We have decided to add yet another Chaga product to our list.
A Chaga tea!
It is a great product for those who do not have time, or skills, to make their own Chaga tea.
We love Chaga, so naturally we try to find as many ways to use it as possible.
Our Chaga Kombucha was the first Chaga product that we offered. That one was followed by Chaga Tincture, which we still make and we still sell it.
Next came our Scoby Face Mask (made with Scobies that we use to make Chaga Kombucha).
In previous years, we also served hot Chaga tea in Winter time for a few years and now we have a Chaga tea, conveniently packed in 350 ml glass bottles.
But let's start from the beginning.
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is considered to be the King of Medicinal Mushrooms.
Chaga mushroom can be found even in the woods around Berlin, but the best Chaga comes from places where the temperatures in Winter, drop to even minus 60 degrees.
This way, the best Chaga comes from Siberia, then Lapland and far north Canada.
Chaga is also one of the very few mushrooms that do not taste like mushrooms.
It's flavor profile includes notes of cherry, vanilla and wood. Some people compare its flavor to Cola.
Traditionally, Chaga is consumed as a "tea'. In order to make this tea, Chaga is either broken into smaller pieces or it is ground into a powder.
We use a powder, which we prepare ourselves by hand-grinding Chaga in small batches.
This powder looks like a coarsely ground coffee. That's because the color comes from a huge amount of melanin that is naturally present in Chaga.
To make our Chaga tea, we simmer the Chaga powder in filtered and revitalized water for over an hour. In order to preserve most of the substances, we keep the temperatures between 60-65 degrees Celsius.
When done, we let the whole mixture cool off overnight.
On the next day, we strain the Chaga solids and we add two more potent ingredients to our Chaga tea.
The first one is raw and unfiltered honey.
We get this honey from a friendly beekeeper who keeps his hives about an hour away from Berlin.
In order to keep all the benefits of raw honey, we mix it in with our Chaga tea which is in room temperature.
We do not add too much of honey. Just enough to accentuate the Chaga flavor, but not to make this tea sweet.
Next comes the freshly squeezed Ginger juice. Just enough to make the flavor more interesting, and to add more benefits to this tea.
When the whole mixture is ready, we bottle it.
At this point our Chaga Tea is still not fermented. And it could be enjoyed like a tea
But when this tea sits outside at room temperature, or at a slower pace inside the fridge, a natural process of fermentation will eventually happen.
And that's because we use fresh ginger juice and the natural yeasts that are present in that ginger, start breaking down the raw honey, creating nice and refreshing bubbles. Since this Chaga Tea tastes even better this way.
Chaga tea, in combination with honey and ginger is absolutely delicious but do not drink it late during the day, unless you want to stay up all night, as it is very energizing.
So, the best time to drink it, is in the morning or in early afternoon.
As a bonus, we have a book about Chaga, which is available in two languages.
You can look through it when you stop by at our place.
So, cheers!
Here's a nice shot with Chaga mushroom.
And the label.
Ingredients: Chaga Tea (filtered and revitalized water and Chaga), Raw Honey and Raw Ginger Juice.
To find out more about Chaga mushroom, please check our blog entry here.
To purchase / zum Kaufen klicke bitte unten.
Disclaimer: All medical information in this post is merely information & not advise. If you need medical advice, please consult your doctor or other appropriate medical professional.