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Tea · From Bladwijzer

Fermented willowherb tea (Ivan chai)

Updated on 10 October 2026

• Makes: ± 60 g tea
• Time: 1 hr work + 2 to 3 days
• From: Rosebay willowherb

Ingredients

• 300 g young, unblemished rosebay willowherb leaves
• a clean cotton cloth
• a bowl or glass jar with a lid

Method

1. Pick the leaves on a dry morning and shake them; do not wash them. Spread them out on the cloth, indoors in the shade, and leave them to wilt for 12 to 24 hours, until they are limp and no longer snap when folded.
2. Roll a handful of leaves at a time firmly between your palms until they darken, turn moist and curl up. This takes a while: it is how the juice is released.
3. Pack the rolled leaves tightly into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth or the lid and leave for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature. They are ready when they are dark and smell fruity or floral.
4. Crumble the leaves onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and dry them in the oven at 90 °C with the door ajar for 1 to 2 hours, stirring every half hour. They should be dark and crisp.
5. Leave to cool. For a cup, use 1 teaspoon per 250 ml boiling water and leave to steep for 5 minutes.

Storing: In a closed jar, dry and dark: a year. If the tea smells musty or you see mould, throw it away.