Chaga tea, can anyone tell me where

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BILLy

Full Member
Apr 16, 2005
734
0
57
NORTH WALES
Hi all
I'm looking to try some Chaga tea, can anyone recommend a producer of it please, what I expect to taste, and how to drink it please
Cheers
Bill


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bikebum1975

Settler
Mar 2, 2009
664
1
49
Connecticut
Don't know of any places you can buy it sure they are out there. Far as taste it's an earthy taste. If you have birch trees that's where to find it. Brewing it you don't want to boil the water that's bad to hot. Steep the chaga add some sugar if ya can't handle full taste. It's acquired but good.
 

Papa Tac

Member
Jul 13, 2012
36
0
Codroy Valley, NL, Canada
Boiling it actually releases more of Chaga's goodness - I've simmered it for an hour or two, but 10 minutes will do in a pinch.
I use 2-3 chunks about the size of your thumb.
Makes a delicious dark tea, maybe add some honey. Or save the chaga water for cooking oatmeal.
You can buy it online, or find it yourself.
Best quality stuff will come from a place with clean air and environment - like Newfoundland :eek:
But I am biased...
Cheers
 

bilmo-p5

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 5, 2010
8,168
9
west yorkshire
I have only recently started taking chaga. I grind mine and brew it in a Smart Cafe cafetiere mug. I use boiling water and leave it for about 20' before pushing the plunger. When I've finished I keep & use the grounds a 2nd time and leave it for longer. I tastes best for me with a spoonful of honey or maple syrup. It's an unusual but not unpleasant taste; earthy/nutty ish.
 
Mar 15, 2011
1,118
7
on the heather
Hi Bill.
Id like to help you out Bro but I'm not %100 sure what I have here is True Tinder Fungus, takes a spark good though, as its for consumption Id need an expert standing next to me to say yes or no first.

 
Last edited:

Ed the Ted

Forager
Dec 13, 2013
144
41
Scotland
Looks like chaga to me mate. OP, if you fancy some chaga I have a box of prime dried highland stuff I collected a couple of months ago. Not sure what the going rate is but it doesn't look cheap on the health food-ie sites! The tea is good and I think an additional alcohol extraction is good, never tried that myself though!
 

baggins

Full Member
Apr 20, 2005
1,563
302
49
Coventry (and surveying trees uk wide)
Hey 21stcpict,
it does look like Chaga, but be aware, only use it from living trees, not dead branches or trunks (the pic looks like the branch it is on is on the ground). dead tree, dead chaga, and it looses it beneficial properties very quickly. also, been told not to harvest it while the sap is rising.
trying so hard to find it down here, have a couple of probable hits but yet to harvest.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,972
4,621
S. Lanarkshire
So far, all we've gathered has filled those 'criteria', but I'd like to know where and how someone did the research on that.
When it's taken fresh, and that branch still looks 'fresh' it's a good rich toffee colour inside. It dries to that too, while rotted stuff dries manky brown all through.

Any links ?

cheers,
Toddy
 

Alreetmiowdmuka

Full Member
Apr 24, 2013
1,106
13
Bolton
wow £22 a bag!!!! Plus P&P on top. I did not realise it was so expensive.
Iv never tried it but would like to one day.

Yeah steep! I hadn't tried it myself before but have too say I really enjoy the taste n have been drinking two to three cups a day.when I first read about chaga I had the intention of going out too the woods and foraging my own but from my understanding is that chaga is extremely hard too find were I live n prefers a more northern climate.a vegetarian friend of mine put me onto the hybrid herbs.yeah expensive but something I really wanted too try.


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Mar 15, 2011
1,118
7
on the heather
Hey 21stcpict,
it does look like Chaga, but be aware, only use it from living trees, not dead branches or trunks (the pic looks like the branch it is on is on the ground). dead tree, dead chaga, and it looses it beneficial properties very quickly. also, been told not to harvest it while the sap is rising.
trying so hard to find it down here, have a couple of probable hits but yet to harvest.
Hi Baggins
Yeah it was a dead trunk on the ground, I don't know much about chaga, so cheers for the info, only from living trees, got it.
 

baggins

Full Member
Apr 20, 2005
1,563
302
49
Coventry (and surveying trees uk wide)
All the info i have on it came from the 1st medicinal mushroom conference held last month. My partner went along to do all the IT stuff as we are friends with the chap who organised it and they had some great speakers, including Roger Philips and various specialists in Bio pharmacy and mycology. My partner has all the info, so i shall ask her if the has some further links i can share.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,972
4,621
S. Lanarkshire
That would be very interesting, thank you :)

I know of the chaga as the 'food store' kind of thing, while the spores are released when the tree finally dies and the bark splits…it's a kind of grey mould fruiting body that spores, not the chaga, iirc.
Generally the chaga here pretty much says the tree's dead, or pretty close to on it's way. I know in other countries they talk of it re-growing. Maybe their trees are a lot longer lived than most here :dunno:
'Dead' chaga is crummy blackened manky looking stuff.

M
 

woodstock

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 7, 2007
3,568
68
67
off grid somewhere else
I have taken it as a tea since receiving some from Toddy to whom im internally grateful, I place a piece in boiled water and simmer for about 20min then take it off the heat and let it steep for about 10 remove it from the water to re-use and I must say I feel fantastic no tummy problems and im hitting normal on the Bristol stool chart:lmao:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=b...-P60qP8tM:&usg=__OE7_LIlCqXLpqpx01oXWh48brLg=
 

BILLy

Full Member
Apr 16, 2005
734
0
57
NORTH WALES
Thanks All for your kind replies,
Big thanks for ofering me some 21st century pict and Ed the Ted, I would have to be 100% sure its Chaga, does anyone know what the life is on harvested Chaga?I`ve herd it only really grows in high and low cold climes? so would be no chance of me finding any in North Wales, Im sure we picked some while in Norway on exped this year, not for the tea but for the tinder, again not 100% sure but will check later, Woodstock, I Have No 6 and 7 in the chart so hoping it would help with that side of it as well, Baggins, I would be very interested if you can post that information also thank you
Regards
Bill
 

baggins

Full Member
Apr 20, 2005
1,563
302
49
Coventry (and surveying trees uk wide)
Hi all,
Most of what Anna learnt was obviously verbal, as it was a conference. but she has recommended these books for further reading. Martin Powell was the speaker that offered all the advice on Chaga.
For all thing medicinal mushroom, including chaga, try Martin Powell.
1, Medicinal Mushrooms, the essential guide. (a more accessible version for beginners)
2, Medicinal Mushrooms, a clinical guide. (a more technical guide for health care practitioners)

also, for general Medicinal Mushroom info, you can try;
Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms by Paul Stamets (as an aside, his book, Mycelium running, is a fantastic read on how mushrooms can save the world).
And if you like Paul Stamets, give this video on medicinal mushrooms a watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXHDoROh2hA

Also, if this is a topic that interests you, Fred Gillam at 'the wild side of life', who organised the medicinal mushroom conference, is planning to do another one next year. i couldn't go this year as i was on call for work, but will be going next year as it sounded fascinating.

hope this helps

Baggins
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,972
4,621
S. Lanarkshire
Thank you for that Baggins (and thank Anna too please ? :D )

It sounds like the kind of conference that would make a very interesting report. I don't suppose Anna has any details of an on- line site associated with it ?

atb,
M
 

baggins

Full Member
Apr 20, 2005
1,563
302
49
Coventry (and surveying trees uk wide)
hey Toddy,
unfortunately, as this was the first conference, and Anna volunteered her IT services 2 days before it started. nothing was enabled for online reports or follow ups. (they didn't even have a projector or anything before Anna arrived, lol!). Hopefully next years will be a bit more organised.
I'll post up some date once it gets organised.
 

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