If so, could you please lay out how to use a crock pot to cook aya? The benefit seems to be longer brewing times without having to watch it. Does this method work just as well as brewing it in a big pot? Thanks in advance.
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Does anybody use a crock pot/slow cooker to brew aya?
- Thread starter Jungleheart
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The Day Tripper
Rennasauce Man
Its the only way i brew now a days. I usually add enough water to cover your vine, and a 1/2 capful of vinegar. Cook it for 8 hrs, then tip the pot and pool the liquid in one corner and the (shredded works best here) vine in another. Scoop out as much tea as possible and leave the bark. Cook once more with enough water to cover the vine, but this time for 4 hours. Decant off the tea, turn off the crockpot and let your vine cool.
Now take the vine, and freeze it overnight. This helps break down the plant material and more alkaloids can come out. Thaw and cook another 6 hrs, strain, and one last 6 hr cook to be sure nothing was left behind.
It takes a day or two, but you don't have to sit and watch it like brewing, just set a timer and forget about it. If you want to stir it a few times thats good too. Then combine all your liquids, let it decant and filter it through cotton. Make sure its still hot for this process, don't filter harmala solutions cold. Reduce the liquid as much as desired, and filter again if theres still undissolved crap in your brew when its hot.
I do it this way, usually using 100-200g of potent vine, and freeze a few doses worth of reduced aya. It keeps for a very long time in the freezer and it won't mold (happened to brews i've had in my fridge). Crock pot brewing takes a bit of time, but its alot less of a hassle then straight up brewing, especially if you are using shredded vine or stuff you cracked open yourself. Powdered vine will be a major pain in the ass to brew in a crock pot, having shredded makes it much easier to pull off the liquid and less sediment.
Now take the vine, and freeze it overnight. This helps break down the plant material and more alkaloids can come out. Thaw and cook another 6 hrs, strain, and one last 6 hr cook to be sure nothing was left behind.
It takes a day or two, but you don't have to sit and watch it like brewing, just set a timer and forget about it. If you want to stir it a few times thats good too. Then combine all your liquids, let it decant and filter it through cotton. Make sure its still hot for this process, don't filter harmala solutions cold. Reduce the liquid as much as desired, and filter again if theres still undissolved crap in your brew when its hot.
I do it this way, usually using 100-200g of potent vine, and freeze a few doses worth of reduced aya. It keeps for a very long time in the freezer and it won't mold (happened to brews i've had in my fridge). Crock pot brewing takes a bit of time, but its alot less of a hassle then straight up brewing, especially if you are using shredded vine or stuff you cracked open yourself. Powdered vine will be a major pain in the ass to brew in a crock pot, having shredded makes it much easier to pull off the liquid and less sediment.
staresatwalls
Rising Star
^yes, great idea i can't wait to put it to use. i chuckled when my grandma got me a slow cooker after over hearing me talk about it for my birthday. she would be proud :d
Daytripper, thanks for your great response! I too will refer to this in the future.
I always do this, i do three x 8 hour simmers in the crackpot and then reduce.
Daytrippers method sounds a bit more refined though, ill have to give that a shot!
Daytrippers method sounds a bit more refined though, ill have to give that a shot!
indeed, crock pots a great way of brewing aya. i suspect probably the most efficient and easy method to get the most alkaloids possible from the healing vine.
I also do the freeze over night thing and would like to some day to a side by side comparrison of different brewing methods by extracting the haramalas of the different brewed tea's to see which ones yield the most and finally have actual facts as to the most efficient method of brewing the vine once and for all rather than just opinions. the information would be invaluable as to validity of using vinegar, the 3 by 3 method vs. single boil, and does freezing the vine in the end realease more alkaloids. It would be a great information gathering hunt and hope to get started when i return home.
My money would be on day trippers method.
I also do the freeze over night thing and would like to some day to a side by side comparrison of different brewing methods by extracting the haramalas of the different brewed tea's to see which ones yield the most and finally have actual facts as to the most efficient method of brewing the vine once and for all rather than just opinions. the information would be invaluable as to validity of using vinegar, the 3 by 3 method vs. single boil, and does freezing the vine in the end realease more alkaloids. It would be a great information gathering hunt and hope to get started when i return home.
My money would be on day trippers method.
I would think the single boil method is used by curanderos simply because it´s just a lot easier to use more caapi and chakruna, and boil it down in one go, and accept some loss of extraction in favor of a smoother ahahuasca. They aren´t concerned about extracting every bit of goodness from the vine because it´s free and in abundance. I would assume that this is more of an issue for westerners trying to get the best value for money out of their overpriced internet purchaced caapi, and i can´t blame them either.
christian said:
EXACTLY! with an unlimited free supply in your backyard convenience will take president over efficiency. well said Christian.
nickynack338
Rising Star
Above it was said that powdered vine would be a bitch to deal with and this is all i have at the moment. Any tips on using powdered vine with out ripping your hair out?
astralspice
Rising Star
try getting one of those stainless steel tea balls maybe. Or you can grab a re-usable tea bag.
I only suspect this would be the best bet but having never tried it don't take my advice lol
I only suspect this would be the best bet but having never tried it don't take my advice lol
The Day Tripper
Rennasauce Man
nickynack338 said:
I've heard %65 polyester, and %35 cotton cloth works best for filtering plant particles. I would add your dry vine to a double layered piece of poly/cotton cloth, then fold it up and use a piece of wire, string, or a rubber band to seal it at the top. Use it like a big tea bag and have something to suspend the top part from the top ring of the crock pot. Just so it cant float around or bust open. If you sealed it very well you could just let it float, but i usually take a piece of wire and suspend it facing down in the pot.
Then gentely squeeze out the tea ball after brewing, making sure your not squeezing so hard that powder is slipping though (it will). Repeat, and freeze the bag once or twice if you want too.
The other method i know works with powdered vine would be to pour the powder/water sludge off into a tall narrow container, and let it decant. Preferably w/ a source of vibration (dishwasher, washing machine, sub-woofer, etc nearby) Pipette/turkey baster/pour the top layer off after all the sediment settles, then pour the sludge back in the crock pot and add water and repeat. Might take 5-6 pulls since your not getting as much water our each time as with straining, or filtering, but it gets the job done.
If your gonna do that route though, (tall container, and decanting) i think it would be best to just cook it in that container. IE put it on a pad in a stainless steel pot (or crockpot if it fits) and cook it via hot water bath. No pouring between pots/crockpots and narrow container to decant from.
You could also skip the crockpot/stovetop and just microwave the tall narrow container up to boiling several times, waiting a few hours between doing so, letting it settle then decanting off. Add more water/acid and repeat. If i were going this route though, i would use some kind of acid, and make it a week long project. Kinda like a cwe, but with intermittent heating every few hours or a couple times a day. Just let it soak for at least 3 days and heat it as often as you can remember to.
nickynack338
Rising Star
Thanks DayTripper! I will definitely try your polyester-cotton tea bag method.
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