia. Perhaps the Chinese merchants taught their Russian friends how to make it according to Eastern recipes and told them how to ferment Ivan-chai properly, or maybe our ancestors dried it in this way long before acquaintance with the Chinese and their national drink. Now this is not known for certain.

It's hard to say how the herbs that differed with fragrant leaves, our ancestors before they tried Chinese and Indian teas, were harvested, but we will present the classic Kopor recipes and several other recipes in this article. It should be noted that according to the given recipes, you can harvest other herbs - lemon balm, peppermint, oregano, currant, raspberry, etc. Just do not mix them with each other until the fermentation is completed. Each herb is best prepared separately. But brewing in a teapot a few different plants is even very useful. You can learn how to make individual compositions. We will introduce you to some particularly tasty and useful compounds and explain how they work. But first, tell you how to properly ferment Ivan-tea.

Time of collection of grass

The timing of the collection of medicinal plants is of great importance, and the spray is, of course, a very useful plant. Since in order to make the fermented ivan-tea, according to one recipe only leaves are needed, and in others - the entire above-ground part, then the harvesting period is extended for the whole summer, including September. Do this in the morning, immediately after the dew, in the last resort in the evening, when the sun goes out of the zenith. The most inopportune time is noon. Collect raw materials in dry weather, after a period of rains and several warm days following it. Such conditions promote juiciness and saturation of biomass with useful substances. The terrain needs to be selected away from industrial sites, best if it is a clearing in the middle of the forest. You can collect it both in spring and in autumn. Only in the flowering period, this is not recommended, because in this case, among the leaves, flowers and seeds will inevitably come across, that is, white fluff, which many do not like for purely aesthetic reasons.

Parts of the plant that go to tea

Ivan-tea is fermented from the aerial part of the spray, although the roots of the plant are considered useful. In the old days they were dug, washed, cleaned and milled into flour. This flour was used to make bread, cereals, soup and kissels. For therapeutic purposes, the bushes were dried completely. They were dug along with the roots, tied several plants together and hung in attics. If necessary, the dried plants were untied and steamed with boiling water. This infusion, even though it was not fermented, was drunk with various ailments. The most active properties of many herbs are manifested in special processing - fermentation.

Goose-fermented tea leaves, stems and roots. The best blend is obtained from only the leaves taken from the top. Good quality has tea made from all the leaves from top to bottom.

How to remove leaves correctly

To remove the maximum amount of foliage, it is necessary to take hold of the top of the spray with your left hand, and remove the leaves with a right tightening movement and immediately put it in the bag. It is more convenient to hang the bag through the head and the left shoulder obliquely and translate forward. With a little workout and with our prompt to quickly collect a lot of leaves will get any. In order to prepare a traditional slightly fermented willow-tea recipe village Koporye, you need at least one large package (such as those in which we carry products from the store) of the leaf mass. A cheaper, but also delicious and high-quality blend is a fermented product from the entire aboveground part. We will tell only about leaf tea of weak and strong fermentation. Stems in our recipes are not used. For the preparation of granulated willow-tea raw materials need about a third more. Granules are a strongly pressed green mass.

Properties of kaprya

It must be said that for a long time kiprei has been well studied by phyto-specialists. Even children can be given at least a fresh, though dried, though slightly or strongly fermented willow-tea. The benefits and harms of this plant depend only on the amount of drunk infusion and the proper preparation of raw materials. It has a very mild effect on the body, although it is a tonic drink. Ivan-tea has a good effect on metabolism, normalizes blood pressure level, relieves fatigue and does not promote overexcitation. Even tooth enamel does not darken from it.

The first way is Kopor

Collected leaves need to be folded in a large wooden or enameled kadushku and a little wrinkle. Do not try to get them to juice. They need to be slightly crushed, that is, evenly deformed. Cover with a wet towel and put on a day in a warm place. During this time, the leaves will fade and become limp. The next day they must be twisted - take a small handful and roll between the palms. The resulting pellets are returned to the kadushka and covered with the same towel. The ends of it are lowered in a bowl with water, so that the fabric, while absorbing water, remains moist all the time. Within a few days the leaves will be fermented. The bowl should be shaken from time to time so that the leaves do not cake. How long to ferment ivan-tea depends on many factors - both on the temperature of the room in which it is located, and on the humidity of the air, and on the quality of the raw materials. When the herbal smell is replaced by the thick aroma of overripe fruits, the fermentation process should be stopped. Usually this happens on the 4th-5th day. Tea is scattered on baking sheets and, from time to time, rags it, dry it in a hot oven. The door must be open to allow the oven to ventilate. When the moisture in the leaves is not more than 10-20%, that is, they will break down when squeezing, the fire should be turned off and let them cool. After that, spread out on dry glass jars. Within a month, there will be an absorption process, that is, an equalization of the surface and internal moisture of the leaves. At this time, banks should be shaken from time to time. As for the question of how to store the tea, fermented in this way, then there are no special rules. It well retains its properties for a very long time - up to several years. It is important only to protect it from sunlight and avoid waterlogging.

The second way - with the help of a meat grinder

In shops, kipreys are sold not only in sheet form, but also in the form of oblong sausages - granules. If you brew them, you will get a very tasty drink of beautiful reddish-brown color. Many are interested in technology: what needs to be done in order to receive such a willow-tea? How to ferment? Meat mincer with large holes - that's the whole secret. In the rest the process is unchanged - to collect, crumple and wither. However, there are some subtleties.

Collected leaves, without removing from the package, you need to mash a little. Pack tightly and leave for a while in a warm place. At this time there will be a very important process of activating intracellular changes in the chemical composition of cyprus - fermentation. As a result, the leaves will become soft and slightly darken. How much should I ferment Ivan tea? This is the most important question that always arises in the production of any tea. From its duration depends not only the taste and color of the drink, but also its microbiological composition. On average, it lasts from several hours to several years. But this is a very complicated and time-consuming process. A good drink is obtained after waxing during the day. Then the leaves should be frozen in the refrigerator. This is done so that they are better scrolled and promoted by the shaft of the meat grinder. Soft leaves will get stuck in it. Grate should be taken with the largest holes, because when dried, pellets-sausages will decrease in size by about half, even slightly larger. It is necessary to scroll the leaves through a meat grinder, add the granules to a baking sheet and send to the oven, heated to 50-60 degrees, for 5-6 hours.

When the granules dry sufficiently and decrease, they will become brittle. Let them lie on a baking sheet, cool and absorb. In a few hours they can be expanded into banks.

Useful combinations

Dry fermented spray is very good to do with the addition of leaves of other plants, as well as berries. With the leaves of raspberry, currant or lemon balm it acquires an extra flavor of these plants. Do it with St. John's Wort. Then it acquires a reddish-amber hue. Some sources believe that it is more appropriate to ferment each plant separately and mix only when brewing. However, it does not work with many plants. Ferment raspberry or chamomile is very difficult. At home even more so. And it's not a secret that plant raw materials subjected to fermentation are much more biologically active than that which has been dried without a prior withering.

Granular tea from the spray can be made with natural berries of raspberries, currants, blueberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc. Beginning from the spring to the very October, it is possible to collect and harvest the spray and other plants and store for the whole year a quality and different in composition and properties fermented blooming Sally. The benefits and harm of it are constantly discussed by lovers of proper nutrition. All agree that the properly prepared blend has not caused any harm to anyone yet.

Granulated tea with rose petals and marigold

We will tell you how to properly ferment the willow-tea with rose petals and marigold. Kiprej it is necessary to wither and freeze, as it is told above. Rose petals and marigolds should be prepared as well, just keep them apart from each other. With regard to the duration of drying, they should be fermented for as many hours as fermenting ivan-tea. Put together all the plants you need after freezing, when they become solid enough and will be ready to scroll through the meat grinder. Dry also in the oven. If the procurement of tea is made in summer at the country house outside the city, then there is another way of drying - in a pillowcase. Granules need to be poured into a cotton pillowcase and hung in the shade of trees. From time to time it should be shaken.

Granulated tea with berries

How to cook a fermented willow-tea with raspberries or currants? In stores, it costs twice as much as a simple willow-tea. But it's not so difficult to make it even at home. It is necessary to prepare the leaves of the spray in the way described in the previous recipes, that is to wilt and freeze. Berries in small portions should be poured into the meat grinder directly to the willow-tea. It is important that their number is half as much as the leaves of the spray. Otherwise, the granules after drying will become too fragile and will very quickly crumble. As for how to store the tea with fermented fermented berries, the answer is unambiguous - in a dry place, in dark glass ware.

How to make tea

A glass of water averages one tablespoon of weak fermentation tea or one teaspoon of strong fermentation tea. It is most convenient to use an ordinary teapot or a French press. Infuse the drink for 10-15 minutes. Then you can top up the boiling water, soak for five minutes and drink again. Unlike teas containing caffeine, the spray does not become toxic even the day after brewing. It can also be cooked in a thermos bottle. The drink from the spray has such a soft and pleasant taste that it does not need to be sweetened. It can be drunk with milk or cream.