Fermented tea made from leaves of garden and wild plants (master class)

[Verunchik]

And where are you in a hurry with the blackberry, Luda said the taste of saturation by the fall.

Verunchik, the blackberry is actually tastier by autumn, but the leaf becomes even more rigid. Even now it is difficult to play it even on a good email. a meat grinder, and in the fall my meat grinder barely coped with it.

I looked through something and didn't like Loboznik? I just haven't brewed yet?

Loksa-Oksana and Galina Iv. liked it. And I'm not very much.

It's easier for me in the dryer, I dropped the temperature, after a while I changed the temperature, neither stir nor rearrange, in a word, less labor costs.

It is really easier to dry in the dryer - you will not burn the tea. With the oven, you must always be on the lookout ...

Girls, made a vote. It's a good thing, but it takes up half a page, and each one ... I asked the chef to make it only on the 1st page or to split the list into several columns so that it took up less space. But the chief said that this is not possible. Doesn't it bother you?

Girls! The tea we make goes through the same preparation steps as the store-bought tea we are used to. In the leaves of our plants, when curling, fermenting and drying, the same processes occur as in a tea leaf. Therefore, I periodically in my posts refer to the book of Professor, Doctor of Chinese Medicine Wu Wei Xin "Encyclopedia of Healing Tea". In it you can find answers to many questions that arise when we make tea at home. For example, what determines the color of the finished tea? Why is aroma lost? What is the best drying temperature? What fermentation duration should I choose? And many others.
I think that the most important points of this book will be useful to lay out in our topics. Maybe you will get answers to some questions after reading this book. I apologize in advance for the long texts. I don't intentionally hide them under the spoiler. Within a couple of days I will publish some of the information I have. And then on the first pages of each recipe I will give links so that I do not look for the necessary information on all topics. For those who want to read the full version of this book, I suggest following the link 🔗 There are many interesting things.

[Tea classification]

Tea classification

All teas known on the world market can be classified depending on what indicators will form the basis of the classification. The classification uses any one feature:
- the stage of preparing the tea leaf (factory, trade);
- feedstock (tender or rough leaves);
- degree of fermentation (black, red, yellow, green, white tea);
- appearance (leafy or broken, loose or pressed, instant teas).
The teas included in each qualification group differ from one another in organoleptic, dietary properties, aroma, taste, infusion color and biological activity.

In the industrial production of tea there are two stages of its preparation: factory and commercial. Factory teas are made in primary tea factories by technological processing of green tea leaves. Commercial teas (finished products) are obtained at tea-packing factories by blending, that is, a mixture of tea from factory batches in strict accordance with the approved recipe.

Classification of tea by the degree of fermentation (oxidation) of tea is considered the main one, since it has a single feature by which one can characterize the variety of teas that exists in the world. According to this classification, teas are divided into the following categories.
1. Unfermented (oxidation up to 12% of the total tannins of the feedstock). These include white and green teas that have not been fermented or have gone through a weak degree.
2. Weakly fermentede (oxidation from 12% to 30% of the total tannins of the feedstock). These include teas that have undergone partial fermentation (yellow teas, oolongs (red) and heat-prepared non-fermented black teas). All these teas have different degrees of fermentation: yellow tea is less oxidized, more red (oolongi), more teas prepared by the heat method.
3. Fermented (oxidation in the range of 35–45% of the total content of tannins). These include fully fermented black teas.

The external distinguishing feature of this classification is color mark of finished tea. By color, teas are divided into five main types: white, green, yellow, red and black. However, this means not only the color of the resulting infusion or the characteristic features of the color of tea leaves or particles of a semi-finished product. It is known that teas of different types (colors) can be obtained from any type of tea bush, and the secret lies in the method of processing freshly picked leaves, in those biochemical processes that occur in the leaf with different technologies of tea production. This ultimately determines their chemical composition and, accordingly, the taste, aroma and color characteristics of each type of tea.

White teas are non-fermented, their taste feels spring lightness and freshness. The yellow ones are weakly fermented, they have a mirage taste, because it is impossible to remember it. Green tea is bitter, but has a sweet aftertaste, it is good to drink it in summer. Both red and black by nature are warm teas, they perfectly warm in the cold winter season and in the dank off-season. Red teas - oolongs - are mistakenly considered by Europeans to be black. They are made from juicy tea leaves that are harvested in the fall. Oolong generously gives its strength to people - withstands up to 10 infusions, and each time you can feel a new aroma in it.

The leading place in the tea industry and trade is Black tea, which most consider not only the most "typical", but also the best. Among black teas, the famous Pu-erh variety is especially famous. It is the only one of the teas appreciated not for freshness, but for age.
Green tea possesses the most active preventive and curative properties. Its tea leaves are olive green (darker only happens in inferior tea leaves, overdried or old). Green tea infusion has a golden-straw or amber-yellow hue, has a peculiar, pleasant tart taste, is distinguished by a more subtle aroma than black tea.
Yellow tea made only from the most delicate tops of the tea bush (tips). It is close to green in its most valuable biological properties - the content of catechins and vitamins, but it differs from it in a more intense amber-yellow color, mild and only slightly tart taste and refined, incomparable aroma. This tea has a significant stimulating effect. It flavors well with jasmine. Once upon a time, yellow tea with its unique softness of taste and subtlety of aroma was considered "imperial". It was available only to the family of the emperor, the highest dignitaries and clergy, it was forbidden to export it.
Red spectrum teas, which are transitional to the black shade of tea, have the general name "oolongi" (from the Chinese "oolong" - "black dragon"). The sheet for the production of "oolongs" is harvested at the time of active growth. They are characterized by a bright red infusion, a pleasant, original, "piquant" taste, a magnificent spicy aroma. Connoisseurs describe it with the word "amazing".Red tea is the "champion" in the content of essential oils, it contains much more catechins and other useful substances than black tea.
You need to know that it is impossible to get yellow or red tea by simply mixing green and black.
A special variety is White teawhich exists within all four species. This is a very rare tea of ​​exceptional quality, consisting entirely of tips. If tips for making white tea are subjected to a fermentation process, then this happens only in natural conditions, no more than 5-7%. Its almost colorless infusion combines the advantages of all types of tea: it has a very delicate and light aroma, rich and strong (especially when brewed again) taste, has a wide range of medicinal properties.
All five types of tea in all the variety of its types can be made from the leaves of the same bush, which indicates how important the quality of the raw materials and the method of processing are for tea. In this regard, it should be noted that black tea has especially many varieties, less green tea, even less red and very little yellow and white, for which a high grade is not only a characteristic feature, but also an indispensable feature (middle and lower grades in these teas are not present).

Finished tea products differ not only in the degree of fermentation (color), but also in appearance (form). Therefore, there is also a consumer classification, according to which all commercial varieties of tea, depending on the tenderness and age of the processed raw materials and the technology of its processing, are divided into long (loose), pressed and instant.
Classification of tea by appearance is used mainly as a sign that determines the commercial value of a product and includes teas of varying degrees of fermentation. So, loose teas include all types of long tea (white, green, yellow, red and black), pressed teas - green and black, and instant teas - green and black tea concentrates.
Baikhov teas... Strictly speaking, the word "long-term" is not entirely appropriate here. Rather, it should be an indicator of the high value of the raw materials, and not the shape of the finished product. This word comes from the Chinese "bai-ho" or "bai-hoa" ("white eyelashes") and indicates long, hard hairs. They cover the lower part of the youngest and most delicate leaves with a thick velvety fluff of silvery-white or yellowish color and secrete an essential oil that protects the delicate tea leaf from evaporation. The most common long tea teas are black and green.
Black long tea occupies a dominant position in the world market, especially common in countries of temperate, cool, humid (damp) climate. To obtain such a tea, the leaf goes through three stages of processing: withering, rolling and fermentation. The most important in the entire production cycle of this tea is the fermentation process. After all, it is at this time that the leaf gets rid of the pristine bitterness and acquires a whole set of useful substances and those qualities that determine the taste, aroma, strength and color of the future infusion. Compared to other types, black tea is characterized by tart, full flavor, intense reddish-dark brown infusion and unique aroma... Thanks to these indicators, black tea has become the most popular drink among the peoples of the world, accounting for almost 95–98% of the world tea trade.
Green tea is produced from the same raw materials as black, using special technological processes, differing from black only in that green tea does not undergo fermentation and retains its color not only in dry form, but also in infusion. Green tea lacks a specific "tea" smell and taste. It is a kind of light green drink with a golden hue and a delicate aroma that combines the smell of freshly dried hay, withered strawberry leaves, rose and citrus fruits. It has a tart, bitter-astringent taste.

Baikhov teas are made from delicate flushes (flushes for processing have three leaves and a bud) and are divided into two groups - leaf and broken (small) teas, each of which has three levels (varieties) of quality. Leaf teas include: first leaf - L-1; sheet second - L-2; sheet third - L-3. By the nature of the leaf, small tea is: small first - M-1; small second - M-2; small third - M-3.
The crumb, which, if the technological processes are carried out correctly, turns out to be 2-3% of the total amount of products, is not divided into varieties. It is formed during dry sorting of tea. The crumb has its own selling price (its minimum score is 1.5 points) and in appearance must correspond to the approved standard: being the smallest particles of tea, it must be homogeneous, without admixture of yellow or green dust; the color of black tea crumbs should be black or grayish, and green tea crumbs should be dark green. The crumb is used in a certain proportion in commercial blends of fine teas, as well as for the production of tea bags.
Tea, different in the nature of the leaf, can be of different varieties (with the exception of crumbs), depending on the aroma, taste, intensity of infusion, appearance (harvesting) and color of the boiled leaf (Tables 2, 3). Sorting of tea is carried out in such a way that after this process there is no admixture of leaf teas in the fine tea, and in the leaf teas - fine teas. It is also not allowed to mix one type of tea with another, impurities of fibers, coarse parts of the stem, dark yellow and brown leaves, the presence of mold, as well as mustiness, sourness and other foreign odors and tastes.

[Harvesting raw tea]

Harvesting raw tea

Product quality largely depends on the correct collection of the tea leaf. Young shoots not collected on time coarse, which deteriorates the quality of the tea.
Tea from young shoots has the best taste and is the richest in caffeine and tannin (there is no caffeine in our plants, but there is tannin. For example, Ivan tea contains 20% tannin, almost the same as the tea leaf).
The collected tea bush top is the main product - flush, which is a measure of the dignity of a tea drink. The classic flush is a one-year shoot with two or three leaves with a bud.
Collecting tea leaves is a very time consuming process. To get one kilogram of "green gold", you need to pick 5-10 thousand leaves. In most tea-producing countries, the leaf is harvested mainly by hand. Only with manual harvesting can the necessary varietal conditions be observed: from the surface of the tea bush and from a certain depth from the dense mass of shoots only ripe flashes of young growth, which on this day are ripe for collection, leaving old or too young ones, pluck them at a certain point on the stem - where the tanning ends and the tender upper part begins.
Has long been used four methods of picking tea: regular, light, fortified and hard... Harvesting is carried out as the bushes mature, usually from late April or early May to October. In ancient China, starting from late March or early April, unfolded leaves covered with sharp villi were already plucked. The product of the first harvest (the “silver needle”) was not sold: it was sent to the court of the bogdykhan as “imperial tea”. Harvesting in late May and June produced the most common heart flower cultivar. Sometimes these two collections were limited so as not to deplete the plants. But sometimes they practiced the third harvest in August, which gave rough varieties, and the fourth, autumn. The product of this harsh collection was used to make the lowest-grade teas for the poor. At the same time, along with young leaves, old ones, as well as pieces of branches, often fell into the cup.
Elite tea is made from the upper bud and the first tender leaf, collected from April to mid-July (the same can be said for tea made from leaves of garden and wild plants). The same flash from the spring or fall assembly is less valuable. Only instant, brick or pressed tea can be made from coarse shoots with leaves.
It is also believed that tea harvested in the morning differs significantly from midday tea, and that tea harvested in rainy weather is cold, it must be drunk carefully so as not to harm health.
The more tender and homogeneous the harvested mass of the leaf, the more opportunities to obtain a good quality product from it.

[Transportation of tea leaves]

Transportation of tea leaves

To obtain high quality tea, it is necessary that the tea leaves harvested on the plantation get to processing as soon as possible after harvest. At the same time, certain demands: overheating of raw materials, mechanical damage to the sheet, its contamination, as well as the presence of foreign odors must not be allowed.
Temperature rise causes increased oxidation of phenolic compounds. This process is associated with the respiration of the tea leaf, during which its dry mass is lost. Its losses can reach 5% within 24 hours. In addition, tea tannin, combining with proteins and other substances, goes from a soluble state to an insoluble one. All this depletes the raw material and in some cases makes it unsuitable for further processing.
When a leaf is compacted in a container, molds develop faster, the leaves rot, and mechanical damage to the leaf occurs. Premature fermentation begins in damaged areas, which is highly undesirable, especially in the production of green tea. At the same time, the reddening of the tea leaves occurs, which starts from 30–35 C and reaches a temperature of 48 ° C in a highly compacted container. It is not surprising, therefore, that the teas obtained from the reddened leaf are quite low in quality.
In addition, the raw materials delivered to the factory must be processed in a timely manner. If there is no possibility of timely processing of raw materials, it is allowed to store it at a temperature of 0 - 5 ° C for 4 days.

Which tea do you like best - with or without a refrigerator?

After the refrigerator, the tea is brighter, I liked this taste more. I will repeat and try to use this technology for other leaves.

[Valentine]

Valentine, just twisted the "sweaty" leaves of fireweed. Some leaves (from the middle) have slightly changed color. The smell is very interesting. Whether it's cognac, I don't know. But I haven't had such a smell yet. I like this smell. I put it on fermentation. I don’t know yet how much I will ferment and whether I will put it in the refrigerator for two days. The fact that it will be another tea is already clear.
Thank you, Valechka, for this very interesting experience!

just twisted the "sweaty" leaves of fireweed

Lyudmila, good afternoon, at what temperature do you sweat these leaves ???

So the wild yeast in the refrigerator continued to work, albeit slowly.

Oh, how many wonderful discoveries this tea spirit prepares for us

I asked the chef to make it only on the 1st page or to split the list into several columns so that it took up less space.

It would be better, of course, if only on the first page, otherwise you have to scroll through .. it doesn't bother me, in principle.

shl. with a meat grinder I have a bummer .. brought to the warehouse. and she was broken, they called back, they said. which is no more. Now I don't know, I guess. I will not buy because I don’t know which one to take. I would not like to burn on the first day.

It would be better, of course, if only on the first page, otherwise you have to scroll through .. it doesn't bother me, in principle.

Of course it's better, but the chief said: "You can't."

with a meat grinder I have a bummer .. brought to the warehouse. and she was broken, they called back, they said. which is no more.

As in the days of the scoop - a deficit (blinn). Of course not. Look for more.

will I put it in the refrigerator for two days.

and I would not, but the circumstances forced me. Here "Mr. Chance" intervened and turned out to be in the subject!
I didn't have so many green leaves, I chose them and wilted, and then according to the usual scenario.

at what temperature do you sweat these leaves ???

Checkmark, hello! And in the room, wrapped in blankets. Now I have 23 * С. Or move to a greenhouse - there for 30 *?
Just came from the meadow. I brought 2 more bags of fireweed leaves. I will do one of them in the usual way, and the second - again put "sweat". So I think, for a uniform "sweating", maybe they should be interfered there periodically? Or break the atmosphere?
Thank you for this method. You gave us the idea. My tea is not ready yet, but Valentina did well.

[Valentine]

and I would not, but the circumstances forced me. Here "Mr. Chance" intervened and turned out to be in the subject!

Valentine, many discoveries "accidentally" make. And I think that there are no accidents. So that was the way it had to be.

Thank you for this method. You gave us the idea.

Lyudmila, yes, I read about this method, but I was very skeptical about it, I was all at a loss, I was even taken with doubts whether this lady did it herself or took it somewhere as an idea for creation. But the color of tea really inspired me today, but I didn't put on a laurel wreath for myself

Scrolled lemongrass. Fermented for 14 hours. Intense apple smell. Only now the question arose. It is so wet and compressed in a saucepan that I don't even know how to lay it out to dry ...

Girls, I got so fired up to ferment tea and even picked up leaves in the country, but I just can't decide on the time ... it turns out that if I start the process, then I have no time to go to work))) how do you cope with it. I am afraid that I will put the leaves in the morning to wither, and after work they will no longer be suitable. and while I'm at work, and the fermentation peak starts, then I'll ruin everything. How do you do it?

Now wake up laughing
Toldko that there was a program on Zagorodnoye about herbs, about lilacs, how useful it is, they drink it and brew it and steam it, etc., etc. hairstyles, both white and lilac. there, of course, in large doses it is impossible, so lead and we do not chafer
and who has not tried to make tea from lilacs?

Spun the blackberry, almost died. .. the heaviest leaves IMHO. Half remained in the meat grinder, I also picked them out and put them on the bottom of the container. on top of the granule. It smells delicious !!!!

[Natalia]

maybe interfere with them there periodically?

I interfered with the blackberry, I was afraid that they would oppose at all.

I am afraid that I will put the leaves to wither in the morning, and after work they will no longer be suitable.

Natalia, no, it's a long time for withering. Especially. that it is necessary to stir them up. It is better to choose a time when you can control the process. For example, when you come home from work, then twist it late and leave it to ferment until the next day. Or try to sweat them in a bag, that is, tamp them tightly and tie them in a bag. Or put it in the freezer.

Thank you, I think so too, now I sit and calculate the time ..

You know. the time there is different all the time, because the leaves are different (in terms of rigidity) and conditions (temperature, humidity). When you do it for the first time, you will understand everything. There is no dogma + - kilometer. : victory: I am now writing down the fermentation time only so that later in the finished tea I can decide on the taste - which one I like best.

And yesterday at the dacha I collected cherry leaves and put them in a bag and in the refrigerator, I’ll come home from work at 17.30, and then I can put them to wither, ... is it okay that they are now in a bag in the refrigerator?

Nothing. Although for such a time (up to a day) I just leave it in a bag in the room.

And I have the leaves in the freezer for the second day and I didn’t know whether to wash them or not. I washed them a little bit and dried them with a carousel. I'm afraid I won't master it today - I still have to twist raspberries and currants with sugar
And my leaves are cherries, currants, raspberries. Dityako dialed. Throw it out now?

I washed them a little and dried them with a carousel.

Len, don't throw it away, you sho. For the future, it was simply necessary or not to wash. or dry until dry. And as you can. so you will.

shl. Ludik. forgive me sho I'm clever here.

now I sit and calculate the time ..

Natalia, I do this: I freeze it, take it out in the evening and twist it, it ferments at night, there is no time to dry it in the morning, so I put it in the refrigerator and dry it in the evening.

[Omela]

Omela,

Listen, how not to wash - my mother is pouring something with ash there I look at unwashed raspberries with a shudder

Truncated understood, chief! Thank you, Ksyusha!

Teased here with their teas, you know

Natalia, I do this: I freeze it, take it out in the evening and twist it, it ferments at night, there is no time to dry it in the morning, so I put it in the refrigerator and dry it in the evening.

I will do that too, for me, a working person, this is very important

[Tashenka]

Tashenka, twisted in a meat grinder? how is it granulated? I plopped down on the paper and slightly tossed it with a fork.
and there is no lemon scent in the leaves? I didn’t wait for the apple flavor; it was fermented for only 6 hours. I thought it was not a simple plant

Natalia, I do this: I freeze it, take it out in the evening and twist it, it ferments at night, there is no time to dry it in the morning, so I put it in the refrigerator and dry it in the evening.

I also lose at work and do it by your method

[Oksana]

Oksana, yes, in a meat grinder. Poorly granulated. I think that the output will be a small crumb. It does not smell of lemon at all, but the smell, like that of leaves, is completely gone. Specifically, it smells like an apple. While there is no time to dry, let it ferment. I'll put my grandchildren to bed, then I'll put them in the oven.

[Sauyri]

Sauyri, Natalia, on Saturday at the dacha I collect leaves, put them in the freezer, before leaving I take out tightly tie the bag, while we go home they melt, sweat and already begin to ferment, we come, I immediately scroll in a meat grinder and put them in salad bowls for pre-fermentation, in the morning before work I laid it out on baking trays and dried it a little on a unit in the oven, I'll come to dry it in the evening.

[Ksyusha]

Spun a blackberry, almost died. .. the heaviest leaves IMHO.

Ksyusha, as I understand you - the most delicious tea, but it gets blood (calluses) and sweat. After cherries and blackberries, I began to entrust this occupation to my husband. He quickly got tired of it. Therefore, I am now with email. a meat grinder - the matter has become simpler ... Only a meat grinder is a pity - she cries from this delicious tea ...

forgive me sho I'm clever here.

Mistletoe, what are you doing? I thank you, and you apologize. Girls need to get answers to their questions, and I don't always visit my computer.
So, Ksyusha, girls, thanks to everyone who reacts and answers on time. Together we will quickly deal with misunderstandings here

[Tashenka]

in a meat grinder. Poorly granulated. I think that the output will be a small crumb.

Tashenka, have you dried or frozen the leaves? Un-dried and frozen can crumble. Go to the next topic about country tea https://Mcooker-enn.tomathouse.com/index.php@option=com_smf&topic=390336.0 There we began to twist the leaves (currants and raspberries) crumbling in a meat grinder with others that tolerate a meat grinder well (fireweed, apple, cherry, pear). very good granules are obtained. Only first you need to wither all the leaves normally.

[Lena]

Dityako dialed. Throw it out now?

Lena, do not offend the child! The child tried! The mistletoe is right, nothing will happen to the leaves if you leave them in an open bag.

[Verunchik]

and who has not tried to make tea from lilacs?

Verunchik, no one has done it yet ... I also heard about the beneficial properties of lilacs. As a medicine, it is better to simply dry it. And as tea, it will probably be bitter. And during fermentation, it will lose some of its beneficial properties. In general, everyone has a lot of lilacs. You can try (when we will redo everything).

Girls, did you notice that there is no fireweed in the voting ballot? First I included it in the list, and then removed it - I decided that it was not fit for him to compete. He is beyond any competition for me.

[Anna]

The leaves were tough, as if they hadn't been in the freezer.

Anna, for the first time it happened with hungarian plum leaves. They broke just for me. The next time I blew them well and everything worked out.

[Ludmila]

Could dry immediately. When did you start drying? Very interesting, what did you end up with?

Ludmila, I stood for another 9 hours at fermentation. Dried everything in Isidri. The apricot leaves are light yellowish. But cherry, plum and cherry plum look very beautiful, the leaves are dark green (of varying intensity) color with brown veins. When dried, the fruity aroma was very strong, now it is not so intense.

Each tea was brewed separately.
The apricot turned out to be light in color, sour taste with a slight bitterness.
Hungarian plum dark in color, sweet taste.
Sweet cherry - medium color, sweet, refreshing aftertaste.
Cherry plum is dark in color, the taste is bitter, like the infusion of lingonberry leaves, if anyone drank.

You can't drink a single tea separately, my tasters (husband, daughter-in-law) decided. Then I combined all the tea leaves into one and got an amazing tea, drank 3 cups each and still wanted to. The tea is rich in color, aromatic, I can't even describe the taste, but it is sooo pleasant. I think that you need to make blended teas from any fruit, because they are all different, you don't need to throw anything away.

[Alla]

When dried, the fruity aroma was very strong, now it is not so intense.

Alla, this is normal. The tea is dried and should not smell too much.

You can't drink a single tea separately, my tasters (husband, daughter-in-law) decided. Then I combined all the tea leaves into one and got an amazing tea, drank 3 cups each and still wanted to. The tea is rich in color, aromatic, I can't even describe the taste, but it is sooo pleasant. I think that you need to make blended teas from any fruit, because they are all different, you don't need to throw anything away.

Yes, I was also struck by the tea made from a mixture of plants. Apple + raspberry + a couple of handfuls of cherries. By themselves, these plants make good tea. But the joint twisting in a meat grinder and fermentation gave an incomparable tea! I also made fireweed + blackberry. The ratio is 10/1. What an amazing tea it turned out! 2 "tasty" plants joined together. As a result - awesome, not like either fireweed or black chokeberry tea! Now I will interfere with everything.
So, girls, cook "rustic", you won't regret it ...

Today I went for blackthorn and rosehip, in the end I brought 700g of blackthorn, the leaf is very rough, dry, there are almost no berries on the bushes, it has been dried for 10 hours.

There was not enough strength for the rosehip, such a sun was beating down, but it grows in the sun.
But I collected 700g of leaves, forgot the name, tell me. The leaves are oblong, similar to sea buckthorn, only the berry is gray with fluff, it looks like an olive tree. It’s already dry.

I forgot the name, tell me.

Galina should be asked this. She knows all the plants.
Not barberry? Or honeysuckle? Well, I'm still that nerd!

Found it on the internet. this is Jida, Jigida or Wild Olive, there are many useful properties.

[Alla]

Alla, we have not had this! What smell does it have?
Ahhh! I remembered! My grandmother in Kyrgyzstan had one. Delicious, by the way, berry! Only dry. It seems to make good wine from it.

I think that in our time it is necessary to wash any leaves. We have a lot of ragweed and other plants that cause allergies. And the pollen is carried by the wind over great distances and is deposited on our favorite leaves.

[Ludmila]

LudmilaThere are a lot of these trees in Kazakhstan, in Alma-Ata too. Look on the Internet, as a child, we all chewed these berries. The leaf itself does not smell. I will write how I will make tea.

Everyone decides for himself, based on his conditions. If, like Antonovka-Lena's, my mother waters everything with ash, or the road is dusty nearby, then, of course, you need to wash it ... And if, as in my village and in the neighboring forest, the leaves are clean, without dust, then there is no need for our wash away bacteria friends. Maybe there is some kind of pollen ... So during fermentation, it will change its properties. Allergy sufferers, by the way, it is very difficult to endure the drying of any tea - because of the crazy smell. And as it dries, then there is no such reaction ...