Ivan tea (fermentation of fireweed leaves) - master class

Nadia, naturally, you can dry it. But there will be a slightly different look and taste. And as a medicinal plant, Ivan tea is not used for anything! And for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including, and the entire aerial part.

Lyudochka, what is the importance of wilting leaves? This has probably been written a hundred times already, it's just that I can't keep up with you, three topics, and everything so necessary and interesting, but now it's landing time ... I don't leave the street, just put something in my mouth ... I thought , last year when I started making tea, I did just that just for easier scrolling through a meat grinder. It's just that I'm very afraid to spoil it again, do you remember I wrote that my tea smells like brooms, and so excellent, black, I drink ... but one of the whole family ... the others chuckle. And this year I want to prove to them the opposite, that my tea is great !!! So far, I think my mistake is in a thicker layer when drying, I steamed it at the beginning, that's the smell. But also about withering ... for a very long time my leaves wither and I did not wait for the complete withering ... is that also bad? Lyudochk, but what to do then, if a large batch is fermented, and dried a little, the rest will continue to ferment, which I would not want. Or do not twist everything at once, but then the rest will twist ... in short, I'm in a stopper. I don't get away a little, since I went after Ivanushka, so I WILL GO !!! Every day, a little bit from the house will be kicked out for idleness (their reasoning). Here it is necessary to somehow shut them up with a delicious tea .... Well, how can I do it !!!! I’ve read some swear words a hundred times, I live in a village, I have everything almost at hand .... and so I have everything .... I’m even afraid to take it, but I must hurry while young Ivan-tea. Lyudochk, it's cool at home now, gr 20-21, where to ferment? wrap up tightly? I want to try like you for 3 hours too. Will it turn out black? In ... wrote ... poured but their problems. I've been reading you girls for a year now, but I hardly write, but I'm always with YOU !!!! and in the gazebo and in the TEA !!!

[Jouravl]

Jouravl, Nadia, yes, as a medicine - dried stems and leaves of fireweed are irreplaceable. I dry the leaves every year, no fermentation. I twist in a meat grinder and dry in a dryer at a low temperature. I drink for stomach problems. And great for bronchitis. On the same day, sputum begins to flow. So you do the right thing when you dry. You just don't ferment them, there will be more benefits.

[lappl1]

lappl1Thank you Lyudochka! I have bronchitis too. But I want to try from fermenting. Well, it won't work, the husband will drink anyway. Since I have a lot of them, I will experiment. Now scrolling the leaves, the smell is different from about twisted stems. I will also try different fermentation times. I have already put one saucepan and wrote the time 12 40 .. Now I will make 2 more with different exposure times. To conjure, so to conjure

[ksyusha1997]

ksyusha1997, there are links to a book about tea at the end of the recipe. They are active. press and immediately you can read information about each stage of tea preparation. I specially took the most important from this book. It won't take long to read. But in my head everything will fall into place at once. And from page 48 of this topic, we have already talked about a lot. And light fermentation black tea turns out.
about withering in the week wrote. I repeat that this is a very important process. if the leaves are not wilted or dried, the excess juice will interfere with the fermentation process or it will not take place at all. Therefore, we must be dry. I have the same conditions as yours - cool and humid. Make the area on which you put the leaves to wither more and thinner. I put the heater on in wet weather - the process goes faster.Although the same Chinese write that there is no need to rush to wither. The best temperature is 18 *. At higher temperatures, unwanted changes occur in the leaf. So, your conditions are normal. do not rush. My batch of leaves has been drying for about a day now. so what? Let him dry himself. But I'm doing everything right.
And it is not necessary to dry with a thick layer - 1 cm, no more. otherwise they will steam up and get the smell of a bath broom in our tea. I manage to dry a batch of leaves in 3 passes (small oven). Therefore, I divide the entire twisted mass into three containers. While the first is drying, the rest continue to ferment. I do not dry each run completely. A little damp tea remains. I dump it into a drier tray onto a thin cloth and start drying the next run. When I finish drying everything, I again pour all the tea into a baking sheet, turn on the temperature 50 * and dry it a little more. I try not to overdry so as not to get the taste of paper. I pour tea into the bag, which is still slightly crushed (granule), and does not break. And I dry it until cooked as much as necessary. I am in no hurry to clean up, so that later the tea does not become moldy. In general, I get tea of ​​different fermentation from one batch. I mix it all together. but you can, if you want, separately.
Wrap up tightly - a lot of jackets and blankets. But if it's sunny, then put it somewhere on the street in the shade. In general, your temperature is quite normal. You can also ferment with this.

[Jouravl]

Jouravl, Nadenka, conjure your health! And then you will write to us about the fermented stems.

Girls, well, tell me, HOW to determine what happens if you have never made ivan tea before? Yesterday I wrapped it in a linen towel and took it out on the veranda. It's cool at night, but it's warm in the house. I was afraid that fermentation would start. Twisted in the morning. It turned out a little. Poured into a whiskey glass. Came out 6 centimeters. Fermented in a bowl with warm water for a little less than 6 hours. The smell has changed. Pleasant, not herbal, but with a noticeable sourness. Now I'm drying in the oven. First I gave 120. Now 100. Probably, I will dry it until cooked. I'm leaving soon, I can't put it in the dryer at a lower temperature. You won't leave.
It smells like delicious tea. I don't smell any perfume, sweets, dried fruits. Maybe something is wrong with the nose?

Now I also don't smell like candy, something floral, the smell is already on the street (the door is open on the terrace).
You don't always catch the candy aroma, last year I smelled of prunes once, and then, in winter, it smelled of prunes. And then I never could catch this smell.

Well, the smell is definitely not herbs. Nice, tasty. I'm afraid to dry out. Already turned it off. I left it in a cooling oven. I'll hang it out under the ceiling to dry. I don’t want to be on the street, there are now all the cars stinking. Tomorrow I'll go for the next batch of leaves. otherwise they promise rain on Wednesday.
It looks like green tea. The granules are tender. Many crumbled when I stirred with a spatula. But, I did not have dense worms even when twisting.

[Radushka]

Girls, well, tell me, HOW to determine what happens if you have never made ivan tea before?

Radushka, only with experience you will understand what and how. I've never done it either. And until I did 10 games and threw out a few, I didn't really understand either. But I was stewing in my own juice - there was no one to ask. And now there are many of us. So I think you will do well right away.
My advice is to catch the strongest floral-fruity-honey aroma while fermenting. This will be its end. I now have it 3 hours. And you may have a different time. Moreover, with an older fireweed, this time may vary.
I found you one nuance that can affect the quality of tea not for the best. Your tea volume is too small. In such a volume, fermentation is very weak. there should be enough raw materials. You will see this for yourself when you make a larger tea.

Yes, of course, it was not enough. But, I didn't even know if I was tearing fireweed or something? Hopefully, in three days it will grow up and become more like your photos).Also, it seems that I missed the very peak of the aroma during fermentation. There was another smell in three hours, that's for sure!
And I have nowhere to vomit a large amount. Well this is a randomly found place. There is not as much of it as I would like.
I'll just go there more often.

[lappl1]

lappl1, Luda, I crumpled a handful of the last batch and cut it with a knife .. Put it under oppression, these are the leaves .. And about drying, if in the dryer, and then start Max 70 degrees, then for a minute?
Or to the oven at 150 temp and then to the dryer? What's the best? This also applies to granules ..

[Jouravl]

Jouravl, Nadya, I read the theoretical foundations of traditional tea production. The temperature is 70 *, the Chinese write, low. At this temperature (I quote):

Very fast drying of tea using mainly high temperatures (above 100 ° C) does not produce good results, as well as very slow drying and very low temperatures (below 75 ° C). The use of high temperatures during drying significantly reduces the quality of tea, since its aroma is significantly reduced due to the loss of essential oils and sublimation of caffeine. Optimum should be considered temperatures during the first drying 90-95 C, with the second - 82-87 C.

At 150 * I also do not dry. I lightly fry at the beginning of drying, literally a few minutes. And then I immediately lower it to 100 *. And the Chinese use the "frying" technique, but not always. I don't always do that either. There are girls who dry in the dryer. But this is their right. When I was writing the recipe, I didn't know the theory. Now I know and follow it. And I kept repeating this all last season. Made active links at the end of all recipes. Everyone can quickly find the information they need, read and draw conclusions for themselves.
Therefore, I would advise not to dry in the dryer, but to do as it is written in the recipe - first in the oven at 100 *, when it starts to dry, then lower the temperature.

Girls, we started making young Ivan tea. We collect the leaves by breaking the stems. Many are worried about whether we will harm the plant and destroy our fireweed plantations. Several times we have tried to reassure tea-makers that nothing bad will happen if the stems are broken off at a height of 10-15 cm. It will only be better. Today I collected fireweed and I came across stems that for some reason were broken off. Here is a photo of one of them. It can be seen that lateral shoots from dormant buds have already begun to grow. Now, instead of 1 stem, this scent will have a lot. A lush bush will grow. So, calmly tearing fireweed with stems, and peeling at home. Until tall fireweed grows. Then it will be easy to assemble. But there will be no tea in May. There will be great tea, but different.
We will benefit from such a collection. Now, many more leaves for tea can be harvested from the same area.

[lappl1]

lappl1Thank you Lyudochka! I will dry in the oven.

You don't always catch the candy aroma, last year I smelled of prunes once, and then, in winter, it smelled of prunes. And then I never could catch this smell.

Helen, each game turns out differently. Depends on many conditions - weather, time of collection and fermentation, temperature during fermentation and drying, layer thickness during fermentation and drying. So, it is not always possible to reproduce the tea you want.

Exactly, my Master, it is!

Lenusik,

Interestingly, the May leaves for some reason wither so quickly, they lay on the floor overnight, I then twisted them, so I began to twist them, and they were just dried up. And the smell from this twist ... As I remember last year's August ones, the vein crunches so deeply, it doesn't hold in a ball! And these can be tamped immediately after collecting into a lump.

[lappl1]

lappl1, Luda, put the first batch to dry .. Fermentation 5 hours. I'm worried that little time has passed, the smell is not candy, but pleasant. There are also two saucepans on the fermentation. By the way, the stems also change their smell, no longer grassy, ​​but I will hold them longer. I mix everything periodically. I wonder what happens ...

Why are you stirring? there seems to be nothing to touch at all! Or is it about the stems?

[elena kadiewa]

elena kadiewa, Lena, and the stems and tea, scrolled .. I didn't know about it ... But I'm just learning ..

Stir only when you dry, you read the first page, I still find something new!

[elena kadiewa]

elena kadiewa, in other tea places they write that you need to stir during fermentation, I also met such old. Lyuda and I have already discussed this and came to the conclusion: not to do this, but why? I don’t remember!

Girls, indeed, have different opinions about whether to mix or not. Most recipes don't do this. And in the article by Odintsov, but whom I refer to in the recipe, this is not the case either. And you don't need to mix because anaerobic bacteria that live without air access are involved in the fermentation process.

[Jouravl]

the smell is not candy, but pleasant. There are also two saucepans on the fermentation. By the way, the stems also change their smell, no longer herbal, but I will hold them longer.

Jouravl, Nadia, the candy aroma appears only when we "roast" the tea while drying at the beginning. And if you do not "fry", that is, start drying at a temperature of 100 *, then there will be no candy aroma.

[Hope]

the smell is not candy, but pleasant.

Hope, somewhat embarrassed by such an assessment of the aroma - pleasant! When I dry tea, it blows the roof and the smell wants to eat with spoons - it's so awesome. Or is it just that we perceive these scents differently? Although other girls also feel a very strong aroma.

[Ludmila]

Ludmila, does not take away from the smell. I don't know .., but my whole apartment is still lilac, it smells more of lilacs. And I also put it in the oven at 100 degrees, maybe I need to fry at a higher temperature? Now I will try .. I interfered because, as it seemed to me, the color of the granules is not uniform, and at the bottom of the saucepan it is warm, but upwards it is normal temperature.
But the cut leaves stand and do not change their color .. Apparently they will have to stand for a long time ..

maybe you need to fry at a higher temperature?

Nadia, if they are fried, then at the beginning of the drying. and now the tea will simply burn out.

But the cut leaves stand and do not change their color ..

If they do not change color, then fermentation is not going well. For it to go well, you need to destroy the leaf in one of the ways listed in the recipe. Hence, they were badly destroyed. Leaves must be crumpled properly so that they ferment. There is a video on the internet how this is done. The leaves are kneaded in the bath for about an hour, like dough. And they release juice during this batch. And the leaf changes color.

Apparently they will have to stand for a long time ..

If the leaf was badly destroyed before fermentation, then no matter how much they stand, it is unlikely that anything will change.

but my whole apartment is still lilac, it smells more of lilac.

I also have lilacs, but tea interrupts her.

for some reason, the May leaves wither so quickly, they lay on the floor overnight, then I twisted them, so I began to twist them, and they were just dried up.

Len, it means it's warm in your house. And I have a long time to dry, because it is cool and damp - we don't heat the stove.

Nadia, if they are fried, then at the beginning of the drying. and now the tea will simply burn out.

Luda, I only put one baking sheet for the sample ... So to speak, the first pancake. Next in line .. By trial and error ..

Nadia, everything is going fine. You just don't need to turn on the high temperature now.

[lappl1]

lappl1, Luda! I've already brewed it for testing! I put a pinch for the sample. The tea turned out to be dark, the taste is not at all herbal, which the husband is used to drinking. It's different! I understand that I have not yet matured and I will finish drying everything together, but I really liked it - very mild taste!
Lyudochka, thanks! Thank you for your patience with us newbies.

Girls, hello everyone!
And my season has begun fully.
Ivanushka was young. Collected with twigs. The tops are tender, light green, they sorted separately, the rest of the leaves were peeled off, the stems were frozen, then I will extinguish and eat.
She dried the tender leaves overnight, then in the morning she kneaded for about 20 minutes in a bowl, until the juice was released, the leaves darkened and the smell changed from herbal to fruity.
Damn, well, it smells like a freshly cut apple. You know, when you cut apples (not Antonovka, but simple, average ones), they lie in the air, oxidize, and become a little glandular to give away ... My husband laughs at me, this tea smelled of rosehip to him ...
I collected the leaves in a tight ball, put the freezer bag into a sealed zip bag, releasing all the air. I put it in a box in towels and closed it. Fermentation took place at a temperature of 25 g, 12 hours. Dried at 100 g for 30 minutes, dried for 60 g. As a result, I sniffed so much that I no longer understand what the finished tea smells like! It seems sweet, it doesn't smell like grass ... I decided to leave it for a week, at least, or even a month for cold pre-fermentation.

Now I dry the rest of the leaves:
Dried them overnight, in the afternoon crumpled for 30 minutes like a dough until the juice was released (so that all the leaves were covered with a film), until the color of all the sheets changed (I carefully watched that all the leaves were uniform in color and crumpled), until the smell changed to fruity. Fermented for 30 hours (delayed at work) in two different zip bags at 25-27 gr. I made a mistake: one part of the crumpled leaves did not roll tightly enough into a ball, as a result, the smell from this bag after fermentation is weaker.
Now I dry it at 110 gr for 50 min, until the leaves brown (the color is almost black, uniform, very beautiful tea). Then I will make 60 grams and bring to dryness.
The tea turns out to be large-leaved, calibrated, flat - like long wavy needles. As it dries, the aroma changes from apple to some sweetish ... my husband says that it is raisins, but I can't believe it - I smelled it, I don't understand anything.

I don't think I can knead summer teas like that - I won't have enough strength to evenly crush the entire leaf, I'll go to a meat grinder. I will post a photo report a little later, when everything is dry.

I suspect that due to our more northerly position, we will be able to stretch the tea season in May for almost the entire June. Because in lowlands and cool places, Ivanushka will still be tender. On the weekend we'll go after him again, I'll make a manual sheet again. I fill my hand in the process, I learn to feel the raw material, its changes.

Nastenka, good fellow! You are not looking for easy ways! This method that you used is awesome! not everyone is ready for it. And you're right, it will be more difficult for an adult Ivanushka to do this. Although you can. There would be strong male hands and a bigger bath. I am going to make such tea every day, but I understand that I will not do much, so I go in a simpler way. And my tea more than suits me.
Thank you for such a detailed description of this method. Nobody else has done this in our country. Maybe someone will decide on it, because this tea is worth it.
By the way, I remember that back in winter we discussed a video where a man showed this method.
Girls, if you have strong male hands in stock, then you can try to make such tea while the leaves are tender. Here is a video showing everything in detail.

I suspect that due to our more northerly position, we will be able to stretch the tea season in May for almost the entire June. Because in lowlands and cool places, Ivanushka will still be tender. On the weekend we'll go after him again, I'll make a manual sheet again. I fill my hand in the process, I learn to feel the raw material, its changes.

And if you mow Ivan tea in the summer, then by the fall it will grow again. And in the place where we are now collecting, breaking off the stems, there will also be young leaves on lush bushes in June.

[Jouravl]

I've already brewed it for testing! I put a pinch for the sample. The tea turned out to be dark, the taste is not at all herbal, which the husband is used to drinking. It's different! I understand that I have not yet matured and I will finish drying everything together, but I really liked it - very mild taste!

Jouravl, Nadenka, well, thank God! So, the first pancake is not a lump! I told you that everything is fine. And by autumn, if it persists, it will be much better. Now the process will go more actively.By the way, summer ivan tea will not taste so soft. But delicious!
Congratulations, Nadenka, on your first tea!

[Ludmila]

Ludmila, thank you very much!
The process has begun .. The main thing is to start ...

Luda! Well, what are you praising me for? It has not yet dried / fermented dry, nothing is normal, the smell cannot be understood ... And I have concerns that it will be a silage or a broom.

By the way, I remember that back in winter we discussed a video where a man showed this method.

Yes! You are absolutely right, I took this video as a basis. And the stages, and the structure of the sheet, and the color, everything from there. I dry it only at a more gentle temperature, but I will fry one of the batches for caramel.
The sheet looks like it really turns out just like in the video! But with the smell of prunes - an ambush ...

[Jouravl]

The process has begun .. The main thing is to start ...

Jouravl, Nadya, now it's not just the process that has started. Now no forces can stop it. We know this for certain!

Well, what are you praising me for? It has not yet dried / fermented dry, nothing is normal, the smell cannot be understood ... And I have fears that it will be a silage or a broom

Nastya, hello! I also came up with a silo or a broom ,,, Everything will be fine, you'll see!

[Ludmila]

Ludmila, watched the video and went to this page. They make tea at different temperatures. here's a link.
🔗

Oh, how interesting it all is! And I'm with you! It is not a problem to collect fireweed, he is now young, juicy, he has not even picked up the buds yet, so maybe you can put his stem into tea?

[svetn]

svetn, Svetlana, welcome to our friendly tea company!

maybe you can put its stem into tea?

Read the last few pages. We wrote about the stem there. I do not.

[Alla]

They make tea at different temperatures. here's a link.

Alla, Thanks for the link . I read it and was surprised. No, I still won't dry at 30 or even 70 *. The tea will steam and smell like a broom. They have almost instant drying there, even at 30 *. We do not have such equipment.

Girls, I'm taking my words back about the 3 hour fermentation. Apparently, it is not suitable for young Ivan tea. Still, there is a herbal smell in the tea. Maybe even on dry fermentation by autumn-winter it will get better? To be honest, I never drank freshly made tea, even in the first year. Forgive who you have led astray. Returning to my usual fermentation.

And today I did a three-hour one, and I did not catch the smell. Well, nothing, the winter is long, we'll see.

Good evening everyone!

Forgive who you have led astray.

Lyudochka, I just wanted to try a 3-hour one today ... but I started drying pine sprouts ... and forgot about tea! So I couldn't even smell it!

[Borisyonok]

I just wanted to try 3 hours today ...

Borisyonok, cat, that's good! And don't try!

And today I did a three-hour one, and I did not catch the smell. Well

Lenusik, the smell is always gorgeous after 3 hours. But the taste did not suit. Some kind of weak. I have never drank freshly made tea, not once! Maybe that's why you weren't impressed? Well, winter will still be better than now. So I'm fermenting again today for 12 hours.

Luda, for some reason it seems to me that with fireweed a 3-hour fermentation will not work very well. I'll try to do it, if anything, then mix it with the usual. Now my husband came from the dentist without a tooth, there he was told not to drink hot until morning, so he asked to brew fireweed specifically - there was a stash, 50 grams - and more. Brewed a liter, it cools down.

And here it does not bloom yet! Does that mean it's too early to collect?