Mention of Ivan tea takes place in chronicles of the 12th century. Already at that time they began to call it “Koporye tea” in connection with the area where it grew in large quantities. Tea was highly regarded for its unique properties. They successfully treated headaches and inflammations of various origins. Dried leaves were added to flour from which bread was baked. Salad was made from young leaves.
How to collect Koporye teaThe raw material for tea is narrow-leaved fireweed. The tops of the plant are used, as a rule. Leaves are torn off easily, if you lead down with your hand, and flowers, on the contrary, up. When collecting should carefully consider the quality of the leaves. If they begin to dry out or are struck by something, then it is better not to tear them. The first grade is obtained only from young plants. They are especially many in May. Koporye tea is harvested with the growing moon when there is no dew. During this period, it contains the largest number of nutrients.
Raw material processingIn this case, this process is called fermentation. Initially, the collected leaves are dried. To do this, they are laid out in an even layer, about five centimeters thick. It is very important to prevent exposure to sunlight. After several hours, the leaves are frayed and curled into sausages, while the leaves and flowers should give juice. This is a very important point, since it is the juice that creates the unique taste and aroma.
The resulting mass is placed in enameled or plastic dishes and put under oppression. In this state, future tea spends about 12 hours. In this case, you get saturated green tea. If you want to get black, then you need to keep longer.
The end of fermentation can be judged by smell. At first, Koporskiy tea smells of freshly cut grass. Then the fragrance changes to floral. Feeling it, you can start drying.
How to Dry Kopor Tea
At the final stage, the raw materials must be dried. In the hot season, this can be done under a canopy, but not in the sun. The rest of the time, the tea is perfectly dried in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees. So that it does not burn out, you must regularly toss and turn, as well as provide ventilation.
Willingness to check is easy. In this case, the leaves and flowers will break, but not crumble. The smell should be pleasant. Time is difficult to calculate. It depends on humidity, layer thickness, temperature and so on. If the layer is about four centimeters and the temperature is 100 degrees, then two hours is enough for drying. Please note that a divider must be in the bottom of the oven, otherwise the bottom layer will overheat.
How to store
After drying, the tea is transferred to non-metallic dishes. Avoid exposure to sunlight. If you store in glass jars, then they must be placed in dark places or opaque bags. The best properties and taste are manifested in tea after about a month. In this regard, do not rush to taste it.
Tea from the store
Koporye tea is quite easy to buy, for example, in specialized stores. However, you should be careful when buying: fakes or low-quality fees are often offered.