Eliminating Snot In Simple Extractions/Teas

[brokedownpalace10]

Just what the title says. I hoping to get a thread on different ways people have eliminated snot from simple Pedro (etc.) teas.

I've seen a lot of people touting alcohol extractions. Does alcohol extract less mucilage?

 

[modern]

Cooking will cause it too break down... take a while but not too long.

 

[DansMaTete]

Cook & stir FTW.
Efficient when you stir just before boiling point.

 

[doubledog]

Reduce your tea to low volume and add two times volumes of alcohol - a lot of mucilage separates as a white snot and could be filtered out using some cloth. Boil off the alcohol.

 

[Transform]

Here's another vote for the slow, gentle simmer - hours of patiently skimming foam and swapping over saucepan lids as a way of reducing the brew down without it sticking to the sides of the pan can become quite meditative.

An even slower route is to fortify the brew with alcohol up to a liqueur strength (22 - 35% ABV) and store it for several months, then decant carefully from the sediment. Depending on the cactus, the resulting beverage may even taste quite good.

 

[brokedownpalace10]

A lot of great answers here. I did not realize that the long cooking would eliminate the snot. Does initial extraction with alcohol have any advantages? I see a lot of people recommending it. How about settling in the refrigerator for a few days?

 

[doubledog]

Main advantages of initial high proof alcohol extraction is that you have to deal with much less liquid, almost no snot is created (as snot is a product of mucilage + water) and alcohol is easier to evaporate.
On the other hand, alcohol extracts some stuff which is not extracted by water (probably some fats or other less polar compounds).