Hey everyone,
Thought I would post my Formosahuasca (Acacia Confusa + Syrian Rue) Brew TEK. I'm sure there are many variations, but after trying a few different kinds myself, this one brings me the deepest and most meaningful teas so far.
INGREDIENTS:
Acacia Confusa root bark (140g)
Syrian Rue (18g)
Citric acid (1-2g) or fresh lemon juice
Natural cotton soup bag
Earthenware pot
6-7 Liters of water (Ionized Alkaline or Distilled is best)
Large Ziploc bag
Smokable herbs
Clean kitchen
Good tunes!
PRE-STEP: Freeze and Thaw
The night before I want to make my brew, I put my root bark into the Ziploc bag and add about 500ml of water, or enough that the roots are fully immersed. I then freeze them and go watch a movie or occupy myself long enough so that it can freeze. Once it is frozen, I then fill my sink with warm water, and give the frozen mixture a warm bath to thaw it all out completely (do not thaw in a microwave), and then put it back into the freezer and go to bed. The next morning I will remove the bag and let it naturally thaw out. DO NOT DISCARD THE WATER OR EMPTY THE BAG BEFORE YOU ARE ABOUT TO BREW. That water will be used in the brew.
STEP 1: Cleanliness is next to Godliness
Clean the kitchen with some good tunes!
STEP 2: Teabag
Put my shredded root bark in the natural cotton soup bag. This will act like a large teabag and will help when you want to remove the bark at the end. I've tried bag and no bag and there is no difference in the tea other than not having to use a strainer with the possibility of spilling some of the tea and the mess that goes with it.
STEP 3: Brew Time
Add the water from the freeze/thaw container to your earthenware pot (1L) and then add another 1L to make a total of 2L. Then add the shredded root bark teabag to the water. Add one 'pinch' of citric acid to it. A pinch between your fingers is all you need, as the freeze/thaw method helps to break down cell walls already. You could also use a squirt of fresh lemon juice.
At this point, before you turn your stove on, I always like to make my first blessing to the brew. I give it my intentions and what I would like to receive from the experience. I will blow herbal smoke directly on the brew as I'm doing this.
I will then turn on the heat to high; until I see the first signs of bubbling then reduce the heat to a simmer. This means you should just see some steam coming off the brew, no bubbles or boiling of any kind. I do not leave the lid on as I want as much of the water to evaporate.
STEP 4: The Check-ups
Every hour I will return to stir the brew gently and giving blessings once again. I will also top up the water as needed due to the evaporation taking place. You do not need to add more citric acid.
STEP 5: Do It Again
After four hours of brewing and three check-ups, I remove the brew from the heat. I take out the teabag and using oven gloves; I pour off the brew into a large glass mixing bowl and cover it. If you don't have a glass mixing bowl, you'll need to wait until the brew cools to room temperature so you can transfer it to a plastic or other material container. DO NOT TRANSFER HOT LIQUID TO PLASTIC CONTAINERS, because they may put petrochemicals and other hazardous by products into your brews. I the put the teabag back into the earthenware pot and start all over again following the same steps as before. 2L water, teabag, pinch of citric acid, blessings, heat. The second brew will go for another four hours, same as the first.
STEP 6: Reduce
Near the end of the second round of brewing, around the 6 to 7 hour mark I will stop adding the top-ups of water and just let the brew reduce to a smaller portion, around 500-750ml. This gives me the room I need in my pot to add the first brew. I add the brews together and let them reduce together with the teabag still in for the last hour or so. This final mixture can reduce to your own desire, but just remember that you have to drink it, so if you like drinking 250ml of brew that's fine, but I prefer a 100ml gulp. I always determine how many sessions I'm making it for or how many participants will be there and divide accordingly. i.e. A 5 person ceremony will get reduced down to 500ml or 4 single voyages will get reduced to 400ml.
STEP 7: Storage
You've now got your formosahuasca brew. Before you store your brew anywhere, make sure it is at room temperature. DO NOT PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER IF IT IS HOT OR WARM. You can store it in the fridge if you will be using it within 7 days or so, but any longer than that and I would freeze it. Let the stored brews return to room temperature again before consumption.
Final Note: I really urge all participants of any ceremony to take the time to bless their own brews; during the brewing process and before consumption. It's very important to not skip this step, IME it makes ALL the difference.
The Rue Brew
STEP 1: Take whole Syrian Rue seeds and place them into and earthenware pot with 1L of water. Bless your new brew!
STEP 2: Add a pinch of citric acid (very little is needed) to the mix. Then stir it around making sure all the seeds are submerged, and then turn on the heat. This process is very similar to making your acacia brew, and you should not let this boil but only simmer (there should only be steam rising from the water). Let this simmer for around 4 hours, checking in on it every 30mins - 1hour and top up the water when needed, but try not to let it get below 500ml while you're brewing it. After the four hours you can reduce this to your desired level. (I've let it go as long as 6 hours, but I think most of what is wanted is there by the fourth hour)
STEP 3: Once this brew is finished, let it cool down to room temperature and transfer it to your storage containers. Storing your Rue brew is identical to the formosahuasca. Always remember to let it cool to room temperature.
I always prefer using glass to store any of my spices/brews/herbs and so on, so I'm guaranteed I'm not getting any plastic chemicals into what I'm about to consume. I use this rule for my foods as well. This will also help cut down time needed to wait for things to cool to room temperature when doing a transfer, because the glass will be able to handle the heat of near boiling substances.
I hope this is of some use to all people from beginner to advanced. Enjoy, and if you have something you can share or add to this, by all means do so. I hope there is something that can improve or build upon this to make it even better!