How to make Koporsky tea from fireweed. The recipe for making Koporsky Tea (Ivan-Tea). What is fermentation and why is it done

Nowadays, there are a lot of different varieties of tea, but many people prefer to drink raspberry, currant or linden tea drink prepared on their own. Especially if it is not just and fragrant, but also a very useful decoction. Herbal tea lovers will be interested to learn how to prepare Ivan tea on their own.

Ivan-chai flowers in Kukuyka

It is quite possible to prepare a decoction of fireweed, like any other herbal drink at home. A decoction of fireweed leaves appeared in our country long before the appearance of traditional tea in Russia. Koporye tea, as it was then called, was supplied to the royal court and sold to Europe, where it enjoyed well-deserved popularity. It got its name from one of the Russian villages located near St. Petersburg, Koporye.

Ivan tea benefits

Fireweed almost throughout Russia, which essentially facilitates its manufacture. The main advantage of Ivan tea is that this plant is not able to absorb substances. Among the advantages of tea is that it does not lose its useful qualities for a long time, so you can repeatedly add boiling water to it and drink it for several days.

In addition, this herbal tincture can be used for preventive and therapeutic purposes. The fireweed decoction contains an increased amount of vitamin C. In connection with this, the decoction strengthens the immune system, and it also has analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Beautiful photo of Ivan-chai in Kukuyk

Since tea acts as an enveloping agent, doctors recommend using it for gastritis, stomach ulcers, and food poisoning to treat mucous membranes.

The presence of painkillers in the composition of the decoction allows them to treat severe headaches and migraines. Since the herbal tincture acts as a sedative, it can be used for high blood pressure, nervous and anxiety-depressive states.

Due to the fact that it contains a lot of useful trace elements that help restore the body and improve its blood flow, it is recommended to drink for people involved in sports, hunters, lumberjacks, and also as a preventive measure for cancer.

Buy Ivan-tea in the online store

And the presence of essential oils in the decoction strengthens the hair.

Ivan tea preparation

Berendey. In order to prepare Berendey tea at home, you will need leaves and flowers collected in a shady place for 2-8 hours, this is necessary so that they do not dry out.

Then everything collected is placed in a cast-iron dish and sent to a heated oven at a temperature of 60 C for 10-12 hours.

Volgograd technology of Kopor tea. The basis of this technique is freezing. For this, fireweed leaves are frozen in the freezer. Then the raw material is thawed and twisted.

Ivan tea processed

Ural method of making Ivan-tea

Drying of raw materials by this technique implies natural conditions. To do this, the collected leaves are laid out in an iron dish and dried in the sun for a day at a temperature of 21-25 C.

Koporye tea according to Maidantsev technology

According to this method, the preliminary drying of the collected plants is a decrease in the moisture content of the leaves to 50-60%. After that, the raw material is crumpled and twisted, then laid out in a pan, where it is evaporated at a temperature of 55 C. until a characteristic fruity aroma appears. This procedure takes at least 6 hours. Next, the twisted leaves are cut with a ceramic knife. In the end, from one large pot of raw materials, you can get 1 liter. cans of welding.

Proper drying of Ivan tea

Koporye tea using Samusev technology

According to this technology, the leaves of willow-tea, slightly crushed by hand, must be finely chopped and put in a large deep cup, covered with oppression and kept at room temperature for a couple of days. Then the raw materials languish over low heat in a frying pan for 40 minutes, after which the heat must be increased to medium and continue to simmer, stirring constantly, until the tea is dried.

Methodology for the production of Kopor tea from the "Big Dipper"

This technology is based on the fact that the collected raw materials are transferred to polyethylene bags and sent to a special apparatus for drying, which will be carried out under the influence of sunlight. This equipment is like a container with a transparent lid. Then the prepared raw materials are poured into a bowl and kneaded exactly, just like the dough, until the juice appears. Then the tea leaves are re-dried on the grid for 2-3 days. The finished tea should be crispy.

Ivan tea in Kukuyka before fermentation

Ivan tea recipes

Koporye tea is brewed at home in the same way as a traditional tea drink. First you need to pour boiling water over a ceramic teapot for brewing tea, then pour the required amount of dry raw materials into the teapot. Welding is calculated as follows, 1 teaspoon of willow-tea leaves per 1 cup of boiling water.

Koporye tea is drunk in the same way as regular tea, however, if all the requirements were met during the preparation of raw materials and the drink was brewed correctly, then the finished broth, as a rule, has a pronounced fruity aroma and sweet aftertaste, so sugar is usually not put in herbal tea. However, if you wish, you can add quite a bit of natural honey to the tea.

However, this is the standard way to brew herbal tea, but there are family recipes for making it. In addition, there are recipes that allow you to prepare medicinal Ivan tea. Among the most common and popular, there are four completely different ways to brew a medicinal decoction of this amazingly useful plant.

• Method number 1. This method of brewing a medicinal decoction allows you to quite effectively deal with such ailments as otitis media, colds and tonsillitis.

In order to prepare medicinal tea, you will need two tablespoons of dry preparations of fireweed leaves. Next, the raw material must be poured with hot, boiled water at the rate of 2 tablespoons per 400 ml. water. The decoction is infused for 6 hours.

• Method number 2. This method of brewing medicinal tea is intended for the treatment and prevention of genitourinary diseases.

One tablespoon of dry tea leaves of fireweed is infused in 200 ml. hot boiled water for 2 hours. After the broth is infused, it must be filtered. The tincture is used in small portions of 50-60 ml.

Beautiful photo of Ivan-tea in Kukuyk

• Method number 3. This herbal tea brewing technology acts on the human body as an analgesic and sedative drug, and also helps those who suffer from insomnia.

One tablespoon of dry willow tea is steamed in 200 ml. boiling water and infused for 45 minutes. After that, the drink is filtered into a separate bowl. The decoction is taken three times a day, 1 tablespoon.

• Method number 4. This recipe improves the general condition and improves immunity.

One tablespoon of dry leaves and flowers of fireweed is steamed in 250 ml. hot, boiled water for one hour. Healing drink must be drunk four times a day, one tablespoon.

Be healthy and drink healthy and fragrant Ivan-tea.

Delicious and healthy Ivan-tea from the village of Kukuyka

And finally, we will share a video - a review of Granulated Ivan-tea from Kukuyka, which can also be purchased in the online store.

In the old days in Russia they drank Ivan-tea. Fireweed leaves served as raw material for this tea. Such tea had many names, the most famous "Koporsky". Fireweed grows throughout Russia. It can be found on any forest edge, clearing, meadow and along country roads. The collected raw materials are processed so that the leaves turn into tea leaves that can be brewed. There are many methods for harvesting Ivan tea, we will talk about cooking methods today.

Ural way of making tea

Flowers and leaves of fireweed are collected, placed in a dark place so that they wilt a little. The process takes an average of six hours. The leaves should lose some of their moisture, but not dry out. The raw material becomes softer than it was, and does not break. Then it is put into a cast-iron pot, placed in a Russian stove, warmed up in advance. There, the raw materials will languish for about 11 hours. A real Russian stove is hard to find in modern cities, so you can use an electric oven by setting the temperature to 60°C. If there is no cast-iron cookware, you can take any ceramic heat-resistant cookware or roaster.

Remove willow-tea leaves from the oven, transfer to a cast-iron skillet, simmer for another 40 minutes over low heat. This is necessary so that the raw materials go through fermentation more easily, and the tea leaves get an excellent taste, aroma and rich color.

Drying is the next step in making Ivan tea. The leaves are laid out evenly on a baking sheet and placed in the oven, setting the temperature to 90 ° C. The raw material must dry completely. It turns out dark brown.

You can get lighter tea, then the temperature in the oven should be no more than 45 ° C. If, during drying, the moisture content of vegetable raw materials is removed a little, and then held in the oven, you will get a very strong black willow-herb tea. Ivan tea made using this technology can be found on sale under the Berendey brand.

Volgograd method of making Ivan tea

You can use various recipes for making Ivan tea. In the Volgograd region, fireweed tea is prepared by freezing. Fireweed leaves after collection are placed in a freezer or a conventional refrigerator. Industrial production involves the placement of raw materials in large freezing compartments, allowing them to be stored all year round, processing as needed.

Frozen raw materials are easier to handle by hand. During thawing, the raw material is already undergoing partial fermentation. Leaves that have been in the freezer for a certain time are easier to cook, twist, and little physical effort is spent on this process.

Secrets of making Koporye tea

In the book of G. A. Maidantsev "About Ivan-Tea" the following method of making fermented tea is described.

The collected branches of fireweed are sent for pre-drying. Ivan tea should dry up to a moisture level of 50-60%. The leaves are then crumpled and rolled by hand. Raw materials are placed in a pan in dense layers. In this form, it is left for fermentation at 55°C. The process can take up to two days. It is necessary to regularly check the raw materials, sniffing the aroma. As soon as a fruity aroma appears, the process must be stopped.

The twists are taken out of the pan and cut with a ceramic knife. Do not use a metal knife, it oxidizes. According to the author of the book, the preparation of Ivan tea takes 30 hours. When using a large pot, the output is - a liter jar of ready-made Ivan tea.

Industrial production of fermented tea

Using the above methods, you can prepare Ivan tea at home, but they are not suitable for industrial production. The company, which has been producing Ivan tea for many years, has developed its own production method. The production technology includes several stages:

• Collection of leaves.
• Drying.
• Preparation for fermentation.
• Fermentation.

The collection of tea raw materials takes place throughout the summer, until fluff appears on fireweed. The pickers take only the tops; during flowering, the flowers are also collected. The main thing is that the leaves and flowers are not damaged. The collection process is labor intensive. One person can collect up to 10 kg in one hour. It is very difficult to mechanize the collection of fireweed. Leaves in bags can be stored for no more than five hours. When exposed to the sun, raw materials are stored even less. Next, the fermentation process begins, which is undesirable at this stage, the quality of the tea will deteriorate.

For drying, the leaves are laid out in a layer up to 10 centimeters in the shade. If the sun hits the leaves, the beneficial substances are destroyed. From time to time, the raw materials must be mixed. Depending on the weather, this stage takes from 12 to 48 hours. Withering serves as a kind of buffer, the stage is necessary, useful during the peak of the season, when a large amount of tea is processed.

At the third stage, the leaves are transferred to an airtight container, where they begin to ferment, but fermentation will be weak, tea from willow tea will resemble green infusion and aroma. To get a richer infusion, you need to help nature a little. There is manual preparation and mechanized.

Manual kneading. This is a labor intensive process. You need to take the leaves, knead them until the juice appears, roll the leaves between your hands. The leaves at this moment decrease in volume, turn brown. The leaves are also twisted by hand, using improvised means.

Mechanical kneading. There is special equipment, mostly made in China. Tea is rolled on special rollers, which are a spinning barrel. Leaves curl and curl.

To make granulated willowherb tea, the leaves at this stage are passed through a meat grinder to obtain leaf mince. You can use a double grate, knives or twist without them. After the meat grinder, granulated tea is obtained.

The green mass obtained in any way must be compacted. It is important to protect it from the supply of oxygen. It is better not to use metal utensils so that the raw material does not oxidize.

At the next stage, the grass turns into real Koporye tea. The juice that is released in the previous stage releases useful substances, converting them into a water-soluble form. The color, taste of the drink, its turbidity-transparency, and the speed of brewing the drink depend on how well the fermentation went.

The container with raw materials is kept for about 12 hours at room temperature. Then fermentation is carried out for six hours at a higher temperature (45°C). The raw material acquires a strong fruity aroma, brown color.

Drying of tea takes place at a temperature not exceeding 60°C. This is best done with a wood burning stove. The drink is charged with the fire element. You can use infrared heaters, but it can burn. In electric dryers, you can make tea, but the healing properties are slightly lost.

Ivan tea, prepared in any way, has exceptional benefits for the body, it is the best of teas. It has a lot of useful properties. Fireweed drink turns out tasty, fragrant, environmentally friendly.

A detailed recipe for making black tea from strawberry leaves, willow-herb, etc. is listed here in the forest drinks section.

Verzilin "In the footsteps of Robinson" is a wonderful book!
http://dekko.narod.ru/verzilin_toc.htm

Beginning in 1956, illustrations were gradually removed from the book, replacing practical drawings with entertaining ones. Gradually changed the text. The 1994 edition already lacks entire chapters of practical importance - about building a hut, about baking bread, about harvesting herbs, about making natural mattresses and blankets ...

Withering: the leaves are scattered with a layer no thicker than 5 centimeters for a day or a day, until they become lethargic, while they must be periodically stirred, not allowing the leaves of the upper layer and along the edges to dry out.
Twisting: the leaves are twisted between the palms of the hands into small spindle-shaped sausages about half the size of a sausage until they darken from the juice that comes out.

Fermentation: twisted leaves are placed in a layer of 5 centimeters in an enameled bowl or tray, covered with a wet cloth and placed in a warm place (24-27 ° C) for 6-12 hours to ripen. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation process, the end of the process is characterized by a change in the grassy smell to a rich floral-fruity one. Too high temperature and overexposure are dangerous - fireweed acquires the smell of low-grade boiled "public" tea.

Drying: fermented leaves are finely cut, spread on sieves or baking sheets covered with parchment, a layer of 1-1.5 centimeters and dried at a temperature of 100 ° C for about an hour, periodically checking readiness by touch. Well-dried tea has the color of black real tea, rich and stronger than its aroma, the tea leaves break when squeezed, but do not crumble into dust. When the bulk of the tea reaches this condition, the drying temperature is reduced, and the draft, which is moderate during the drying process, is sharply increased. If the temperature is too high and the tea is overexposed in the dryer, an admixture of the smell of "dry paper" appears in the bouquet.

Storage: like real tea, Koporye tea requires tight packaging during storage - best of all in glass jars with polyethylene lids. Commodity standard Koporye tea reaches after about a month of storage, and in the future, its properties, like real tea, improve even more. The dried flowers also make an excellent drink.

How to dry Ivan tea leaves

This primordially Russian tea is prepared from the leaves of the Ivan-tea plant (E. angustifolium), exquisite in taste, it is in no way inferior to overseas varieties. In the century before last, Russia supplied all of Europe with Ivan tea.
The English name for fireweed is narrow-leaved, or willow-tea - Fireweed - means "weed of conflagrations." On the lands devastated by fire, this plant appears first, preparing the conditions for the settlement of other plants in the future. Ivan-chai has volatile seeds and quickly populates places with disturbed vegetation; the pink blaze of Ivan-tea flowers can be seen in wastelands, in gardens and villages, in clearings, on the edges of the forest.

Ivan tea recipe from Dmitry Samusev

While still living in Belarus, I noticed the name of the plant and tried to simply dry it and brew it. Nonsense turned out: hay hay.
I've tried something different a few times. Then I learned about fermentation, but did not know what it was.
Having already arrived on my land this spring and saw the young shoots of this plant, I again wanted to unravel the secret of tea and drink a normal domestic drink. Managed. The secret is figured out.

Everything is very simple. The plant itself contains everything necessary for fermentation. These are its own juices and enzymes. If the leaf is crushed in the hands, then part of the cells will burst, the plant will release juice. Wet crumpled leaves will contain vitamins, nutrients and intracellular enzymes. These enzymes, leaving the vacuoles, begin to actively change the biochemical composition of the plant. It's like self digestion. At the same time, the leaves darken somewhat, a different, pleasant smell appears. For this fermentation process, I leave finely chopped, well-crumpled leaves in a non-metallic dish under oppression (vitamins are preserved with a decrease in contact with air and metal) for 1-2 days at room temperature. If you keep it longer, the tea will ferment like cabbage.

In agriculture, something similar happens in the ensiling of hay, when the cut grass is collected in herds and it turns sour by the forces of its own enzymes. The resulting lactic acid naturally preserves the weed. I wrote this to the fact that any medicinal wild plants can be subjected to fermentation and, on the basis of this process, an infinite number of teas can be prepared. The taste and smell of freshly dried and fermented herbs are noticeably different. You can add flower petals, dried berries, fruits to teas...

So, after fermentation, you put the leaf on a cast-iron pan and “simmer” on a very slow fire for about forty minutes. This heating to a hot state is necessary to accelerate fermentation, in which part of the insoluble non-extractable substances of plant tissue are converted into soluble and easily digestible. These are the substances that give the taste, smell and color of tea.

After forty minutes of languor, turn on the medium heat and, constantly stirring with a wooden spatula, bring the sheet to a dry state. Carefully! Don't burn it. And then the tea will be burnt.

In appearance, it is an ordinary black large-leaf tea, but with a pleasant peculiar smell. When brewed, Ivan-tea gives a good color and a pleasant smell, and when the dosage is increased, it acquires an intense color and astringency like the usual tea.

Interestingly, brewing Ivan tea does not stain tooth enamel, and in general, well-made Ivan tea is much tastier than Indian or Ceylon tea. By its properties, the Ivan-tea drink occupies, as it were, an intermediate position between black and green in terms of strength and healing properties. And if you add flowers, dried berries and fruits to this tea, then there will be no price for it!

And this is all "pasture", a gift of native nature, an environmentally friendly fortified product made with your own hands to your own delight, and to your neighbors' surprise.

So, we collect young shoots of willow-tea (flowers are also possible, but I haven’t experimented with flowers yet, I don’t know), finely chop the leaves, knead them well with our hands so that the green mass becomes slightly wet, put in a bowl under oppression for a day or two room temperature.

Then heat under the lid in a frying pan over low heat for 40 minutes. And finally, dry the mass over medium heat with constant stirring.

Ivan-chai, aka Kaporsky tea is ready! Happy tea.

If you notice a plantation of Ivan tea, in the spring, around the beginning of May, although there may be different dates in different areas, cut off the tops of young shoots, from which you will get Kapor tea of ​​the highest grade. And the docked shoots will begin to bush, and by the beginning of flowering, there will be much more leaves on the plants than usual.

Content

Having heard about the healing properties of Ivan-tea (fireweed), many begin to make their own tea leaves from it. Those who just want to join such a homemade drink and harvest grass on their own should know what Ivan tea is - how to collect and dry it, and also how to use fireweed. If you carefully follow all the rules for making such tea leaves, you can get a drink whose taste is more pleasant to many than ordinary tea.

What is Ivan tea

The plant, which is known to many as Ivan tea, has many other names: Koporsky tea, narrow-leaved fireweed, Ivanova grass. He populated the central strip of Russia. Ivan tea especially loves abandoned fields, wastelands and forest clearings. Fireweed, which was used by our ancestors for medicinal purposes, is a plant with a long stem up to one and a half meters high and narrow leaves. In summer, crimson and pink flowers bloom on Ivanova Grass.

Beneficial features

Fireweed contains in high concentration:

• titanium, copper, calcium, manganese, sodium, potassium, nickel, iron;
• vitamins B and C and ascorbic acid (more than in citrus fruits);
• tannins and bioflavonoids

The combination of high protein and caffeine content in willowherb makes the plant unique for making tonic drinks. It will be more effective even than green tea. Ivan tea is recommended in the presence of neurosis, psychological problems. There is no getting used to it. The use of fireweed has the following effects:

• elimination of the consequences of food poisoning and alcohol abuse;
• caries prevention;
• removal of toxins and toxins from the body;
• strengthening hair roots;
• prevention of prostatitis;
• helps with diseases of the kidneys and liver;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• eliminates headache;
• enhances immunity;
• relieves symptoms of epilepsy;
• treats flatulence, colitis and enterocolitis;
• eliminates inflammation of the respiratory and urinary tract;
• increases the amount of breast milk.

When to collect Ivan tea

If you want to try your own Ivan tea, you must remember how to collect and dry it. In the northern regions, fireweed blooms from mid-July, and in the south - in late June-early July. It is necessary to start collecting willow-tea during the flowering period, but before the entire flower brush blooms, because then the fluffy beans that begin to ripen will interfere. It is recommended to collect the plant in dry weather, before noon. Ivan grass roots, which are also useful for harvesting raw materials, will have to be dug out in the fall.

How to collect Ivan tea

Fireweed grows only in open spaces. Flowers of willowherb have a bright pink hue and are collected in brushes. When harvesting, either the leaves, or the top, or the whole plant are removed. In the latter case, the stem is cut 15 cm from the ground. It is important to learn how to identify Ivanova grass, so as not to be confused with other plants of the same family that are not suitable for consumption. Forest fireweed and hairy fireweed do not have healing properties. They have a purple color of flowers, and the height of plants is no more than 15 cm.

How to dry Ivan tea at home

Having finished with the routine collection, you can proceed to the next steps. Harvesting fireweed for the winter is not an easy task, but feasible. There are many instructions, drying options, so it will be difficult to make a mistake. If you do not know how to prepare Ivan tea at home, then you can use "helpers" such as an oven or an electric dryer. Harvesting willow-tea includes several stages, described below.

Drying preparation

All parts of fireweed are used for harvesting, including leaves, the top of the plant, roots and shoots. It is better to collect Ivanov grass in "clean" places, but before the drying process, it is better to rinse the collected raw materials in running water. After that, it's time to wilt. A layer of leaves is laid out on plain paper or cloth, which should be mixed regularly. After withering, willow grass leaves need to be twisted. In the next step, they are crushed. This can be done in a meat grinder or with a knife.

Fermentation

Many do not know how to prepare Ivan tea correctly, they skip fermentation, and this is an obligatory process that determines the quality of brewing. For air oxidation, the container with green mass is left overnight. The process of fermentation is similar to fermentation. At the end, the subtlest aroma of the tea leaf will appear. To complete the process of preparing fermented raw materials, place fireweed in a pan and keep at a temperature of 100 degrees for about an hour until it takes the form of granules.

Types of drying

The last part of raw material processing is drying. There are several ways to properly dry fireweed leaves:

• Normal oven drying. The fermented leaves are placed on a baking sheet on top of the parchment. During drying, it is recommended not to close the oven door tightly. Leaves should be kept at a temperature of 95 to 110 degrees for an hour.
• Russian oven. The heated oven should stand for at least an hour, after which you can lay out the herbal mass on a baking sheet, which is then placed on the coals.
• Electric dryer. The device is turned on at a temperature of about 90 degrees, the leaves are dried for at least 5 hours. It is important not to overdo it, because then the tea drink will have a taste of paper.

How to store Ivan tea

After drying after fermentation, medicinal raw materials can be stored for two years or more, subject to certain conditions. Ivan tea should be inside an airtight container, preferably glass. Before brewing fireweed, the tea leaves are allowed to lie down for at least a month. It is believed that fireweed tea becomes tastier and more aromatic the longer it is stored.

cooking secrets

Fireweed is brewed correctly like this: 3 tsp. for 150 ml of boiling water, leave for a few minutes, then pour another 300 ml of hot water into the kettle. The amount of water during brewing and tea raw materials can be changed depending on the desired degree of strength. Fireweed tea can be poured with boiling water again up to 5 times. You can make yourself a drink without boiling water. For this, 1 tbsp. l. tea mass should be poured with a liter of water and left overnight. In the morning you will receive a healing drink. You can dilute fermented fireweed leaves with flowers dried in the usual way.

Indications for use

• poisoning and intestinal dysfunction;
• disorders in the nervous system (neurosis, alcoholic psychosis, hysteria, depression);
• epilepsy;
• rehabilitation from alcohol addiction, for the relief of a hangover syndrome;
• increased psycho-emotional pressure and chronic stress;
• overwork;
• the appearance of milk teeth, inflammation of the gums;
• problems with the menstrual cycle, uterine bleeding, menopause, premenstrual syndrome;
• chemotherapy and radiation exposure (during the recovery period);
• leukemia or lymphogranulomatosis as an adsorbent;
• immunodeficiency state;
• avitaminosis;
• prostatitis and prostate adenoma.

Sidorovskaya Yulia Sergeevna

After a long oblivion, today the tribute to Koporsky tea or, as it was also called, “Russian” tea has returned again. It was he who was exported in large quantities to England and other countries. But external political and economic relations influenced the production of Koporye tea in Russia. At the beginning of the 20th century, due to a fall in demand for Koporye tea, its manufacturer (the village of Koporye) went bankrupt. The recipe for making tea has been lost. Only recipes that people used in households have come down to us. But Koporye tea is in no way worse than Ceylon, Indian, Chinese tea imported to us. A large assortment of pure and with various additives Koporye tea from many manufacturers has appeared in Severodvinsk tea shops. One of them is the Shenkursky district of the Arkhangelsk region. But the cost of Koporye tea is quite high: from 150 rubles per 50 grams, which is several times more expensive than imported teas. Therefore, we decided to explore the technology of making Koporye tea and make it ourselves.

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TECHNOLOGY OF MANUFACTURING KOPOR TEA

7 B class, MAOU "Secondary School No. 6 with

in-depth study

foreign languages"

Scientific adviser: Myakshina

Anzhelika Olegovna, biology teacher

MAOU "Secondary School No. 6 with in-depth

learning foreign languages"

Severodvinsk

2016

INTRODUCTION

After a long oblivion, today the tribute to Koporsky tea or, as it was also called, “Russian” tea has returned again. It was he who was exported in large quantities to England and other countries. But external political and economic relations influenced the production of Koporye tea in Russia. At the beginning of the 20th century, due to a fall in demand for Koporye tea, its manufacturer (the village of Koporye) went bankrupt. The recipe for making tea has been lost. Only recipes that people used in households have come down to us. But Koporye tea is no worse than Ceylon, Indian, Chinese tea imported to us.

A large assortment of pure and with various additives Koporye tea from many manufacturers has appeared in the tea shops of Severodvinsk. One of them is the Shenkursky district of the Arkhangelsk region. But the cost of Koporye tea is quite high: from 150 rubles per 50 grams, which is several times more expensive than imported teas. Therefore, we decided to explore the technology of making Koporye tea and make it ourselves.

At present, fireweed is being studied from the point of view of its use in medicine (more than one dissertation has already been written) and the manufacture of tea. One of the enthusiasts for the production and promotion of Ivan-tea in Russia is Evgeny Denshin. He annually organizes the All-Russian Ivan Tea Festival, which takes place in early June in the village of Nikolsky, Nizhny Novgorod Region. There you can try and buy Koporye tea from different manufacturers.

The theme of the research work is “Technology for the production of Koporye tea”.

The purpose of the work: to analyze the recipes for making Koporye tea and cook it yourself.

Tasks:

1. Study the literature on this issue.

2. Collect recipes for making Koporye tea.

3. Make your own Koporye tea.

Hypothesis: we assume that we will be able to make Koporye tea on our own using old recipes.

Object: Ivan tea or fireweed

Subject: technology of making Koporye tea from fireweed

Research methods:

• literature analysis,
• surveillance,
• photography,
• comparison,
• measurement,
• experiment,
• systematization and generalization of the obtained data.

Research base:

Arkhangelsk region, Pinezhsky district, Zemtsovo village

CHAPTER 1 IVAN - TEA OR FIREWASH, ITS CHARACTERISTICS

1.1 Biological features of Ivan-tea.

The fireweed family includes several types of fireweed (Appendix 1). Not all types of fireweed are presented in the table, since this is a large family. Almost all types of fireweed are used in medicine to treat many diseases. In the economic life of a person, only narrow-leaved fireweed and small-flowered fireweed are used, and only narrow-leaved fireweed is needed for making tea. (9, p.23)

Fireweed or Ivan-tea narrow-leaved (Chamenionan gustifolium) is a perennial herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Ivan-tea of ​​the fireweed family (Onagraceae).

This plant has more than 20 subspecies.

Ivan tea is a tall grass (50-200cm) with long leaves. The leaves are alternate, sessile, sometimes with very short petioles, simple, linear-lanceolate, pointed, wedge-shaped narrowed towards the base, sometimes almost rounded, 4-12 cm long, 0.7-2 cm wide, finely glandular-toothed or entire along the edge, dark green above, shiny, bluish-green below, purplish red, sometimes pale pink. (5, p. 15)

Flower with double perianth, four-membered, bisexual, 2.5-3 cm in diameter, collected in a rare apical raceme 10-45 cm long, pale pink, rarely white. Flowers open from 6 to 7 am.

At the base of the rose petals, it is easy to find drops of nectar that are removed by winged workers - up to a thousand kilograms per hectare - then turn it into fragrant light honey. According to connoisseurs, fireweed honey is the sweetest, and if honey is fresh, it is the most transparent.

Stem erect, rounded, simple, glabrous, densely leafy.

The rhizome is thick, creeping, numerous additional buds develop on vertical and horizontal roots, which contribute to rapid vegetative reproduction.

The seeds are very small with white hairs, up to 4 billion seeds are sown per hectare. They have excellent germination and vigor of germination. Ripen in August.

Ivan-chai grows on all continents in the temperate zone. On the territory of Russia, it is usually found in the coniferous forests of the European part and Siberia. Prefers well-lit places. It can be found on dry sandy places in light forests, flat banks of rivers and streams, in meadows, burnt areas, clearings, forest edges, along railway embankments and ditches, near crops, in wastelands and in vegetable gardens, and dried peat bogs. (4, p. .112)

The further north Ivan-chai grows, the more vitamin C it contains.

There are several legends about the name Ivan-chai, they all say that the plant is so named after some guy or man Ivan. In folk medicine, this plant is called fireweed.

There are other names for fireweed: dremokha, khripnyak, slumber, mother liquor, furry, plakun, creaker, skrypnik, bread box, melonnik, wild hemp or wild flax, fire grass, gorevik, fireman, flower-nanny, willow-grass, willow-grass (6, p.59).

He is called a fireman, a firefighter, a fiery grass because he is the first to come to the aid of a person in restoring nature, after various natural and artificial disasters. And a flower-nanny due to the fact that massively populating the places of fires, Ivan-tea serves as a nanny for young growth of trees. A special warmer climate is created there.

N. Verzilin in his book "In the footsteps of Robinson" calls Ivan-tea a "combine" plant because of the use of all its parts. Useful flour is made from the roots, sweetish in taste and rich in vitamins. Young shoots are used in salads, they taste like asparagus. Pillows and blankets are stuffed with fireweed fluff. Ropes were made from the stems and the fabric is much stronger than linen. (1, p. 71)

1.2. Chemical composition and use of Ivan-tea.

The composition of Ivan tea is quite useful. Young rhizomes and leaves of Ivan-tea contain from 10 to 20% of tannins. In the leaves - up to 15% of mucus, but in the roots it is not. In addition, there are a large number of plant fibers, cellulose polymers, as well as pectins, vitamin C (from 90 to 588 mg per 100 g of raw grass, which is 5-6 times more than in lemons), sugars, organic acids, pectin, flavonoids and traces alkaloids. Microelements include iron, copper, manganese, nickel, titanium, molybdenum, boron, potassium, calcium, lithium, etc. (8, p. 22)

Due to this significant composition, fireweed tea has medicinal properties. It has a beneficial effect on insomnia, headaches, normalizes bowel activity, is an astringent, anti-inflammatory, mild laxative, hemostatic, anti-poison, relieves stress. It removes poisons and toxins from the body, helps with alcohol poisoning. In addition, fireweed normalizes blood pressure, treats male diseases (potency). (2, p. 274) Recently, studies have shown positive results for the treatment of cancer.

CHAPTER 2 TECHNOLOGY OF MANUFACTURING KOPOR TEA

2.1. A brief history of the production of Koporye tea.

Fireweed tea has many names: heroic tea, fireweed tea, Russian tea. But the name is more common - Koporye tea. It got its name because of the place where it was produced. This is the village of Koporye, Petersburg province. This village became the supplier of this tea from Russia to Europe and at one time took the 1st place in export.

The first mention of Kopor tea dates back to the 12th century. Then, due to certain circumstances, tea was no longer exported and consumed. Unfortunately, the recipe for making tea has been lost. But at present, there is an active study of the properties of this plant, the collection, preparation, use of Koporye tea. In literary sources, we found 8 recipes for making Koporye tea. They are presented in Appendix 2. But the technology for the production of Koporye tea is practically the same in them.

2.2. Stages of preparation of Koporye tea.

Before you get high-quality Koporye tea, you must go through the following stages of this process (Appendix 3):

1. Collection of leaves and flowers.

Ivan tea must be collected during the flowering period, which approximately begins at the end of June and lasts until autumn. It is important to collect the grass at the moment when the flower brush has not yet fully blossomed.

Connoisseurs advise cutting off the tops of young shoots in early May - June - from them it will be possible to make tea of ​​the highest quality. (8, p. 44)

If you collect closer to autumn, when seed pods with fluff are already beginning to form on the lower branches, they should by no means be included in the collection.

Collection is best done in the morning, after about 10 hours. If the weather is very hot, then it is better to postpone the collection, because until you collect the right amount, the leaves in the basket will simply deteriorate. And one more important circumstance: you should carefully monitor that not a single insect gets into the raw materials - this can ruin the entire collection. (9, p. 22)

It is more expedient to collect leaves and flowers separately, since they cannot be dried together.

2. Withering of the leaves.

The leaves are scattered with a layer no thicker than 5 cm for a day or a day until they become lethargic, while it is necessary to stir periodically, not allowing the leaves of the upper layer and along the edges to dry out. This is necessary in order to make it easier to isolate the intercellular sap from the plant at the next stage. Some recipes indicate that the leaves must be withered for 2-4 hours in the sun.

Withering is more needed for the manual processing of Ivan tea, so that the leaf becomes soft. In order for the sheet not to lose much moisture, sometimes it is necessary to cover it with a wet cloth so that the raw material is wet.

But, if you prepare granulated Koporye tea, then you can skip this stage and go straight to processing. (8, p. 47)

3. Leaf processing.

Leaf processing can be manual or mechanical. The main task of this stage is the preparation of Ivan-tea leaves for fermentation, that is, the leaves must give juice. Processing depends on what kind of tea we want to get: leaf or granular. Manual processing is suitable for making loose leaf tea.

The leaves are twisted between the palms of the hands into small spindle-shaped sausages until they darken from the juice that has come out. Alternatively, you can roll with a wooden rolling pin on a wooden surface.

If you are preparing granulated tea, then you can use a manual or electric meat grinder with large holes.

4. Fermentation - the process of fermentation. It consists of air oxidation and roasting. Oxidation triggers fermentation processes in a crumpled, gradually leaking juice leaf, the “culprits” of the fermentation process are anaerobic bacteria. Roasting (drying) stops (kills) them. The less time elapses between starting the fermentation processes and stopping them, the less fermented the tea will be considered. During this period, you can add other leaves, as well as berries. Regarding fermentation, there is no unequivocal opinion. Some believe that fermentation should be carried out at room temperature, others - at a temperature of 30 degrees.

Twisted leaves are placed in a layer of 5 cm in an enameled bowl or tray, covered with a wet cloth and placed in a warm place (24-27 C) for 6-12 hours to ripen. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation process, the end of the process is characterized by a change in the grassy smell to a rich floral-fruity one. Too high temperature and overexposure are dangerous - fireweed acquires the smell of low-grade boiled tea.

5. Drying.

Fireweed can be dried in the sun on trellised pallets, in ordinary dryers, in baking sheets, in an electric oven, in a Russian stove, on a dryer rug. Ivan tea is recommended to be dried at temperatures up to 55 degrees. At the same time, the maximum amount of useful microelements and vitamins is preserved.

The fermented leaves are finely cut, spread on sieves or baking sheets covered with parchment, a layer of 1-1.5 cm and dried, periodically checking readiness to the touch. Well-dried tea has the color of black real tea, rich and stronger than it, the tea leaves break when squeezed, but do not crumble into dust. When the bulk of the tea reaches this condition, the drying temperature is reduced, and the draft, which is moderate during the drying process, is sharply increased. If the temperature is too high and the tea is overexposed in the dryer, an admixture of the smell of “dry paper” appears in the bouquet. (8, p. 61)

6. Storage.

Like real tea, Koporye tea requires tight packaging during storage - best of all in glass jars with polyethylene lids or in ceramic dishes. Commodity standard Koporye tea reaches after about a month of storage, and in the future, its properties, like real tea, improve even more. The dried flowers also make an excellent drink. Storage of Ivan tea should not exceed 2 years. (4, p. 116)

CHAPTER 3 PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING KOPOR TEA

Having studied the theoretical material, in the summer of 2016 we set out to make Koporye tea on our own.

To make tea, we needed: paper, glassware, scales, an electric meat grinder, an oven, gauze, household drying for vegetables and fruits, containers for storing tea.

Place of collection of raw materials: Ivan - tea was collected in the Pinezhsky district, the village of Zemtsovo, on a former collective farm field. It is located along the Pokshenga River. This is an ecologically clean place, because. The only way to get there is by boat or on foot. Over time, the field was abandoned and, as it should, Ivan-chai appeared there first. Now there are huge thickets of willow-herb and growing birch and pine trees (Appendix 4).

The first collection was held on June 12, 2016. Ivan-tea was still not very big (15-25cm). The leaves are tender, soft, light green in color. There were practically flower stalks. It is noteworthy that under the trees the leaves were more juicy, green, without red burns from the sun. And the fireweed leaves, which were in the center of the meadow under direct sunlight, were tougher, had a darker color and reddish tips. The leaves were placed in a small plastic basket (Appendix 4).

By cutting off the tops of the plant, we contribute to greater bushiness of Ivan-tea. Subsequently, more leaves can be collected from this plant.

It is believed that the highest quality tea is obtained from the top leaves.

It was decided to make tea according to a recipe that is more common in the literature.

The leaves were laid out in the attic of the house for a day on paper for drying. During this period, the leaves were turned three times. Then the leaves were twisted in a meat grinder and placed in a glass pan for fermentation. Fermentation was carried out for 18 hours. Tea from the top leaves was dried on a baking sheet in an open oven at 100°C for about 2 hours, constantly stirring the tea with a wooden spatula (Appendix 4).

The second collection was held on July 9, 2016. At this time, Ivan-tea had already begun to bloom. It was decided to prepare 2 types of tea from the collected leaves - leaf and granulated.

Withering was carried out by the total mass, and then 200 grams of withered leaves were measured for each type of tea.

Granular tea was made in the same way as tea from the top leaves. In the manufacture of leaf tea, dried leaves were twisted into sausages with the palms of the hands and placed in glassware. This method allows you to make loose leaf tea. If it is necessary to prepare medium-leaf or small-leaf tea, then it is necessary to grind the resulting sausages (but not with a metal knife).

Fermentation of both types of tea was carried out at room temperature (25°C) for 24 hours. But both types of tea were dried not in an oven, but on a special household dryer for vegetables and fruits (Appendix 4). The drying temperature in it is 50-55 ° C, which allows you to save more useful substances in tea.

The weight of dried leaves for both types of tea was 200 grams, and the mass of tea was: granulated - 25 grams, leaf - 26 grams. We can conclude that to prepare 1 kilogram of Koporye tea, 4 kilograms of withered leaves are required.

Preparation of granulated Koporye tea is a less costly process in terms of time and physical costs. But it requires a good meat grinder. And if you plan to make a large amount of tea, then it is better to make granular.

For storage, Koporye tea was placed in glass jars with metal lids. Separately dried flowers of Ivan-tea were added to the jars.

To check the quality of tea, all these 3 types were brewed in glass cups. 1 teaspoon of Koporye tea was placed in each cup and poured with boiling water. After 10 minutes (Appendix 4) it was observed that the most fragrant and dark black tea was the tea from the top leaves. The granulated tea was less dark, and the leaf tea is more related to green teas and has a leaf smell.

It can be concluded that the longer the fermentation takes place and the higher the drying temperature, the richer the tea turns out.

CONCLUSION

Exploring the theoretical material, we determined that from the collection of leaves to the tea drinking of Koporye tea, 7 stages should go through: the collection of leaves, their withering, processing, fermentation, drying and storage of tea.

Based on the knowledge gained, it was decided to make 3 types of tea: the first - from the upper leaves, the second - granulated, the third - leaf (large-leaf).

Granulated tea is the least expensive both in terms of time and the need to use physical force. But for its manufacture, you must have a good meat grinder with large cells. In the manufacture of granulated Koporye tea, the withering stage can be skipped, and the fermentation of raw materials passed through a meat grinder is much faster. Due to this, the amount of time for making tea is reduced.

On average, the total amount of time for making a batch of Koporye tea is 3-4 days. The time depends on how quickly the raw materials are fermented and on how it is customary to dry the tea. Our ancestors used to dry in Russian ovens. Now special dryers have been invented, in which the heating temperature is 50-55 ° C, which allows you to save everything useful (mucus, vitamin C, trace elements) given to us by nature.

Thus, the goal and objectives of our work can be considered achieved. The hypothesis of our study was confirmed. Knowing the technology of making tea, making it is quite simple. The main thing is to have a desire and prepare raw materials.

The next stage of our work will be the production of Koporye tea according to various recipes, which differ in the duration of each stage and the method of drying the fermented raw materials, as well as their comparison.

Next summer, we will continue to work on the production of Koporye tea, but with various additives: milk (oolong), oregano, leaves and fruits of wild strawberries, black currants, and raspberries.

Our study is of practical importance, because by making tea at home, you can be sure of the environmental friendliness of raw materials and save the family budget. And if you increase production volumes, you can organize your own business.

REFERENCES

1. Verzilin N. In the footsteps of Robinson. - Leningrad, 1956. - 290 p.
2. Ivanov Yu. G. Encyclopedia of tea. - Smolensk: Rusits, 2001. - 642 p.
3. Kavina T. A. When there is no tea in the store. - St. Petersburg: Chemistry, 1993. - 48 p.
4. Konstantinov Y. Yarrow, fireweed. Natural medicines. - M .: CJSC Publishing House Center - Polygraph, 2014. - 158 p.
5. Korsunov V. Russian Ivan tea. In the world of plants, 2014, No. 7, 14-19.
6. Korsunov V. F., Viktorov V. K. Unique medicinal properties of weeds.– M.: Publishing house Tsentropoligraf, 2015.– 270 p.
7. Lavrenova G. V. Treatment with tea. - St. Petersburg: Publishing House "Neva"., 1999 - 144 p.
8. Maydantsev G. A. Old Russian Ivan tea. Collection, fermentation, drying, healing properties. - M .: Publishing house Pero, 2014. - 84 p.
9. Neumyvakin I.P. Ivan tea. Myths and Reality. - St. Petersburg: Dilya Publishing House, 2015. - 160 p.
10. Pastushenkov L. V., Pastushenkov A. L., Pastushenkov V. L. Medicinal plants: Uses in folk medicine and everyday life.– L.: Lenizdat, 1990.– 384 p.
11. Poskrebysheva G. I. Juices, kvass and vitamin teas.– M.: OLMA PRESS, 2000.– 32 p.
12. Stogova N. Tea against 100 diseases. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2006. - 96 p.

Attachment 1

Fireweed classification

Annex 2

Recipes for making Koporye tea

Recipe 1. Detailed. (4, p.148).

The leaves are scattered with a layer no thicker than 5 cm for a day or a day, until they become lethargic, while it is necessary to stir periodically, not allowing the leaves of the upper layer and along the edges to dry out.

Then the leaves are twisted between the palms of the hands into small spindle-shaped sausages until they darken from the juice that has come out.

Twisted leaves are placed in a layer of 5 cm in an enameled bowl or tray, covered with a warm cloth and placed in a warm place (24-27 ° C) for 6-12 hours to ripen. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation process, the end of the process is characterized by a change in the grassy smell to a rich floral-fruity one. Too high temperature and overexposure are dangerous - fireweed acquires the smell of low-grade boiled tea.

The fermented leaves are finely cut, spread on sieves or baking sheets covered with parchment, a layer of 1-1.5 cm and dried at a temperature of 100 ° C for about an hour, periodically checking readiness by touch. Well-dried tea has the color of black real tea, rich and stronger than its aroma, the tea leaves break when squeezed, but do not crumble into dust. When the bulk of the tea reaches this condition, the drying temperature is reduced, and the draft, which is moderate during the drying process, is sharply increased. If the temperature is too high and the tea is overexposed in the dryer, an admixture of the smell of “dry paper” appears in the bouquet.

Ready Koporye tea requires tight packaging during storage - best of all in glass jars with polyethylene lids. Commodity standard Koporye tea reaches after about a month of storage, and in the future, its properties, like real tea, improve even more. The dried flowers also make an excellent drink.

Recipe 2. (4, p.149)

Mash the leaves in your hands, finely chop and put in a non-metallic dish under oppression for 1-2 days at room temperature. It is necessary to reduce contact with air and metal to preserve the vitamin.

After fermentation, the leaf is laid out in a cast-iron frying pan and “languishes” for about 40 minutes on a very slow fire. This heating to a hot state is necessary to accelerate fermentation, in which part of the insoluble, non-extractable substances of the plant tissue turn into soluble and easily digestible. These are the substances that give the taste, smell and color of tea.

After 40 minutes of languor, turn on the medium heat and, constantly stirring with a wooden spatula, bring the sheet to a dry state. The leaf should look like a regular black large-leaf tea, but with a pleasant peculiar smell.

Recipe 3. (9, p.35)

Dry the collected leaves and flowers a little in the shade, away from direct sunlight. Then knead them, grind them in the palms and place them very tightly in a three-liter jar. Cover with a damp cloth and place in a dark place at room temperature (up to 20°C), leaving for 36 hours. It is believed that during this time the fermentation process should be completed. After the specified time, remove the mixture from the jar, loosen it, spread it on baking sheets, and dry at a temperature of 95-110 ° C in an electric or gas oven. During the drying process, the mixture must be periodically loosened or turned over in a dense layer. Gradually, tea begins to acquire the desired color - from light brown to almost black. The drying time of loose tea depends on the moisture content of the herb at the time of collection and is determined visually. But the readiness of the tile is determined by the mass. The mass ratio of raw and dry tea should be 5:1.

Ready tea should be placed in glass or plastic jars with a tight-fitting lid and stored in a dry, dark place. Shelf life 3 years.

Recipe 4. (9, p.36)

On a moistened linen fabric, the size of which depends on the amount of raw materials, the collected willow-tea leaf is laid out in a layer no more than 3 cm thick. Then the fabric on one side begins to be wrapped in the form of a roll, twisting as tightly as possible. The fabric must be hydrated. You can do this with a regular spray bottle. If the fabric is not moistened, then it will absorb some of the juice from the leaves. When the entire piece of fabric is folded, it must also be pulled together with a rope or rubber band and kneaded properly with your hands, bending and unfolding the twist in different directions for 20-30 minutes. In this way, the cellular structure (vacuoles) of the leaves is destroyed, and all raw materials are saturated with juice. After kneading, the roll should be left alone for 2-3 hours for the initial fermentation, while periodically checking the temperature of the roll with the palm of your hand. With a noticeable heating (approximately 37-38 ° C), the initial fermentation ends. The twist is unrolled. The resulting mass has a delicate fruity smell, like a fermented pear compote.

The mass is tightly placed in a glass jar or plastic bucket and closed to complete the fermentation for 36-40 hours at room temperature.

If the young tops of plants collected in May are processed, structural changes begin already during compaction in the container - when pressed, you can hear a characteristic crispy sound.

On the lid of the container, it is better to mark the date and time of the bookmark and the date and time of the end of the process.

A more refined taste of tea will be obtained if the fermentation is carried out in a cool place and for a longer time.

If raw materials of late harvest (July-August) are processed, then additional fermentation is required. To do this, the raw material is removed from the container and carefully rubbed again with hands until the juice comes out. This process can be facilitated if the mass is passed through a meat grinder, after removing the knives, but the medicinal properties and taste with this method of processing will be much lower.

When the mass is frayed, it is collected in a pile and left at room temperature for 6-8 hours, covered with a damp cloth. When, when pressed, the mass begins to resemble soft rubber, it is sent to the oven, spread out on baking sheets. The drying temperature is 60-80°C, but the temperature must be increased before drying is completed. Such "calcination" improves the taste, the tea will be fragrant and beautiful. During the drying process, the mass must be periodically mixed. Red bricks or facing ceramic tiles can be placed under the baking sheet - such a device creates the effect of a Russian oven in the oven, distributes the temperature, the tea will dry evenly, and not roast. Drying tea takes about 1.5-2 hours. For a day you can get 300-400 g of the finished product. The mixture, dried in tiles, must be wrapped in thick paper; such tea can be stored, as experts say, for decades. Loose tea is placed in jars with tight-fitting lids, shelf life is 3 years.

Recipe 5. (9, p.38)

Divide all raw materials (plant tops and leaves) into 2 parts. Squeeze juice out of one using a press juicer, there will be very little of it. Place the second part of the raw material in a ceramic-metal pan, pour the juice there. Press down the mass with oppression - a wooden circle on which a load of at least 20 kg is placed. For this purpose, you can use a two-pound weight, wrapping it first in polyethylene to prevent contact of the juice with the metal. Fermentation takes place within 72 hours, drying is carried out at a temperature of 90°C.

Recipe 6. (5, p.16)

Dried leaves and flowers should be put in earthenware or enameled dishes, crushed tightly to the very top. Close the dish with a heavy lid, you can even turn it upside down, and put it in a heated oven or Russian oven for 5-6 hours. Then take the leaves out of the bowl. They should have a brownish color and a peculiar smell. Spread the raw materials on a table covered with a clean tablecloth or just a cloth. Roll the leaves between the palms in the form of tubes until the juice is released. Then cut the raw material with a stainless steel knife and dry it in the oven or on a Russian stove at a temperature of 80-100 ° C for 2-3 hours.

Recipe 7. (3, p.21)

Leaves of fireweed for a day are laid out on paper or on fabric for drying. After that, they are put in a wooden box, covered with a wet rag and left for 9-12 hours, during which the process of their fermentation takes place. After that, the leaves are again laid out in a thin layer and dried in a non-hot oven (with the door open or in the cooling oven mode, if there is a Russian oven) or in the attic, it is sunny, and there is no rain in the evening and at night. The leaves are then crushed and stored in the same way as tea.

Recipe 8. (3, p.22)

Leaves of willow-tea are scattered with a layer no thicker than 5 cm and left in the shade for 8-10 hours or overnight for drying. Then they are twisted between the palms into small spindle-shaped sausages the size of a finger and rolled with pressure on a hard surface (board, kitchen table) until moisture appears. Twisted leaves are placed in a layer of 5-7 cm in an enameled bowl or basin, covered with a wet cloth and placed in a warm place (24-27 ° C) for 6-12 hours. During this time, the leaves should darken, their smell becomes rich floral-fruity (however, care must be taken to prevent mold from appearing). The degree of fermentation determines the quality of the future tea, both underexposure and overexposure are harmful. The optimal mode is determined empirically. The darkened sausages are finely cut across with a sharp knife, spread on parchment-lined baking sheets and dried for about an hour at 100 ° C, and then dried at 60-70 ° C, checking readiness to the touch: when squeezing, dry leaves should break, but not crumble into dust.

Appendix 3

Stages of making Koporye tea