How to make red tea from fireweed. Cyprus tea

Acoustic speakers

The sound quality in the car directly depends on the location of the speakers. In addition, the resonance of the housings is also important in this matter.
Therefore, the body of the speaker used in this case must be made of a material that has sufficient resonance. As a result of this, the most suitable option would be to create speakers yourself.
You can learn how to make acoustic speakers yourself from our article. The information will help you learn not only how to make speakers yourself, but also how to assemble a real speaker system.

Creating Column Conditions

First of all, you need to find out what size the column will be. To do this, you need to decide on its location.
Most often, the speaker is installed in the trunk, since there is enough space for it to have enough space. In addition, a kind of resonance is also created in the luggage compartment, so the music sounds a little different here.
You can also install the speakers near the rear window, but here they will have to be more compact in size, since massive speakers may not fit here.

Note. However, this again depends on the position of the speaker: standing or lying down.

Dimensions

To find out the size of the speaker box:

• Decide on its location.
• Determine how much space can be allocated for installation.
• Measure the size of the allocated area.

Note: 30 cm in length is sufficient for a speaker in the luggage compartment. But speakers installed behind the rear seat should not be more than 15 cm.

Material selection

The following materials are quite suitable for creating a column:

• Chipboard. By the way, this material can be found much easier than others, since it is often found on sale. In addition, its price is quite affordable.
  The advantage of this material is that it has quite a large output, so the sound of the speakers will not be distorted. This material is also the lightest, so the structure will not be too heavy.
• Hard rubber (ebonite). The products come out pretty good, but the sound will be a little muffled. And finding rectangular pieces of ebonite on sale is not so easy.
  In addition, the product may have an unpleasant odor. The most important advantage: ebonite is difficult to ignite, so the speaker housing will not burn out in the event of a short circuit.

• Wood. Wood from any tree will do.
  In this case, it is better to give preference to oak or pine, since with their help you can create a good resonance. Another advantage of the material is its attractive appearance.

Note: this product can even be painted, so it will turn out very beautiful.

Creating a Corpus

The body can be made in any convenient way.
The most suitable option is the following:

• Using a hacksaw, cut out parts from the material.
• Select the parts to which the speakers will be attached. Round holes should be made in their central part.

Note: The diameter of the hole must match the diameter of the bottom of the speaker.

• It is also necessary to cut out small rings that will be attached to the bottom of the holes made (so that the speaker is securely fixed). The shape of these rings should resemble a plate without a bottom.
• Glue the rings to the parts.
• Around the rings in the parts, make more holes in the shape of a triangle with rounded corners.

Note: this is necessary so that the sound penetrates into the housing, and does not just go out.

• For the inside of the case, small partitions should also be made (their length should correspond to the length of the case itself). With their help the bass reflex will be held.
• Make small ports through which the terminals will be secured.

Column assembly

To assemble all the parts into one whole, you should:

• Connect the body parts using glue or self-tapping screws: rectangular parts on the sides, the bottom part, and also the part with a hole on top.
• Fill the inside of the column with synthetic down.
• Place the speaker in the intended place.

Note: The speaker wiring can be removed through any hole that is conveniently created.

• Paint the frame with varnish. This way it will have a finished appearance.

Note: it is not necessary to use varnish for painting. Black paint may be useful for this. And some details can be done in a different color altogether.

Creating a speaker system

The sound system does not always indicate the presence of speakers.
You can work on creating a sound system in a car like this:

• Make podiums from foam. To do this:
• Make a template from cardboard. Attach it to the place where the podium should be.
• Using the template, cut out the base for the podium. For this purpose, ordinary plywood and reinforcement can be useful.
• The base consists of two rings. In this case, the diameter of the first ring must correspond to the diameter of the protective mesh. But the diameter of the second is the diameter of the column.
• The rings must be connected to each other using self-tapping screws.
• Cut six blocks to create a slope. Glue all the parts together.
• Pour polyurethane foam into the frame and leave it there until it dries.
• A more interesting option will turn out if instead of plywood you use small pieces of various types of trees. In this case, you should select dry pieces of wood that do not have cracks. Everything on top should be thoroughly varnished to make the structure more reliable. For greater efficiency, everything can be secured using two slats.
• Mount the speakers into the sockets and install the podiums.

Thus, you can create acoustic speakers (see) right at home and with your own hands. The price of such pleasure will not be high, since you will only need to spend money on purchasing the material.
And in general, you can use any old speakers. The main thing is that they work and are in good condition.
Of course, before starting this process, it is worth reviewing various photos and videos on this topic. The instructions will also be useful.

Fireweed tea. Preparation secrets.

Many have heard the name of this plant - Ivan-tea, whose official name is Fireweed angustifolia. It actually makes good tea, which can completely replace black or green tea in your daily diet. I first tried making it last summer and have been drinking it every day for over a year now. I won’t write anything about the medical properties of Fireweed angustifolia, because... it is easy to find on your own, you can only note that it does not contain caffeine and, on the contrary, has a slight sedative effect, which, however, does not interfere with vigorous activity and does not cause addiction.

Just as tea tree leaves, depending on the degree of fermentation, can produce tea ranging from white to pu-erh, this is also the case with Ivan tea. A short fermentation period gives green tea with a light color, a longer fermentation leads to a dark color, and the appearance of dry tea will be practically indistinguishable from large-leaf black tea.

There are different ways to prepare fermented Ivan tea, but I will only describe the one that I use myself. In the classic method, which I do not use, the collected leaves are withered, rolled, fermented and dried in the oven. They wither to make it easier to curl, so that the leaf does not break, so that there is less water in it, etc. When twisting, the cells of the leaf are torn and the leaf is moistened with cell sap. The leaf should darken and become moist. The more cells are damaged, the better it will go. fermentation- transformation of the properties of the product under the action of enzymes, which is the whole essence of the process. If you simply collect the leaves of Fireweed angustifolia, dry it and then brew it in a teapot, the result will be the most unimpressive. Of course, you can drink such a decoction, but only for medical purposes, since the medicine does not have to be tasty, but it will be difficult to classify this process as tea drinking.

As a result of fermentation (oxidation, fermentation), products acquire new properties that are not contained in them in their pure form. For example, in winemaking, grape varieties are used that are unremarkable in themselves, but during the fermentation process they acquire exquisite shades of taste and aroma. Wine can be made from the same grape variety for either 5 or 5 thousand euros - depending on the acquired qualities: color, taste, bouquet, aftertaste, balance, density, etc. It’s the same in our case: successful fermentation will give the best taste, color and aroma of tea, but if it’s unsuccessful, everything will be “so-so.”

The disadvantage of the classical method is that it is difficult to achieve high-quality curling of the leaves; they are not completely wetted by the juice and ferment less well. The tea turns out inexpressive.

2. Leaves are twisted by hand, 5-10 pieces at a time until juice is obtained. Then the resulting twist is divided into leaves and placed in an enamel or stainless steel container. It is necessary to separate the twist for subsequent drying at room temperature so that it goes away in time and the sheet does not over-ferment and become moldy.

Ivan tea is sold, but much more expensive than the average black tea. In addition, when you harvest yourself, you have the opportunity to weed out diseased and dry leaves, as well as leaves with cobwebs and insect larvae. The leaves are collected by moving your hand along the stem from top to bottom, resulting in a bunch of leaves in your hand.

Ready-made tea gains flavor and aroma over time. Last year's tea tastes better than "young" tea.

Herbal teas are becoming increasingly popular in the modern world. Thanks to the biologically active components present in medicinal plants, regular consumption of herbal drinks has a beneficial effect on our health, slows down the aging process, improves the quality of life, energizes us and gives active longevity.

One of the most famous teas in Rus' is a drink made from a perennial belonging to the fireweed family - angustifolia fireweed. This tea is better known to most of its contemporaries under the name fireweed, butt or Koporye tea(Koporye is a village located near St. Petersburg in the Leningrad region, which gave its name to the world famous Russian tea). You can find out in more detail about the history of the origin of Koporye tea and why it was undeservedly forgotten in the 20th century from our article.

Various types of fireweed

The beneficial substances present in the plant, in particular tannin, bioflavonoids, antioxidants and pectin compounds, have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect on the human body as a whole, and the gastrointestinal tract in particular, due to which aqueous extracts from fireweed are often used in herbal medicine in the treatment of gastric diseases ( ulcer, gastritis, colitis, enterocolitis, etc.).

Drinking Koporye tea improves the emotional state, relieves the effects of stress, normalizes sleep, increases endurance, gives strength, fills the body with energy, relieves migraines, heals the genitourinary system of men, prevents prostate diseases, and has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, hair and nails. You can find out more about the healing effects of the plant in the article.

Where can I get Koporye tea?

Interested? Then let’s look together for the answer to the burning question, and where to buy Ivan tea, so useful in all respects for children and adults.

Prepared large-leaf fireweed tea

1. The easiest way is to search in tea stores, pharmacies, on supermarket shelves, or order from online stores that specialize in supplying various elite varieties of teas, tea and herbal infusions, and fermented drinks.
2. Second option - collect the medicinal plant yourself, if angustifolia fireweed grows in your area, and dry it at home using the technology described below.
3. And the third - the most labor-intensive - on the local area or your own dacha.

So the choice of whether to buy Ivan tea in a store or prepare it with your own hands, as always, is yours.

According to reviews from experienced herbalists, homemade Koporye tea, collected with prayer and prepared with love, is much healthier for the health of all family members.

When and where to collect angustifolia fireweed?

The perennial plant consists of erect, densely leafy stems reaching a height of up to 2 meters (the average height of angustifolia fireweed is from 0.5 to 1.5 m). The peduncle is located at the end of the stem, the flowers are pink, faded pink, less often whitish, collected in sparse apical racemes, the length of which ranges from 10 to 50 cm.

Ivan tea is harvested from the beginning of flowering until mid-autumn. The most useful raw materials are those collected at the initial stage of fireweed flowering, and then dried, fermented and fried. On average, the plant blooms for about a month. In the southern regions, flower clusters bloom at the end of June, in the middle zone - in July, and in the northern regions - in August.

If you are harvesting a plant for medicinal purposes, then the ideal day for collecting raw materials is July 7th. Since ancient times it has been believed that everything.

Ivan tea on the edge of the forest

The plant prefers dry, well-lit areas. Most often, fireweed infests forest edges, clearings and clearings; it can be found on railway embankments, and sometimes the crop grows in burned or cleared forest areas. Fireweed, like all medicinal plants and forest products, is collected only in environmentally friendly places located at a distance of at least 100 m from highways and industrial facilities.

In recent years, many summer residents, having learned about the medicinal properties of the plant, grow it in the garden, front garden or vegetable garden in order to prepare it for the winter as a tasty and healthy herbal drink. We have devoted a separate article to this topic. And now we’ll talk about how to properly collect, dry, roll, ferment and fry the collected raw materials.

Have you decided to make your own Koporye tea? Then you need to learn the basic rules, the exact implementation of which will allow you to fully enjoy the delicate floral-herbal taste and the undoubted benefits of the brewed drink at any time of the year.

Blooming fireweed on a hillside

Rules for collecting plant materials

Go to the forest or field for fireweed only in sunny weather, since excess moisture that accumulates in plant materials during periods of heavy rainfall and high air humidity, as well as from dew in the early morning at dawn, worsens the subsequent fermentation process.

It is better to pick leaves from a young plant that is at the very beginning of flowering: it has buds that have not yet opened or flower clusters that have just opened. Only such juicy and delicate raw materials make it possible to produce the most healthy tea worthy of noble nobles and royalty.

Collection of Ivan tea

Collect raw materials from the middle to the top of the stem, after removing yellow, wilted and dry leaves. Just clasp the plant with your palm just below the inflorescence, squeeze it loosely into a fist and stretch it down to the middle of the stem. Place the torn leaves in a clean bag.

Tip: if you want to prepare Koporye tea with flowers, then the leaves and flowers must be collected separately, in different bags. The leaves are fermented, the flowers are simply dried in a dry place.

Collection of fireweed flowers

After you bring fireweed home, immediately spread the raw material in a thin layer on canvas, burlap or sheets of cardboard. Leave the plants in the open sun for about 5-6 hours so that some of the moisture leaves the raw material and all the living creatures crawl out. Don't forget to turn the greens several times. By pre-drying the fireweed before fermentation, you will preserve all the beneficial bioactive components in fireweed tea.

Drying fireweed leaves

Preparation of raw materials for fermentation

Before fermentation, which means that the prepared fireweed fractions are placed in a dense mass in a dry and clean ceramic, enamel or glass container, covered with a rough damp cloth and kept in a warm place at a temperature of +25-27°C, for example, near a stove or oven from 12 to 15 hours, the plant material is rolled into lumps or thin sausages.

To do this, grab several leaves at the same time and quickly roll them between clean palms or lay the leaves on a clean table surface, rolling the raw materials into balls with the palms of both hands or a rolling pin. You can use a rolling pin if your hands are tired or you are afraid of calluses.

Preparing angustifolia leaves for fermentation using a rolling pin

If there is a lot of workpiece, then you can use a manual meat grinder to speed up and facilitate the process of preparing leaves for fermentation. Remove the knife and grill from it.

We pass the leaves of Ivan tea through a meat grinder to simplify the process of preparing for fermentation

The fireweed leaves after the meat grinder don’t look photogenic, but your hands are intact, and the aroma lingers throughout the whole house - just a fairy tale!

The entire rolling stage should not exceed 90 minutes, since the plant material will subsequently be fermented unevenly.

The process of fermentation and processing of Ivan tea takes place without access to air. It is for this purpose that the rolled leaves are placed quite tightly to each other, trying to fill the selected container to the top, and the top is covered with a damp, dense cloth that limits the penetration of oxygen inside. A press is placed on top to compact the leaves as tightly as possible.

Place Ivan tea leaves in a bucket for fermentation

Why is it necessary to ferment Ivan tea?

The fermentation process is an integral stage in the preparation of Koporye tea leaves. Only properly fermented plant materials, and then properly fried or dried, will provide a deep and rich taste of the drink, and will also increase all the main phytonutrients of the plant.

In addition, during fermentation, the pyrrolizidine alkaloids present in the plant, albeit in small quantities, which have a toxic effect on the human body, decompose. This is why pre-fermented fireweed tea is allowed to be consumed daily, although fundamental research has not been conducted on this issue.

Completely dried herb, which has previously undergone fermentation, acquires completely new flavor and aromatic shades, notes of flowers, berries, and fruits. In addition, this tea not only preserves all the beneficial substances that have a healing effect on the human body, but also increases it several times.

Some summer residents who independently prepare Koporye tea claim that the drink from raw materials lovingly collected, rolled between the palms, kept warm overnight and dried in the oven acquires a pronounced aroma of olives, forest honey, meadow flowers and the taste of strawberries.

Fermentation

So what is the fermentation process and what benefits does it bring to the finished Koporye tea?

After rubbing between the palms, cell sap is released from the damaged tissues of fireweed leaves and flowers - a green liquid saturated with enzymes. Under the influence of heat, the released enzymes are converted into simpler, water-soluble substances - proteins and starches, which have excellent bioavailability.

When in contact with boiling water (brewing), these compounds quickly turn into water, so fermented Ivan tea is brewed in a matter of minutes, and plant materials intended for medicinal purposes, for example, for preparing an infusion, do not require boiling.

The wet plant material, crumpled into balls or lumps, is left to fully ferment for 12-16 hours, covered with a thick and damp, preferably linen, cloth, after which they change color from juicy green to brownish-brown, and then roasted in the oven at a temperature approximately 100°C or simply dry in open warm air without exposure to sunlight.

If the air temperature is 20-22°C, then the tea fermentation time can be increased to two days.

Drying of fermented raw materials and its subsequent storage

Ivan tea is dried using a Russian oven, electric dryer, oven or stove.

The most convenient way is to fry the plant material on baking sheets in a slightly open oven, in which the temperature can be maintained at about 100°C. Frying time ranges from half an hour to one and a half hours and depends on the characteristics of the electric or gas appliance.

Frying fireweed leaves in a frying pan.

You can fry the tea on the stove in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Roast Ivan tea on the stove after fermentation.

Or you can dry it flatly without heating in a warm and dry place, for example next to a stove.

Drying Koporye tea at home on a stove.

Ivan tea flowers are not fermented; they are collected separately from the leaves and simply dried without heating in the open air.

Harvesting medicinal plants: drying flowers of willowherb and meadowsweet

The twists or balls must be constantly stirred to prevent burning and drying out. Properly dried Koporye tea has matte tea leaves. They break easily, but do not crumble into dust. In appearance, such raw materials resemble classic large-leaf black tea interspersed with green tea, and of very high quality.

After the oven is turned off, the tea is slightly cooled and transferred while warm to glass jars, which are covered with plastic lids. The prepared raw materials are left to ripen in a closed container for a month (do not open until the end of aging).

Tea prepared according to the described method retains its taste and medicinal qualities for 18 months from the end of the ripening process. Store it in glass or tin jars, cardboard boxes, closed. Fermented fireweed is used for tea drinking and tea ceremonies, as well as for therapeutic purposes.

So, a short time-bound algorithm for preparing Ivan tea at home looks like this:

1. Collecting leaves and flowers in the forest before noon.
2. Dry in the open sun until 19-00.
3. Twisting tea leaves by hand from 19-00 to 20-30.
4. Fermentation of raw materials in enamel containers near the stove or stove for 2-3 days.
5. Drying/frying the twists on a baking sheet in the oven or over a fire with constant stirring until ready, which can be determined solely by the appearance of the tea leaves.
6. Packaging in glass containers.
7. Tea ripening for a month.

How to brew Koporye tea correctly

Brewed Ivan tea with rosehip petals

Ivan tea is a unique drink with a delicate taste and amazing aroma that every gourmet can appreciate. Fireweed, which has previously been fermented, is used both as an independent raw material and in combination with other plants.

Since Ivan tea goes well with many herbs, you will have to experiment to find the tea composition and proportions of each type of plant that will fully suit your taste. Usually, mint, oregano, meadowsweet flowers, St. John's wort, strawberry leaves, raspberries, fresh and dried fruits of sea buckthorn, rose hips, blueberries and other berries are added to Koporye tea.

Koporye tea brewing technology no different from regular black or green. It is better to use soft spring or well water for the drink, which must be purified. Before preparing the infusion, the teapot must be rinsed with boiling water.

The proportions for preparing Ivan tea are as follows: for every 0.25 liters of hot water, take 1 teaspoon of fermented leaves (with or without a heap, depending on what strength of tea you prefer). The infusion time of the drink is from 10 to 20 minutes. Tea is served with sweets, pastries, candies, and dried fruits. If you want to sweeten the drink, use natural bee honey, which greatly enhances the healing properties of the infusion, or sugar.

The photo shows 4 types of tea from angustifolia fireweed. From right to left:

• 1 cup - fresh leaves brewed without drying or fermentation,
• 2 - simply dried leaves without fermentation,
• 3 - fermented Koporye tea, dried without heating,
• 4 - fermented Ivan tea and fried at 100% temperature on the stove.

As you can see, the color of the brew is different, although strictly the same amount and brewing time were taken. But our family members were divided on the taste. I liked option 4, my husband liked 3, and my children liked 1. In my homemade preparations I keep fermented green and fried, and in the summer season we drink all the fresh leaves.

But there is one important thing difference between Koporye and regular tea. Ivan tea can be brewed several times over three days and allowed to brew, while secondary brewing of black or green tea is not only not tasty, but also harmful to the body. Significant savings!

They write that you can consume the fireweed infusion for 5 days, but from my own experience I know that it is better not more than three. If you want to stretch the brew longer, it is better to put the kettle with the drink in the refrigerator.

Soothing tea recipe

After a busy day filled with stressful situations and bustle, it can be very difficult not only to relax, but also to fall asleep. A cup of Koporye tea with peppermint and honey will help you calm down, relieve tension and get rid of overexcitement.

Rinse the teapot with boiling water, add 1 teaspoon of fermented fireweed tea, add a few fresh mint leaves mashed in your hands or a pinch of dried ones, pour 0.3 liters of hot water over the herbs, wrap the container in a towel and let the drink brew for 20 minutes. Add a tablespoon of meadow or highland honey to slightly cooled tea and drink it slowly before bed.

The same infusion will help strengthen the nerves and become calmer for those who need to relieve tension before important events, a performance or an exam. Moreover, unlike synthetic sedatives, the effect of increased drowsiness from drinking tea is not observed.

According to reviews from fans of herbal teas, fireweed is an excellent drink, pleasant and refreshing, depending on whether it is drunk hot or chilled. Yes, yes, in the summer heat, many summer residents quench their thirst with cold Koporye tea, adding fresh berry juice or ice cubes.

How do you prepare angustifolia fireweed in the summer? Share your valuable experience in the comments, because the technologies for fermentation and drying of plant materials may be partially or completely different from what we described. Let your life with Koporye tea become much brighter and richer!