Koporsky tea is a traditional Russian drink

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Mentions of Ivan-tea take place in the chronicles of the 12th century. Already at that time it began to be called "Koporsky tea" in connection with the area where it grew in large quantities. Tea was highly valued for the unique properties it possessed. They successfully treated headaches and inflammations of various origins. Dried leaves were added to flour, from which bread was baked. Young leaves were used to make a salad.

How to collect Koporye tea

The raw material for tea is fireweed angustifolia. Usually the tops of the plant are used. The leaves break off easily if you hold your hand down, and the flowers, on the contrary, up. When collecting, you should carefully consider the quality of the leaves. If they began to dry out or are affected by something, then it is better not to tear them. The first grade is obtained only from young plants. There are especially many of them in May. Koporye tea is harvested during the growing moon, when there is no dew. During this period, it contains the largest amount of useful substances.

Processing of raw materials

In this case, this process is called fermentation. First harvested leavesdried. To do this, they are laid out in an even layer, about five centimeters thick. It is very important to avoid exposure to sunlight. After a few hours, the leaves are ground and rolled 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 folded into an enameled or plastic bowl and put under pressure. In this state, the future tea spends about 12 hours. In this case, you get a rich green tea. If you want to get black, then you need to keep it longer.

The end of fermentation can be judged by the smell. At first, Koporye tea smells like freshly cut grass. Then the fragrance changes to a floral one. 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. To prevent it from burning, it is necessary to turn regularly, as well as provide ventilation.

Readiness is easy to check. In this case, the leaves and flowers will break, but not crumble. The smell should be pleasant. Time is hard 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 are enough for drying. Please note that there must be a divider at the bottom of the oven, otherwise the bottom layer willoverheat.

How to store

After drying, the tea is transferred to a non-metallic bowl. Sunlight must be avoided. If you store in glass jars, then they should be placed in dark places or opaque bags. The best properties and taste qualities appear in tea after about a month. In this regard, do not rush to taste it.

Tea from the shop

Koporsky tea is quite easy to buy, for example, in specialized stores. However, you should be careful when buying: fakes or low-quality fees are very often offered.