A delicious, effervescent, probiotic fermented tea made from Yaupon holly leaves.
Pour near-boiling water over tea leaves in glass quart jar. Let cool to room temperature then add other ingredients and stir vigorously for about 1 minute.
Cover jar with breathable paper towel or fabric, then afix with rubber band to hold in place. Place jar in room temperature environment out of direct sunlight.
Vigorously stir tea with a spoon at least once every 12 hours for 30-60 seconds, then re-cover. After about 7 days, you should start to notice tiny bubbles forming due to microbial activity - this is normal and good. Start taking a small taste once per day after stirring to monitor progress and flavor development.
The fermented tea is "done" when you love the level of flavor and effervescence. We consider ours done at Day 15, but you might prefer to let your fermentation go longer. When done, strain, and store tea in covered jar or bottle in your fridge. Refrigeration arrests fermentation which then shuts down C02 output. Do NOT store finished fermented tea at room temperature or you will create potentially dangerous exploding bottles.
Recommended serving size is about 1/4 cup, which likely contains about as much caffeine as a standard serving of black tea. The flavor of fermented tea is concentrated enough that you can also water it down when serving. Serve chilled or slightly warmed. Do not heat beyond about 150F before serving or you risk killing the probiotic microbes.
Wild fermented Yaupon holly tea https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-make-fermented-tea-not-kombucha/