Fermented fireweed tea (Ivan-chai) in an ordinary kitchen

Ivan-chai is fermented fireweed leaves (Chamaenerion angustifolium). Dried without fermentation, fireweed gives a pale herbal infusion. Fermented, it turns dark, with a scent of dried fruit and honey. The whole process takes a couple of days and fits easily into a kitchen.

Harvest

The leaves are gathered while the plant is in bloom, usually from July to early August, in dry weather. I don't cut whole plants; I strip leaves from the stem and leave the flowering top. I skip the lowest, toughest leaves.

1. Wilting

Spread the leaves a few centimeters deep on a cloth in the shade and leave them for 12–24 hours, stirring now and then. To check, fold a leaf in half: if the central vein bends instead of snapping, it's time for the next step.

2. Rolling

The goal is to break the leaf cells so they release their juice. There are a few ways:

• By hand. Roll a few leaves at a time between your palms into tight little logs until they darken and turn moist. This gives a large-leaf tea. It's slow, but the result is the prettiest.
• With a meat grinder fitted with a coarse plate. This gives a granulated tea. Fast.
• By freezing. Put the wilted leaves in the freezer for a day, then thaw them — the ice breaks the cells. The laziest method.

3. Fermentation

Pack the mass tightly into a glass, enamel or food-grade plastic container, cover with a damp cloth and leave it somewhere warm — about 24–26 °C (75–79 °F). From here on, your nose decides. At first the mass smells of freshly cut grass; after a few hours it smells of fruit and flowers. That usually takes 6 to 12 hours, depending on the warmth and the leaves.

Don't overdo it: a sour, winey smell means fermentation has gone too far.

4. Drying

Spread the mass thinly on a baking sheet. Dry it in the oven at about 100 °C (212 °F) with the door ajar for the first hour, then lower the heat to 50–60 °C (122–140 °F) and keep drying, stirring from time to time, until the tea is dry and brittle. In a dehydrator, dry at 50–60 °C — it takes longer, but nothing burns.

Afterwards

Finished tea is dark, brittle and smells of dried fruit. Put it in a glass jar and let it rest for a month or two: the flavor mellows. I brew a teaspoon per cup with water at about 90 °C (194 °F) and steep for 5–7 minutes.