The term "fermentation" has been heard very often in recent years, especially in relation to Ivan tea (fireweed). What is it and why is it needed.
Fermentation is the process of fermentation under the influence of enzymes contained in the processed product itself. Since we are talking about plant fermentation, we are talking about a technology in which the leaf of the plant itself is destroyed, the juice is released, oxidized and the fermentation process begins. Subsequent frying of raw materials stops the process.
Take for example the well-known tea. Roughly speaking, from the same bush you can get green tea and red tea. The difference will be only in preparation - for dark tea, the fermentation process will be much longer. The most famous, really called black tea is Pu Er. Incredibly useful physically and energetically, expensive and highly valued. Has a peculiar smell. The process of making classic pu-erh tea can take up to ten years or more. The older the tea, the tastier.
By the way, what is true for our fireweed - Ivan-tea. Its taste only improves with time. And after its manufacture, tea masters recommend at least a month of aging in a glass jar or paper bags.
Why ferment herbs at all? But the thing is that if you take the same fireweed, dry it and brew it, it will be completely, absolutely tasteless. While rubbing it in your hand, you will clearly feel a strong aroma. Fermentation will release the smell without disturbing useful properties herbs, making the drink fragrant and persistent.
What herbs can be fermented. Here, apparently, the list can be very large, so I will list those fermented teas of their herbs that I drank or made.
Blooming Sally- the traditional first place. Considered an ideal substitute Chinese tea, has no contraindications, however, the plant is sedative, therefore, with a low tone, you need to carefully monitor the condition.
black currant leaves- during fermentation, they retain a wonderful smell!
cherry leaves- very tasty!
apple tree leaves- I really like! Subtle aroma.
walnut leaves- also a peculiar taste, fragrant!
raspberry leaves- delicious, no worse than Ivan-tea, as many say.
blackberry leaves- I like it very much. Even with light fermentation, blackberries retain their aroma. I make herbal teas based on blackberry leaves (both fermented and non-fermented).
There is a plant badan, I have not yet managed to get it, it is very useful, this time. And second, it ferments itself. And in winter you can dig it out from the snow and drink tea. That is, its leaves do not die off and do not rot, namely, they are fermented. In order not to dig out from the snow, just collect in the fall.
How to carry out fermentation at home. There are several options. The basic principle is that we need 
destroy the cellular structure of the leaf in order for the juice to go. You can grind in the palms (but this is only for a small volume, if you take 5-10 kilograms of palms, it is clearly not enough)).
I do the following. I take the desired leaves, put in a large plastic bag and sunbathe a bit. You need to let the air out of the bag, tie it up and leave it to dry for several hours. The smell is breathtaking! Periodically I come up and press the package. If a lot is collected and far from home, it is quite possible that the leaves themselves will begin to dry.
We somehow collected a bag of 10 kg of Ivan-tea and put it in the car, went to bed, they began to sweat so much, these leaves, that the humidity was crazy in the car.
Then these leaves must be rubbed in any way. In the hands or put in a bucket and "erasing" them until the juice is released. The more juice that stands out, the stronger the oxidation and fermentation will be. There is such a way - put the leaves in the freezer, then thaw them - the sheet will be destroyed, wrinkled in your hands and dried. I haven't tried this method.
I just twist it in a meat grinder and lay it out in a thin layer to dry. Then I dry it in the oven.
Or immediately into the oven, if the room is damp, the tea may become moldy.
The temperature in the oven should be low, about 50 degrees (depending on the oven), the door must be opened so that the tea does not burn. It takes several hours to roast tea.
If the plant is dry, like a blackberry, you can sprinkle with water and crush the leaves right in the bag.
After I tried fermented willowherb tea and felt the huge difference that separates fermented from non-fermented herbs, I had a great desire to try fermenting other herbs that we collect for tea. By the way, you can read about which herbs for tea we love the most and why. And the first one we decided to subject to the fermentation process was raspberries :) Therefore, today we will tell you in great detail how raspberries are fermented at home and clearly compare tea from fresh raspberry leaves and from fermented ones. Go…
What fermentation means for the future tea drink and about which herbs are best to ferment, and which ones it is better not to approach at all with this process, I already wrote.
Collection and preparation of raspberry leaves:
1. The first thing with which the fermentation of raspberries and any other herb begins is the collection of material. I think it would not be superfluous to recall that all herbs must be collected outside the city, in an ecologically clean place!
If possible, then collect raspberry leaves located closer to the top of the bush - they are the most tender and will be best fermented.
I will ferment raspberries using the freezing method, which I talked about in the article "" This is the most convenient choice for raspberries, because. for traditional way with leaf twisting in hands, raspberry leaves are too prickly:
2. The ideal option will be if you remove the stalks from the leaves.
3. After that, the leaves are ready for fermentation, they need to be folded into a bag and put in the freezer. It is not necessary to keep it in the freezer for a long time, 12 hours is enough.
After that, we take the raspberry leaves out of the freezer and let them thaw.
It must be said right away that after the raspberry leaves are thawed, they do not darken as much as, for example, willow-tea leaves. This is due to the fact that raspberry leaves are very thin, dry and sinewy, so there is not much juice in them.
1. That is why, before putting the raspberry leaves into a cup, where the further fermentation of the raspberries will take place, I thoroughly crushed the leaves in my hands. The spines on the leaves after freezing are not felt at all. After that, we put the prepared leaves in a glass or enameled container. I do not recommend using plastic dishes for these purposes.
2. Then we tighten the film on top and put it in a dark place where it is constantly warm.
Depending on how long the raspberry fermentation will take, you will get tea different fortresses. We wrote about how much grass needs to be fermented to get tea of weak, medium and strong fermentation here. I fermented for 3 days, so I got a medium fermented tea. It should also be noted that during these 3 days I took out a plate with leaves several times, opened it and crushed the leaves so that there was more juice ...
When I ferment herbs, I like to cover them with a film - so the moisture that forms during the fermentation process does not evaporate, but remains inside the container with the leaves, which eliminates the need for constant wetting of the leaves so that they do not dry out. Another advantage of covering with a film is that it is clearly visible from the condensate on the film that the fermentation process is in progress.
After 3 days of raspberry fermentation, it's time for the next stage - drying. We take out the leaves from the cup, now they have become much darker.
Drying future tea:
I use a dehydrator to dry herbs. You can read an overview of my dehydrator here - "". Very comfortable, so I recommend it to everyone. I really like the latest generation dryers from Tefal - their plastic is very dense and does not crack, like cheap Chinese ones, there is a special ventilation mode that allows you to dry raw materials without heating - this is important for maximum preservation of useful substances.
1. So, lay out the leaves in an even layer on the grid and set the temperature to no higher than 40 degrees.
For the experiment (which one you will find out a little later), I put fresh raspberry leaves to dry in another tray.
I have already said that raspberry leaves are very dry, so they dry quickly. My whole drying took 6-7 hours.
Now that the fermentation of the raspberries is complete, it's time to visualize how fermented tea differs from unfermented tea. To do this, take 2 identical glasses and brew fermented raspberries in one, and just dried raspberry leaves in the other.
We leave our tea to infuse for 15-20 minutes and then filter it.
I think everyone sees the difference - just dried leaves on the right, fermented leaves on the left.
The smell of fermented raspberry tea is very delicate, the aroma of raspberries is clearly felt. The taste is rich, several times stronger than usual herbal tea, although also somewhat herbaceous.
I hope the article was useful for you! If yes, then share it on social networks by clicking on the icon of the desired social network immediately below the article. Thanks and see you soon ;)
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From fresh currant leaves, a very fragrant and healthy tea. But what about in winter, when you can’t find them in this form? Many lovers dry the leaves, but tea from them does not give such an aroma and taste. In this case, currant leaves can be fermented for tea. Such fermentation of raw materials will give the drink a rich color, a pronounced smell and taste. In our article, we will tell you how to ferment currant leaves at home, in what ways to do it.
Concept of fermentation
If the insoluble tissues of the leaf are converted into soluble tissues so that they are easily absorbed, then this process is called fermentation. This is a rather laborious work, during which it is necessary to destroy the structure of the leaves before the juice is released. Fermentation is a kind of fermentation of raw material, which determines the type of tea obtained, its taste and useful qualities. Do you want to learn how to make tea from garden leaves, like in a store? We will give you tips on how to ferment currant leaves correctly, step by step.
There are many bacteria on the surface of the blackcurrant leaf and in the air that promote fermentation. It turns out quite a complex chemical process. Briefly describe fermentation, it looks like this:
- leaf cells are destroyed;
- juice is released;
- under the influence of temperature, fermentation begins;
- the leaves are fermented in their own juice;
- the raw material darkens and acquires aroma.
Some tea lovers are wondering if currant leaves can be fermented? Yes, this plant - like apple, cherry, raspberry, pear, strawberry - is an excellent raw material for making tea. The fact is that in the leaves of black currant there are tannins (tannins) that give the tea a taste. Especially a lot of tannin in young leaves. Coarse raw material loses its supply of tannins. The process of making fermented tea consists of several stages, which we propose to get acquainted with. After this information, you will no longer have a question about whether currant leaves are fermented.
collection time
Blackcurrant bushes remain green until autumn, but this does not mean that you can collect raw materials for tea from them at any time. It is important to choose the right time for harvesting. The most optimal time for collection is the time of flowering currants. In plants then focuses the largest number vitamins and microelements. The flowering of this garden culture begins at the end of May. As soon as the flowers appeared on the branches - harvest the leaves!
It is important to know what time of day is best to pick the leaves. It is better to get to work in the morning, from 10 to 12 o'clock. At this time, there is no longer dew on the plant, and the sun's rays are not yet baked. It is advisable to harvest in dry weather. Excessive moisture does not contribute to proper fermentation, mold may appear.
People who follow astrology try to prepare raw materials for tea in the cycle of the moon. It is the growing moon that is the best time for harvesting tea raw materials. Whole leaves are cut off, without pests and signs of disease. The most suitable upper young shoots. Bushes in the shade are selected for collection. On them, the leaves are juicier, which contributes to better fermentation. It is not necessary to wash the raw materials so as not to eliminate the bacteria that are so necessary for the fermentation process. If you really need to clean the leaves of dirt, then they are dried.
The second period of collecting raw materials is the fruiting of currants. At this time, a sufficient amount of useful substances has been accumulated in the plant.
Withering process
How to make fermented tea from currant leaves? This process begins with wilting. It is simply necessary for further successful processing of raw materials. The withering stage removes excess moisture in the leaves, which interferes with high-quality fermentation. Withering helps to preserve the taste and smell of the plant, the accumulated essential oils, aromatic substances.
First, the prepared raw materials are laid out on a cotton or linen fabric in an even layer no more than 5 cm high. Do not use synthetic materials for the substrate, because the raw materials will absorb all harmful substances from them. Periodically harvested material is stirred so that it withers evenly. The leaves should not dry out, they should wither, so do not put them in a sunny and windy place. The drying procedure lasts 12 hours. In dry weather, everything happens faster than in rainy weather.
Qualitatively withered leaves curl well and give the rest of the moisture in the raw material should be up to 65%. After 12 hours, the readiness check for the next stage of processing begins. If the central vein does not crackle when you press on the sheet, then the drying was successful, if you heard a crunch, then continue this process for another couple of hours. There is another way to check - a strong compression of a handful of raw materials in a fist. If the lump does not fall apart, then the leaves have withered.
Preparation for fermentation
We continue to figure out how to ferment currant leaves for tea. After drying, the juice is extracted from the leaves. It is in the juice that tannins are present, which are responsible for fermentation. An insufficient amount of juice affects the taste and aroma of tea. There are three ways to destroy the structure of the leaves. Get to know them:
Fermentation of raw materials
The taste, smell and benefits of tea depend on this stage. For this you need right conditions: the amount of raw material, temperature and moisture. Destroyed by one of the above methods, currant leaves are laid in a layer of no more than 10 cm in plastic or enameled dishes. The more raw materials are prepared, the better the fermentation will take place. The leaves scrolled in a meat grinder are lightly pressed by hand.
Mixed or rolled leaves are put under oppression. The dishes are covered with a damp cloth made of cotton or linen and placed in heat for fermentation. From time to time check the moisture of the napkin. If necessary, moisten it again. In a dry room, the dishes are also covered with a lid. The exact fermentation time cannot be determined. The temperature should not be too high and too low, the best option is 22-25°C. At temperatures below 15°C, the fermentation process stops. Fermentation takes about 8 hours. The signal for the end of this procedure is the strong smell of the plant. It is at this point that fermentation must be completed.
Drying and storing tea
You have already learned how to ferment blackcurrant leaves, now let's talk about drying them. Twisted or crumpled leaves after fermentation are cut into pieces up to 0.5 cm. This will be leaf tea. The fermented raw materials are laid out on baking sheets with a thin layer (up to 1 cm), gently loosened. The oven is heated to a temperature of 100 ° C, baking sheets are inserted into it and left with the door ajar for an hour and a half. Then the temperature is reduced by half and, with constant stirring, brought to dryness.
How to check the readiness of tea leaves? If they break when pressed, the tea is ready. The baking sheets are taken out of the oven, allowed to cool and poured into linen or cotton bags. In them, tea is sent to dry in the fresh air. If the tea is well dried, then it rustles in the bag.
Dried tea is poured into glass jars and covered with plastic lids. You can store it in plastic containers or tin cans.
How to make fermented tea from currant leaves?
Another question may then arise. How to ferment currant leaves for tea is already clear, but how to brew it? The procedure is the same as for a regular drink. Rinse the teapot with boiling water, pour 1 teaspoon of tea into it and pour a glass of boiling water over it. The kettle is closed with a lid and the drink is infused for 10 minutes. Then the tea is poured into cups, boiled water is added and allowed to cool slightly. The result is fragrant and healthy drink blackcurrant!
Benefits of currant leaf tea
Currant leaf tea is very useful. It contains high levels of vitamin C. Present in blackcurrant tannins, antioxidants, nutrients stimulate immune system. Frequent intake of this tea stimulates the work of the heart. An infusion of currant leaves helps in good digestion. It is also an effective diuretic that relieves kidney stones.
Currant tea helps to get rid of colds, has a calming effect on the nervous system. The drink energizes for the whole day, especially useful after mental overload.
What should be feared?
Currant tea should be used with caution by pregnant women, because it contains a lot of caffeine. It should be used with caution in older people and children. It does not hurt to exercise caution in patients with hemophilia and hypertension. This tea raises blood pressure. Currant tea should be drunk in small portions so that there are no problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
Other types of leaf processing
There are other types of currant leaves processing. They can simply be dried without fermentation. Such drying is carried out in a shaded, but dry place. Some tea lovers dry the leaves in the oven. It is important not to heat the oven over 100°C. The drying time is 1.5 hours, then the temperature is halved and brought to full readiness.
Any method of harvesting currant leaves gives its effect, but it is still better to use the fermentation method.
Raspberry leaf tea is fragrant and very healthy. Only if you brew just a dried leaf, then you are unlikely to feel a special aroma from tea, although there are no less benefits in it. In order for the leaf to become fragrant, it must be fermented.
About how to prepare homemade fermented tea from raspberry leaves for the winter, I will tell you now, and the step-by-step photos taken will demonstrate the process.
First, let's collect raspberry leaves.
It is better to take tender leaves that grow in the shade. In no case should you wash the leaves. You didn't pick it up along the road, did you?
To dry our leaves, we fold them in a dense layer in a jar that is suitable in size.
The denser the filling, the better. Close the jar with a lid and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. If the house is cool, then you can put the jar on the windowsill in sunlight.
After the specified time, we take out the dried leaves from the jar. The leaf blade is limp and slightly darkened, the petiole and veins have lost their fragility. And the leaves themselves acquired a light fruity aroma.
Since the raspberry leaves are rather dry, in the middle of the crushing process, add 3 tablespoons of boiled cold water. You need to work with the leaves for at least 20 minutes. As a result, the inside of the leaf should change from whitish to dark. In volume, the mass will decrease by approximately 3 times from the original.
We compact the mass ready for fermentation with our hands and cover with a moistened cloth. We cover the bowl with a thick towel on top and leave to mature for 8 hours.
During this time, we check several times whether the fabric has dried out. Wet it if necessary.
When the tea begins to smell with a delicate fruit and berry aroma, you can stop the fermentation process and start drying the tea.
Before laying out the leaves in the bowl of the electric dryer (or baking sheet, when drying the grass in the oven), you need to separate all the leaves. Lumps of green mass will dry for a long time and unevenly.
Dried raspberry leaf tea is kept covered for a month for dry fermentation. During this period, raspberry leaves seem to be infused, and tea, when brewed from such leaves, acquires a rich taste and aroma.
Dried tea for the winter must be stored in a tightly closed container. Glass or plastic is perfect for this. It is advisable to store the leaves whole, and grind before brewing into tea. The tea preparation from the raspberry leaf is stored in this form for 2 years.
In the past few years, interest in the preparation and preparation of herbal teas has grown markedly. Now, in the midst of the season for collecting and harvesting herbs, a lot of questions come up about the fermentation of tea raw materials. Today I will try to tell everything in detail and give examples from the life of our family!
About the fermentation of Ivan - tea: 3 main methods with a detailed description of all the subtleties.
Last year, I wrote a whole series of articles about harvesting and fermenting Ivan tea. Each article is a new way of fermentation, with detailed photos, description and my personal observations. Here are links to those articles:
Even despite the fact that the best time to collect willow-tea leaves is considered to be the period of its flowering (before the appearance of fluff), I advise everyone to harvest it all calendar summer! But today I would like to talk not about fireweed, but about other herbs and other herbs that are traditionally used for brewing tea and about its ability to “play” in your cup in a new way thanks to fermentation.
Those who have already fermented willow-tea will never ask themselves the question - why do we need fermentation of leaves for tea at all ?! The difference in taste and smell between simply dried and brewed herbs and fermented tea is amazing!
Which herbs are suitable for fermentation and which are not?!
The fermentation process can be carried out with any herb, I am also not familiar with contraindications to the use of any fermented herb, so absolutely any raw material for tea can be fermented, it's just a matter of taste...
For many, fragrant herbs such as mint or lemon balm can be an exception for fermentation - it is believed that their fermentation is superfluous, because. even after drying, these herbs have a pleasant and quite strong aroma! And after fermentation, their taste and smell becomes very vigorous ... But, you know, it's like someone else - there can be no comrades for the taste and color! Someone likes tea stronger, and someone softer! Personally, I do not ferment such fragrant herbs!
The situation is completely different when it comes to such herbs and greens, which after drying become just hay and after brewing the tea has just a grassy tea with barely perceptible notes of raw materials. This applies to many herbs, such as raspberry leaf, currant leaf, strawberry leaf, etc.
For example, in the first time after childbirth, the wife actively drank tea from raspberry leaves - this is necessary to support the body in recovery after childbirth and to increase natural lactation. More about this is described in the article "". Naturally, at that time we all also drank raspberry tea with her, as they say, "for the company." It was at the beginning of last year - in winter, and I began to be interested in fermentation and actively engage in it later - in the middle of summer, so then we drank raspberry tea from an unfermented leaf. And I'll tell you frankly - it was not very tasty! Or rather, not so - it was almost impossible, because. dry leaves almost did not give any taste or smell.
Another thing is fermented raspberry leaf tea. You will be shocked to see what a rich color this tea will give when brewed! And the smell of such tea will be as if you have a whole plate of freshly picked raspberries in front of you. Making fermented raspberry leaf tea at home is not difficult if you use our instructions, which are described in the article "".
None of our friends could guess what kind of drink we brewed for them. An interesting fact is that fermentation evens out the differences between teas. And it is not so easy to distinguish strawberry tea from raspberry tea - the same pleasant, deep color, the same honey aroma. Tested on my own experience! :)
P.S. By the way, readers often ask - what are our favorite herbs for tea ?! We tried to list the most popular in the article "" - I hope the information will be interesting and useful to you!
Why ferment tea leaves? My opinion and practical conclusions:
So, I think that leaf fermentation for tea is necessary, because. With the correct implementation of this operation, the following important points are achieved:
1. Enriching tea with a completely new palette of tastes and smells - I am writing about the palette, because depending on the time and intensity of fermentation, the result can be completely different!
2. A rather controversial point is that fermented tea has a large number of beneficial properties for the body. There is no consensus here - some believe that during the fermentation process, many substances contained in raw materials cease to be “closed” and become easily digestible for humans. Others say that in the process of fermentation, on the contrary, part of the benefit is lost and fermented herbs no longer have that healing potential. Personally, I am a supporter of the first opinion and believe that enzymes released from damaged plant tissues convert starches and proteins into simpler, easily digestible and water-soluble forms. It is thanks to this water-soluble form of these substances that fermented tea acquires a rich color and aroma so quickly.
3. A small but pleasant plus is that it takes much less time to brew fermented tea. Long insistence is not required.
Naturally, each plant has periods that are most suitable for their collection and harvesting. This is connected with many subtleties, we will tell you more about this in one of the following articles, so be sure to subscribe to our news - the subscription form with a funny dog is right under the article!
But if you do not have the desire to climb into the very wilds of herbalism, then I recommend that you harvest herbs, leaves and other tea raw materials for drying and fermentation all summer, until they begin to turn yellow. Currant, raspberry, apple, strawberry, fireweed, mint, blackberry, cherry, bird cherry, heather, St. John's wort, meadowsweet, tansy, oregano, sour, etc. You can combine: for example, put a small leaf of tansy, wormwood or several St. John's wort flowers into a mashed apple leaf.
Now we ferment almost all herbs for tea collections that we harvest. The traditional method, when the fermentation of leaves for tea is carried out by twisting them into rolls and then rubbing them in the palms, I do not practice because of the enormous laboriousness. Most often I use the method using a freezer - it's quick and easy, and the process itself requires a minimum of my intervention :), a link to a post about fermentation using a freezer at the beginning of the article.
