Ivan-tea: preparing fermented tea by freezing

What are the benefits of Ivan tea?

Fireweed is a very useful herb. Since ancient times, healers have used it to treat insomnia, headaches, and indigestion. Koporye tea, made from fermented fireweed leaves, is simply a storehouse of vitamins and microelements that can have a positive effect on almost all vital human organs.

Watch a video about the benefits of Koporye tea from the channel “Antonio Nemcd” - Benefits of Ivan-tea tea

Preparing fireweed for fermentation

The herbs are collected in dry sunny weather, preferably during the waxing moon. Flowers and leaves are collected separately from each other, since only the green mass of the plant is fermented, and the inflorescences are simply dried and added to the finished dry tea.

The fireweed is sorted out, removing leaves that have become darkened and damaged by insects. It is not recommended to wash greens, as beneficial pollen from other plants accumulates on the foliage, which will also have a positive effect on the benefits of tea.

After harvesting, Ivan tea needs to be dried.This can be done in three ways:

1. On a flat surface. The sheet mass is spread in an even layer on a piece of fabric or paper and left for about a day. The main condition is that the grass should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
2. In the bank. The greens are tightly packed into jars of a suitable size, closed with a lid and left for a day away from sunlight.
3. In the freezer. Let's talk about this method in more detail.

How to freeze Ivan tea

The sorted leaves are placed in small bags that are tightly packed. In this form, the fireweed goes into the freezer for about 12 hours. If there is no opportunity to prepare tea after a set time, then the process of further processing of the leaf mass can be postponed to a later date.

Under the influence of cold, ice crystals form from the juice of the plant, which destroy the structure of Ivan tea. After defrosting, such green mass will be much easier to prepare for the fermentation process.

The frozen leaves are removed from the bags and laid out in a layer of several centimeters on a flat surface covered with a towel. After 30-40 minutes you can start curling the foliage.

Fermentation of Ivan tea

In order for fireweed leaves to change their herbal aroma to fruity, and also enhance their beneficial properties, they must be fermented.

What is fermentation? In essence, this is ordinary fermentation, which occurs under the action of enzymes secreted by the plant itself.

To crush the leaves until the juice forms, you need to apply some physical effort. This can be done in several ways:

• Manually.The leaves are “kneaded” like dough until the mass changes its color to a darker color and a sufficient amount of juice is released. After the freezer, this will not be very difficult to do, since the leaf membranes are already significantly damaged by the effects of cold. As a result of this processing, large-leaf tea will be obtained.

• Roll leaves between palms. 10-15 fireweed leaves are rolled into the sausage until juice forms. After fermentation, the sausages are cut with a knife to achieve the size of small-leaf tea.

• Through a meat grinder. Thawed leaves are crushed using a manual or electric meat grinder, achieving their granular appearance.

Freezing Ivan tea greatly facilitates the formation of juice, which is so necessary for the quality of the fermentation process.

The prepared greens are placed in an enamel or plastic container, covered with a damp towel and kept at room temperature for 2 to 8 hours.

For fermentation to be successful, you need to know the basic rules of this process:

• the greater the mass, the faster the fermentation process takes place;
• the room temperature should be +22…+24°C;
• When the ambient temperature is below +15°C, the fermentation process stops.

After Ivan tea smells of a bright floral or fruity aroma, it is placed on baking sheets in an oven or electric dryer. Koporye tea is dried at a temperature of +60…+70°C.

Watch the video from the Home Channel - How to prepare Ivan tea at home using freezing. The simplest and most delicious recipe!!!