Awa Tea

If you’ve never tried mixing up a batch of fresh awa tea, you’re in for a soothing surprise! Don’t let the muddy color or earthy flavor get in the way of this truly unique fruit experience. Awa is an acquired taste, and loved for its calming effect without any intoxication (or legal issues).

This recipe can be scaled up for larger batches, but be sure to drink what you make within about two days. It stores well in the refrigerator, but only for a short time.

Talk with your pediatrician before serving awa to little ones, as it might be too advanced of a beverage for them. More for the big kids!

Keep reading to learn how to make kava tea!

FRUITNAME DRINK RECIPE NAME

• Prep time: 30 mins
• Servings: 3-4
• Good for: gluten-free, vegan
• Difficulty: medium

Preparing awa or kava tea is a hands on experience. First, you’ll take some whacks at the fresh flesh with a meat tenderizer so that the calming kalvacones are released from the tough fibers. Then, the pulverized awa flesh is placed in a mesh straining bag before submerging it in a bowl of warm water and squeezing the heck out of it to make a potent, brown, watery tea. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz fresh awa
• 3 cups warm water
• 3 pineapple wedges for serving

EQUIPMENT:

• Clean hands
• Large bowl
• Heavy cutting board
• Damp cotton kitchen towel
• Meat tenderizer or food safe mallet
• Chef knife or meat cleaver
• Measuring cup
• Food safe mesh or cheesecloth bag
• Tea kettle or small saucepan

PREPARE THE AWA: 

• Begin by warming up the water in a tea kettle or saucepan. The water should be very warm, but cool enough for your hands to be comfortable.
• To secure your cutting board, place a dampened cotton kitchen towel flat on the counter surface, then place your cutting board on top of it. Then, using a sharp chef’s knife or meat cleaver, slice the awa into chunks. 
• Place the chunks into a mesh bag. Then, using your meat tenderizer or heavy mallet, rigorously mash the awa until the flesh is pulverized and the fibers are loose.
• Insert the bag of crushed awa into the bowl of warm water, dipping it in and out of the water a few times to start. Then, using your clean hands, begin to squeeze and wring the awa in the water to mix up a potent batch of relaxing brew. Keep aggressively squeezing the awa for up to ten minutes or when the water is an opaque, cloudy, brown color.
• Pour the mixed awa tea into 6-8oz cups and serve with a chunk of sweet pineapple.
• Store leftover awa in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days

If all that mashing gives you hesitation, you can use this recipe and place the awa and water in a high powered blender. Then, strain the mixture through a mesh bag or cheesecloth to eliminate the inedible fibers. Big fans of awa tea swear by the manual method for potency and flavor, but this is a good option for beginners to try!

Our fresh, minimally frozen awa as a very short shelf life. FruitStand recommends using fresh awa as soon as it arrives. 

How did you like this awa recipe? Try even more awa and weird fruit recipes from your FarmStand fam on our blog!

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