Ivan Chai: How to Make Caffeine-Free Black Tea from Fireweed
Ivan Chai is a traditional fermented fireweed tea that makes a cup with a flavour surprisingly similar to black tea—but naturally completely caffeine-free. If you love foraging and making ingredients from scratch, Ivan Chai is one of the most rewarding wild teas you can make through a natural process from a plant that grows abundantly across northern Europe, resulting in a dark, black tea-like infusion. And it is simpler than you might think!
Making Ivan Chai is a process that starts with gathering fresh fireweed, then wilting, bruising, oxidising, fermenting, and gently heating the leaves to create a rich, aromatic tea similar to Camellia sinensis. In this article, I’ll guide you through each step so you can make your own homemade Ivan Chai from foraged fireweed.
You can use your Ivan Chai as caffeine-free black tea like you would use black tea: in iced teas, with a splash of milk, or in a chai latte, for example.
READ MORE: Theine vs Caffeine: Natural Energy in Tea and Coffe
What Is Ivan Chai? The Traditional Russian Fireweed Tea
Ivan Chai (Иван чай) is a traditional fermented drink made from fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium). The fermented fireweed tea has a long history in Russia, where it became known as Ivan Chai or Koporye tea, named after the village of Koporye near St. Petersburg and close to the Gulf of Finland (Source). The drink is also known as Ivan Tea, Ivan-chaj, and Russian tea.
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Before imported Chinese tea became widely available and affordable, during the 18th and 19th centuries, fermented fireweed offered a local alternative with a surprisingly tea-like flavor. It was also exported beyond Russia. Although the popularity of Ivan Chai declined in the 20th century, Ivan Chai has experienced a revival as interest in traditional wild foods and fermented beverages has grown passed years (Source).
How to Make Ivan Chai (Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZktqDoi3rM
Ivan Chai: Foraged Fireweed Tea
Ivan Chai is a traditional fermented fireweed tea that makes a lovely cup with a flavour surprisingly similar to black tea—but naturally caffeine-free. If you enjoy foraging and making ingredients from scratch, Ivan Chai is one of the most rewarding wild teas you can make.
Ingredients
- Fresh fireweed stalks with leaves
Instructions
1. Step One: Harvest Fireweeds
Collect fresh fireweed stalks before or during blooming time. It is very easy to gather plenty in a very short time. Harvest healthy leaves and avoid plants already producing fluffy seed heads, and make sure you pick from a clean place far from roads.
2. Step Two: Wilting the Harvested Fireweed
Spread the harvested fireweed stalks in a single layer in a shady place and leave them to wilt for 6-12 hours, but not more than 20 hours (because then they will already start to dry).
When the leaves have wilted, separate them from the stalk. Just run your hand through the stalk or detach the leaves one by one. Discard the stalks or fry them on a pan like asparagus for dinner.
If you have collected blooming fireweeds, dry the flowers separately without the oxidation and fermenting process that follows.
3. Step Three: Bruising
Now you have plenty of fireweed leaves that need to be bruised to start the oxidation process. One simple way is to roll a bunch of leaves into a ball (about a ball the size of a walnut is good) and roll it tightly between your palms. Roll until the leaves start to change into a visibly deeper green color, release a grassy scent, and leave liquid on your palms.
Avoid completely mushing the fireweed leaves; they should not bruise so far that they turn into paste.
4. Step Four: Oxidizing for "Green Tea"
Spread the bruised fireweed leaves into a bowl (I used a beton bowl), and cover them with a clean tea cloth. Leave them to oxidise for 3 to 24 hours. The darkening is caused by oxidation triggered when the leaves are bruised.
Turn and stir the bruised fireweed leaves twice to prevent mold from forming. If you want floral llike green tea, you can jump directly to step 6. If you want deeper black tea like flavours, continue with next step after 3 hours of oxidising.
5. Step Five: Fermenting for "Black Tea"
To gain more earthy flaovours fo the tea, we need to ferment the fireweeds: Fill a glass jar tightly with bruised fireweed leaves that have oxidised for 3 hours.
Close the jar airtight and leave into a warm place for 3 days, for example on the top of the fridge. The scent will be slightly acid due to fermenting and colour will be darker.
6. Step Six: Dry the Leaves to Stop the Oxidation
Then it is time to stop the oxidation/fermentation process with heat. You can use a dehydrator over medium heat or a 75°C (175°F) oven to dry for about 1-4 hours. Open the oven door a few times to let the moisture escape. You can also use a wok pan and dry the leaves on the pan.
Let them dry until the leaves are so dry that they break, sounding crisp.
Store Ivan Chai Fireweed Tea Airtight
Once your Ivan Chai tea is dry, land cooled down, store it airtight in a glass jar. If you have dried the flowers separately, you can mix them now. Keep it in a cool, dark place. Properly dried, Ivan Chai keeps well for about one year.
Steeping Your Homemade Ivan Chai
Steep the fermented fireweed tea, Ivan Chai, like any other herbal tea: measure about 1-2 teaspoons per 250ml (one cup) of almost boiling water and let it steep for about 8-10 minutes. Decorate with a few fireweed flowers and sweeten with honey if needed.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Here are some FAQs around making oxidised fireweed tea, Ivan Chai. If you have a question that you don’t find an answer to, type it in the end of this article in the comments, and I will get back to you!
My Fireweed Leaves Unroll After Bruising
The fireweed leaves will slightly unroll during the fermentation. If the leaves unroll completely, it might be that you did not bruise them enough.
I Left The Leaves of Fireweed to Wilt for More Than 20 Hours. Can I Still Make Ivan Chai Out of Them?
Yes, if they haven’t started drying. If the leaves are just looking tired (aka wilted) and they are moist, you can still roll and bruise them so that some liquid releases; you are good to continue.
Commonly, after about 20 hours, depending on the humidity of the drying place, the leaves start to be a bit dry already. If the leaves are dry, you can leave them to dry completely and drink them as a dried fireweed herbal tea, but they will not be suitable for oxidation and fermentation.
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No Juice Came Out of the Fireweed Leaves When I Was Rolling, Is There Something Wrong?
The juice or liquid comes out as a result of bruising and the pressure used in it to open the plant cells. One reason for the lack of juice might be that the leaves were lower in moisture when they were picked and therefore will not release juice as much as other that is more moist plants. The colour darkens during the oxidation process, and they will eventually turn black or brown in the fermentation phase. If it has been less than one day, continue the process. If the darkening doesn’t happen, consider making a new batch using higher pressure during the bruising phase.
Is Fireweed Tea Naturally Caffeine-Free?
Yes, Ivan chai, fermented fireweed tea, is caffeine-free, for it is made with fireweed and not with the actual tea plant, Camellia sinensis, which contains caffeine. That’s why Ivan Chai is a good caffeine-free alternative to black tea.
