Russian Fireweed Tea (Koporye tea or Ivan chai) is on the menu today! This tea is quite popular in Russia, but you don't have to go all the way there to try it! I'll show you everything you need to know to make Ivan tea in this easy fireweed tea recipe!
Being Assyrian, I love a good black tea. Walk into any Assyrian home, make your way into the kitchen, and you'll find the tea kettle brewing on the stove. So when I learned you can make Ivan tea by fermenting and drying fireweed leaves, you know I had to try it!
Fireweed tea has a strong, beautiful aroma and an earthy flavor. It's hard to compare to any other tea because it's different than anything I've ever tried. Sometimes dried currants, cranberries, and rose hips are added to enrich the flavor. You can even make syrup with the plant's flowers and use it to sweeten the tea.
Russians have been drinking Ivan tea since the 13th century. The tea's name is believed to have originated from foreigners referring to Russians as "Ivan" (a popular Russian name). So instead of calling it Russian tea, it became known as Ivan tea.
I'll show you how to pick, ferment, and dry the leaves to make this fireweed tea recipe at home!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's fun to learn the process of fermenting and drying leaves to make tea.
- Making your own tea doesn't cost you a thing!
- Fireweed tea has many health benefits.
- It makes an excellent and unique gift to any tea-lover in your life!
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Fireweed: All you need to make fireweed tea is fireweed leaves. However, you can also add fireweed flowers, dried currants, rose hips etc. If you are not the foraging type, you can purchase some here.
- Sweetener: Sugar, honey, or favorite sweetener.
- Optional: A splash of milk or cream
🫖 How to Make Fireweed Tea
Step 1: Strip the healthy leaves from the plant and pluck flowers, if you'd like to add them to the tea. Give everything a good rinse to remove dust, insects, and debris.
Pro Tip: Be sure to check the bottom of the leaves for insect eggs. Keep only the healthy leaves and discard the rest.
Step 2: Ferment Leaves
Roll leaves between your hands to crush and bruise them. This is done to release their flavor. Add leaves to a bowl or a mason jar, then cover with lid. Place in a sunny window for 2 days to ferment. Stir leaves a few times a day to allow for air circulation. If you find any leaves with mold, discard them.
Pro Tip: Another option is to roll the leaves into bundles. During this time, the leaves' color will go from a beautiful green to a darker green, almost black.
Step 3: Steam Leaves (optional)
Next, steam the leaves in a steaming basket for 5 to 10 minutes. This step is supposed to enhance the flavor but is not absolutely necessary.
Step 4: Dry Leaves
Place leaves on dehydrator trays and select the lowest setting, 95 °F (setting for herbs and spices). Dry the leaves completely then bring to room temperature, before storing in a mason jar. The longer the tea sits the more the flavor will develop.
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Pro Tip: If you don't have a dehydrator, dry the leaves outside in the sun, or in the oven for around 20-30 minutes at 325 °F.
As previously mentioned, I like to also dry the flowers and add them to my fireweed tea, but you can add other herbs or dried fruit to enhance the flavor while reaping the benefits of this fireweed tea recipe.
🌿 What is Fireweed?
Fireweed is a perennial herb with long, erect stems that have alternating long leaves and beautiful pink flowers. The reason it's called fireweed is because it's one of the first plants that come back after a forest fire.
The species' name, "angustifolium", is Latin for "narrow leaves" although there is a wide-leaved variety as well called "Alpine Fireweed". It has many other nicknames including "Blooming Sally". Fireweed can grow pretty tall, with an average height of 4-6 feet.
The fireweed plant grows all over North America. You can find it in the mountains of California, Montana, Canada, Alaska, and many other states.
The plant can usually be found growing along streams, in mountainous regions, meadows, or even your garden. Look for it between June and September.
Edibility
Both the flowers and stems are edible and can be eaten raw or cooked. The flowers can be added to salads and used to make fireweed syrup, honey, and jelly.
More commonly, the leaves are fermented and used to make fireweed tea. The tea is rich in vitamins A and C.
Medicinal Value
The entire plant is medicinal. Fireweed has anti-inflammatory properties and is loaded with antioxidants. The plant has been used to treat anything from skin issues to cramps and gut health to hemorrhoids. It is also being studied for its benefits on the prostate.
Fireweed tea has been used to treat asthma and stomach issues, while the roots are used to make a poultice to treat rashes, sores, and burns. Although it has many benefits, the tea should be enjoyed in small quantities because it can have laxative effects on some people.
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Many describe this tea as having a fruity flavor, but I haven't found that to be true. Although fireweed is considered a black tea, it has more of an earthy flavor, similar to green tea. The flavor can be enhanced by adding other dried berries and herbs (for example lavender) to make a more flavorful tea blend.
Fireweed leaves are used to make tea. The leaves are fermented and dried to make a lovely scented loose-leaf tea. However, the flowers can also be dried and added to fireweed leaf tea to enhance the flavor. 
Good news, fireweed tea is naturally caffeine-free!
Pro Tips
- To brew a cup of fireweed tea, add a few tablespoons of dried tea to a small teapot and cover with a few cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain into cup and serve. If you prefer, you can add sweetener and cream.
- Store fireweed tea in a sealed jar in the pantry.
- Fireweed tea gets better as it matures, so if you don't like the flavor at first, give it a few months and try it again.
🫐 Related Recipes
If you enjoy this fireweed tea recipe, check out these other related posts!
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📖 Recipe
Russian Fireweed Tea (Ivan Tea)
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- 1 mason jar
- 1 dehydrator (or use oven)
Ingredients
- fireweed leaves
- fireweed flowers
Instructions
- Strip the healthy leaves from the plant and pluck flowers, if you'd like to add them to the tea. Give everything a good rinse to remove dust, insects, and debris.
- Roll leaves between your hands to crush and bruise them. This is done to release their flavor. Add leaves to a bowl or a mason jar, then cover with lid. Place in a sunny window for 2 days to ferment. Stir leaves a few times a day to allow for air circulation. If you find any leaves with mold, discard them.
- Next, steam the leaves in a steaming basket for 5 to 10 minutes. This step is supposed to enhance the flavor, but is not absolutely necessary.
- Place leaves on dehydrator trays and select the lowest setting, 95°F (setting for herbs and spices). Dry the leaves completely then bring to room temperature, before storing in a mason jar. The longer the tea sits the more the flavor will develop.
Notes
- Be sure to check the bottom of the leaves for insect eggs. Keep only the healthy leaves and discard the rest.
- Another option is to roll the leaves into bundles. During this time, the leaves color will go from a beautiful green to a darker green, almost black.
- If you don't have a dehydrator, dry the leaves outside in the sun, or in the oven for around 20-30 minutes at 325 °F.
- To brew a cup of fireweed tea, add a few tablespoons of dried tea to a small tea pot and cover with a few cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain into cup and serve. If you prefer, you can add sweetener and cream.
- Store fireweed tea in a sealed jar in the pantry.
- Fireweed tea gets better as it matures, so if you don't like the flavor at first, give it a few months and try it again.
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