Ivan tea (fermentation of fireweed leaves) - master class

[Radushka]

Radushka, after freezing, whatever you want, then do with the leaf - twist rolls, meat grinder or ferment a whole leaf. But it is not necessary to freeze fireweed. It is the lightest of all leaves. So young now that it can be easily processed without a freezer. Closer to autumn, it will be tough and more difficult to work with. Unless you specifically store it there until you have time.

Unless you specifically store it there until you have time

Then I ask just in case. Such a pace of life that 24 hours a day will not be enough.
By the way, the tea looks very nice. Although, I thought that after 24 hours of fermentation, it will be darker. I would say that it looks like "red" Chinese.

Although, I thought that after 24 hours of fermentation, it will be darker. I would say that it looks like "red" Chinese.

The color of the tea depends on how it is processed before fermentation. The better it is crushed, the darker it will be. It darkens not even from fermentation, but from the oxidation state of the destroyed parts of the leaf. If the leaf is not destroyed enough, then the tea will be lighter, even fermentation will not help. Therefore, minced tea is always darker than leaf tea. And the color of the tea also depends on the temperature when the tea was dried. At higher temperatures, the tea is darker. But here it is important not to burn it.

or you can also grind

And after freezing, I stopped "chopping" at all, chewing into porridge and coming out back. I had to roll it by hand ... Why?

People, usually after freezing, the leaves in a meat grinder twist better than without it. We specially freeze the autumn leaves, because they become so tough that the meat grinder does not handle them well. Therefore, there may be 2 reasons:
1. In a meat grinder. She is good? Are the knives sharp? My meat grinder now does not even notice that I am twisting something in it - the leaves go very easily.
2. Leaves are badly withered.

[Borisyonok]

BorisyonokHelen, my congratulations, three kilograms of May tea is also quite a lot. At first my son-in-law did not drink our tea, they made him a shop tea. And now he cannot drink purchased tea, they prepare themselves, and he also cannot eat purchased bread, only homemade bread made with sourdough.
elena kadiewa, Lena, you have only the beginning of preparations, you will catch up with us and overtake us.
Jouravl, Nadezhda, the first collection of Ivan's tea curled easily, but the second time we collected it already in the heat and the absence of rain, it was already rougher. At first I rolled it with my hands, but there was a large volume and for a long time, I could not do it with my hands, I started rolling the leaves with a rolling pin, but not much, but only softened, then I took a small handful and made a roll and quickly rolled it with my palm on the table until the leaves were gave juice and did not get dark. Then she folded it very tightly into the basin.
We mixed the brewed old tea with fresh, the old one rejuvenated and refined, became more aromatic.

Lyudmila, probably the wrong question, not entirely smart ... but still. I read that everyone has a warm raw material during fermentation, that is, it heats up by itself, but mine is cold, always (unless I heat it up) although the layer of leaves or granules exceeds 12 cm.Probably, the tea ends up being different, although I like it. ..

[Lucilia]

probably the wrong question, not entirely smart ... but still

Lucilia, Lyudochka, a very smart question. Remind me what kind of tea you made - loose or granulated? What is the temperature in the house? And then - this is heat, not heat. It is slightly warm. Place a thermometer next to it. If the temperature is below 22 *, then, of course, it is necessary to heat it up.Did you wrap the container with plaid jackets? If I don't wrap it up, then I also have a cold one.

Luda, the layer during fermentation should be 7-10 cm, is it too much for you?

Luda, the layer during fermentation should be 7-10 cm, is it too much for you?

Flax, in general, is too much! But with such a layer it should warm up better than with a smaller one. Therefore, I ask what tea and what temperature is in the house. This is the point.

[Svetlana]

Luda, girls, another reflection-report. Made the second batch. I collected both parties after the rain (well, I have no other time), I went through both parties, dried them, dried for 12-15 hours, twisted them in a meat grinder. The first fermented for 14 hours, the second for 4 hours. The first one was fried at 100-110 * C for 15 minutes, dried at 50 * C, the second was fried for 30-40 minutes, dried at 70-80 * C. THE SECOND PARTY LIKED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE! And the aroma is much brighter, and the taste (nuuuu ... you have to appreciate) richer. While I will continue to do the second option.
Svetlana, if there is no taste and aroma, then you are not fermenting Ivanushka, you have confused. Take pictures of what you ferment.

Oh, well, I haven't figured out how to insert a photo yet! I collect Ivan's tea for sure, I am a Siberian, I have been going to this forest for 15 years, I will not confuse it. Today I brought a bag of leaves again, I will try according to your technology. Experience is a gain, but the taste and color ... Good luck to everyone! Hurrah! realized.

The first one was fried at 100-110 * C for 15 minutes

Fried in a pan or in the oven?

[Svetlana]

Svetlana, I have our mini-oven gas, the temperature there is approximate. I measure with an electronic thermometer. I put 2 baking sheets at once, the lid is ajar.
To insert a photo, click at the bottom of the answer to the "preview" button, in the window that opens at the top left with red letters "insert a photo into a message", press and then, which is suggested: "Browse", "download". When it loads, select one of the options from above, copy the selected footnote and paste it into the message.

Remind you what kind of tea you made - loose or granulated

I did everything, I already screwed it under the lid: a 2-liter can of cherries, 3-liter / b of Ivanushka, and 8 jars of different denominations from 0.5 to "polorashka" of different teas: linden, hawthorn, plum, apple, pear, irga. The house is now very warm, on the street 35gr. If there are few raw materials, I take a small container for fermentation so that the layer is larger. And she wrapped it up, and warmed it up, and just put it on the table. If the granules, then slightly pressed down, if the sheet, put oppression on it. All the same, the mass is not warm. I re-read the topic once ....., a lot, a lot. Maybe my tea is still not the same, something I am doing wrong, because there is nothing to compare with?

Girls, how to upload an avatar?

Oh, did you send the question to the wrong place?

Siberian, [Hello countrywoman)))

[Ludmila]

Ludmila, go to your "profile" (see at the top of the page), there you find "Change profile", and there "edit profile" and paste.

Siberian,

Our weather is getting better)))

[Svetlana]

Svetlana, from the photo he is Ivanushka. Then I don't know why there is no aroma. Try it like me - 4 hours fermentation.

Experience is a gain

That's right)) The road will be mastered by the walking)))

Our weather is getting better)))

What is snow for us, what is heat for us, what is pouring rain for us ...
and dry tea and pick berries and pickle mushrooms .. Hello !!!

And it takes me almost two hours to get to the fireweed.

Wow, heroes! and I have a clearing in the forest (my land) 3 minutes walk from the entrance of the house. And there!!! fireweed, wild apple trees (still in bloom), mountain ash, young pines, wild rose bushes, raspberries, currants, bird cherries, even sea buckthorn, and even herbs - bony berries, strawberries, nettles, even a scythe. And why haven't I used this wealth before? The only thing that I can’t find. And I also wanted to ask you, can you add larch for tea? found a fallen tree, you can pinch a lot from it.

can larch in tea?

You can, I recently wrote in "fermented tea from garden plants ..."Only you don't need to ferment at all. The taste and color are not expressive, there is almost no aroma. But there is benefit. You can add to mixes.

Light, I beg you, read the first page, it is written there, from what, with what, how much, especially a few more topics about teas, on the first page of the link.
Well, how long can you answer the same questions!

Well, how long can you answer the same questions!

Well, I've only been here for the fourth day, and they've already scolded me for bothering me with questions.

But what have they scolded? Is it really not interesting to know the basics of tea making, we all started last year, but I constantly re-read, sat with a tablet near teas, and only then, if something was wrong, I took out the brains of our girls.
Don't be offended, it's just that all tea topics are the same ...

And I brewed fresh tea today! Such fatigue that I spat on everything, I brewed it in a thermo mug and a cup with my husband!
not winter, of course, but delicious ...

[Svetlana]

Svetlana, do not be offended by our elder, she is loving with us, for educational purposes, and so she is "white and fluffy", but strict (we love her for that). She has a magic wand with which our tea themes and their "inhabitants" make huge leaps in improving their skills.

(Kadieva, why are you scaring people away!)

Come in "Tea gazebo", and other tea topics (see first page). I advise you to carefully study the first pages in all these topics, and then move to the last and ask there if anything.

the color of the tea depends on the temperature when the tea was dried

I have a meat grinder. I dried it first in the oven at 100 - 30 minutes, then in drying at 60 also for half an hour. True, there is a suspicion that the drying temperature is lower than the declared temperature. And there is nothing to check. I took a small layer of tea, so it dried up quickly, as I understand it.
And during fermentation, I, too, like Lena, did not self-heat. She wrapped her tightly. Although, the room was 23. The layer was sufficient. Not less than 10 cm.
Today I took out a thermos for porridge before we took it on a sortie. I'll try in it. If it doesn't rain, I'll go for fireweed tomorrow. And if it does ... today I brought a cherry leaf from the village

[Linochka]

Luda, girls, another reflection-report. Made the second batch. I collected both parties after the rain (well, I have no other time), I sorted them both out, dried, dried for 12-15 hours, twisted in a meat grinder. The first fermented for 14 hours, the second for 4 hours. The first one was fried at 100-110 * C for 15 minutes, dried at 50 * C, the second was fried for 30-40 minutes, dried at 70-80 * C. THE SECOND PARTY LIKED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE! And the aroma is much brighter, and the taste (nuuuu ... you have to appreciate) is richer. While I will continue to do the second option.

Linochka, I also struggled to ferment a little - 3 hours, 5 and 7. But I realized that I did it in vain. She also knocked the people off the path of the true. Right now, bypassing my principles not to drink tea immediately after its preparation, I brewed tea, the leaves for which I collected on May 28. Fermented at 12, 14 and 16 hours. A completely different calico. Of course, he's not ready yet, I understand that, but he is so cool ... will be. There is even a strong astringency, like expensive Chinese tea.
Well, this is me, sharing my experience, and not forcing you to change your technologies. We are all different. And we also like different things. Now I'm drying the leaves, I'll twist it at night and I'm going to ferment for 24 hours, or maybe more, because I'm unlikely to dry it at night.

[Lucilia]

I did everything, I already screwed it under the lid: a 2-liter can of cherries, 3-liter / b Ivanushka, and 8 jars of different denominations from 0.5 to "polorashka" different teas: linden, hawthorn, plum, apple, pear, irga. The house is now very warm, 35gr outside. If there are few raw materials, I take a small fermentation container so that the layer is larger. And she wrapped it up, and warmed it up, and just put it on the table. If the granules, then slightly pressed down, if the sheet, put oppression on it. All the same, the mass is not warm.I re-read the topic once ....., a lot, a lot. Maybe my tea is still not the same, something I am doing wrong, because there is nothing to compare with?

Lucilia, spit on this "coldness" of the masses. It seems so to you. I also don't have hot tea, even wrapped up. The heat is kept in the mass for 3 hours (as the Chinese write in smart books about tea), and then the mass cools down. If your house is at least 22 *, then everything is OK. It's better than more than 26 *. Follow the link on the recipe page and read about fermentation temperatures. I put part of this text into the recipe. So take it easy. As long as you like tea, it's okay. Believe me, if it did not work out, you would have written other posts.

[Radushka]

I have a meat grinder. I dried it first in the oven at 100 - 30 minutes, then in drying at 60 also for half an hour. True, there is a suspicion that the drying temperature is lower than the declared temperature. And there is nothing to check. I took a small layer of tea, so it dried up quickly, as I understand it.

Radushkaand you're all right. You will see the color of the tea will darken by winter. Don't bother with a thermos. Wrap your bowls in blankets and don't bother to dry. You have a normal temperature in the house. The Chinese would rather shoot themselves than ferment tea at temperatures above 26 *.

[svetn]

Today I brought a bag of leaves again, I will try according to your technology.

svetn, Svetlana, and how did you do it before? By the way, I asked you this question on page 63. I am quoting my answer to you when you complained that your tea is not working out:

svetn, Svetlana, firstly, the tea has not been brewed even for a month yet. And it is desirable to leave it until autumn. And in winter it will be even better. Secondly, you did not write down the conditions under which the tea was made - how did it dry (enough?), The time and temperature during fermentation and drying, the number of leaves, the thickness of the layer during fermentation and drying. Thirdly, I described all the secrets in the recipe and in the links to the recipe. You can also read the comments. Read the recipe again. I made it more detailed a couple of days ago. Ask questions, otherwise it is so difficult to navigate what specifically interests you. I repeat, You have not described the conditions under which the tea was made.

But I didn’t get answers to these questions. Do you think it is easy for me to help you deal with the problem if I do not know how you made tea? Here you write:

Well, I've only been here for the fourth day, and they've already scolded me for bothering me with questions.

Svetochka, dear, but you must not only ask questions, but also answer specific questions for you. I asked them for a reason. Perhaps I want more than yours for your tea to turn out. Because I know it's real! And everyone knows who made tea last year.
Please answer my questions. And we will figure out what is the reason for the unsuccessful tea.

[svetn]

Fried in a pan or in the oven?

svetn, Sveta, "frying" is a technique used by the Chinese to get a light caramel aroma and taste of tea. To do this, at the beginning of drying for 10 - 20 minutes, they set the temperature to 125 - 150 * (in the oven). I use this technique often, because I really like this tea. some of our girls also use it. Here Lina wrote about this.

The Chinese would rather shoot themselves than ferment tea at temperatures above 26 *.

What if it happens like last year? The room was over 30.

Luda, here I am in AG at first I drive it by 150, the tea leaves are becoming so interesting in structure! I do all teas this way. Right now there was chokeberry and an apple in the cups, well, the song! We went to the neighbors, warned that the time was coming! She immediately - but at least now go! Now I will twist 2 kg of fireweed. Tomorrow again in the field. So is it worth trying to ferment for 3 hours? What do you say?

[Radushka]

Radushka, good question. But there is also an answer to it - everything will be in order - the fermentation will pass faster. You just have to catch the smell and that's it. I don't have that much, but we have many southerners who made tea from hot regions. Everything worked out great. Simply, if there is a possibility, then it is not necessary to expose to the very hell. You can always find a place in the house where there is no higher than 30 *.

So is it worth trying to ferment for 3 hours? What do you say?

Oh, Veronichek, turn on your nose and smell your tea! Catch the smell. I have the impression that even after 4 pm the smell is getting stronger. I liked 3 hours less than 12 hours. But Lina is the opposite. Go understand ... In general, I myself will not do it. I don’t advise you either. You decide for yourself.

here I am in the AG, at first I drive 150, the tea leaves are so interesting in structure!

Agree. to me, too, this tea is more nra ... Only I'm in the oven. I don’t have this aerogrill beast.

We went to the neighbors, warned that the time was coming! She immediately - but at least now go! Now I will twist 2 kg of fireweed. Tomorrow again in the field.

You have a good neighbor. May God grant her health! And good luck to you, Veronicek! I will twist and walk in the fields almost in sync with you.

Lyudochka, for some reason it seems to me that as he starts to give out a smell, and after 18 the aroma is strong. Here are garden ones - there is a big difference. And fireweed ... If no one sends rain, in the morning I will nip a kilogram, I will sniff and record the change in smell, anyway, there are no street affairs planned for tomorrow. And Lina - so she changed several positions, both the frying time and the final drying temperature. So understand what influenced the taste!

And Lina - so she changed several positions, both the frying time and the final drying temperature. So understand what influenced the taste!

That's it, that's why I wrote a "report-reflection", Fse Fix (next time I will mark "FF"). But this is a habit since the time of writing the dissertation, you never know in advance where you will dig the "gold mine". Perhaps this is the temperature regime. But just in case, she gave the children an assessment of the aroma and taste for a "side view", they confirmed that the second option is better.

so it seems to me for some reason that he both starts to give out a smell, and after 18 the aroma is strong.

Veronicek, exactly! I make one batch of tea in a mini-oven in 3 passes. so, the next call is more fragrant than the previous one. Therefore, I want to bring it to 24 hours. Although I did a lot of 24-hour work before, but now the sheet is different, young ... So you have to watch.

Fse I fix it (next time I will mark it "FF"). But this is a habit since the time of writing the dissertation, you never know in advance where you will dig the "gold mine".

Linochka, I remembered about FF. Fix it dear, get us a gold piece.

Oh, girls, right now I finished the cooled Ivan tea, which I just wrote about - fresh, dated May 28. I'm in a swoon with delight! I'm even afraid to imagine what will happen to him by the winter! This is such a miracle!

I'm even afraid to imagine what will happen to him by the winter! This is such a miracle!

In-in, and I'm talking about the same (I'm talking about the last option - 4 hours of fermentation + "hot" drying).

+ "hot" drying

So now I always dry hot. Already less than 150 * at the beginning and do not include.

Believe me, if it did not work out, you would have written other posts.

Tea is dried after daily fermentation, it's a miracle! Smells like honey, the first just pumped out. I'm fascinated!

[lappl1]

lappl1,
Dear ladies! all a huge hello and many thanks! Life is in full swing here, I'm sorry, I'm a little late. I also have to go to work and do household chores and go to the forest for fireweed - for three hours, I collect 5-7 kilograms at once, and the time difference takes place. You are only going to chat here, but I'm already going to bed. But how glad I am for your attention and your advice! THANK YOU!
I report - yesterday I collected a large bag of fireweed leaves + apple leaves and flowers. This case was withering in the evening and all night, at 15-16 hours. Today everything is for a meat grinder, the grill is large. It turned out 8 liters, spread it over two pots (glass and stainless steel). One pan under a blanket, the second in warm water. Layer of mass 7-10 cm. While the smell of grass. Previous batches after fermentation were dried in a dryer at 70 degrees. Today I will try everything in the oven, at 120. I am stubborn, you have learned and I can. I love everyone, good luck.

[svetn]

svetn, Svetik, well done! I am very glad that tea is being made and the mood is vigorous and combative! And that the volumes are considerable! So everything will be all right with the tea. I will clarify a little - you need to dry it by 120 * at the very beginning of drying - 20 minutes, and then gradually reduce it (the recipe says how).

You are only going to chat here, but I'm already going to bed. But how glad I am for your attention and your advice! THANK YOU!

No, Sveta, we are chatting now in the "Tea Gazebo"... So, come there if you have time.