Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Natural Fermentation w/ 1970s Fuzhuan Brick – Part 2

i) The above photo shows the result of 2 months of fermentation at room temperature. The color of the tea brine has lightened considerably from the first day in mid Nov 2015. ii) To stabilize the batch the jar was refrigerated. The reduced state in the follow up photo shows that I have been actively testing the results for the past month.

There is always a fair amount of uncertainty involved when fermenting with new ingredients. This batch consisting of the 1970s Fuzhuan Brick in particular made me especially anxious and nervous due to the many unknown variables with age tea. Keeping a close watch on developments I was on high alert for bad molds and bacterial growth throughout the fermentation period. Thankfully the fermentation progressed relatively* smoothly.

With risk comes reward and the power of this batch of fermentation has made me quite excited. From the early observations of my body’s response to consuming this batch of homemade probiotics I have been getting consistently better and more effective results than previous batches. In terms of improved digestion, breakdown of food, and increased bowel movement – this is definitely my best batch so far. The probiotics cultivated in this age tea batch appears to really suit my body’s disposition and makes me feel good whenever I take it. The brine has a crisp and clean taste and a small sip before meals can help stimulate appetite. Furthermore it also acts as a wonderful catalyst for the body in the breakdown of food and removal of the resulting waste. This has provided me with the sense of increased efficiency in my bodily functions and as a result I have been feeling especially in good health.

*4 days into the fermentation the Thai makok floated above the protection of the brine. To minimize the risks of contamination and spoilage I decided to remove the fruits.