Know-how
Know-how
Artisanal skills from elsewhere, teas from here...
An universe to explore
DISCOVER THE KNOW-HOW BEHIND OUR
Origin Collection
The First Boreal Teas
Traditional knowledge imported from Asia
Taking the world's traditions on the road
Asia’s tea masters produce tea from the Camellia sinensis plant using a combination of techniques: withering, rolling, oxidizing, drying and more. These are the skills for which tea houses in China, Taiwan, India and Japan are renowned.
Through personal study and tea-related travel in Asia, our Artisan has developed and perfected his knowledge and know-how, which he now applies to our boreal flora.
Wild plants from our terroir
Fireweed: the emblematic plant of Tea of the North.
Hand-harvested in Abitibi, Quebec by our team of pickers, this boreal plant is indigenous to Canada, from coast to coast. This pioneer plant colonizes disturbed soils, including forest fires. Naturally caffeine-free, it is traditionally consumed for its anti-inflammatory properties.
We also produce tea from raspberry and sea buckthorn leaves, among many other plants.
A passionate craftsman
Our local tea producer
Julien Drouin-Bouffard is a self-taught enthusiast of the living world. Like an alchemist, he transforms the aromas of our local plants to bring out the best of them. He became enchanted by the complex and subtle art of tea-making in Asia and he now adapts this know-how and these skills to our terroir.
His mission, by bringing you exquisite and quality infusions, is to change the world… one cup at a time.
After local herbal teas and imported teas, we're revolutionizing the world of infusions by producing one of the first teas from Canada.
Naturally caffeine-free and theine-free
Unique aromas and beneficial medicinal properties
100% local, from wild or cultivated sites
Responsible harvesting, artisanal processing
Tea is about
processing...
not the plant!
Discover the Art of local teas... From leaf to cup
Tea or herbal tea?
It’s important to understand the distinction between tea and herbal tea.
At the heart of this question is that what makes tea is the processing of the plant, not the plant itself.
Of course, we’re all familiar with the Camellia sinensis plant from China, which is processed in a variety of ways to produce white, green, Oolong, black, Pu-erh and other teas.
However, few people know that black tea has also been produced from Fireweed in Russia for centuries.
Now our company produces tea from Fireweed in Quebec. It’s the beginning of a new era for local teas with Tea of the North!
The process for creating herbal tea is as follows:
The leaves of a plant are harvested and then dried at low temperature to preserve their properties and essential oils. This process in no way alters the plant’s original aromas (e.g., dried mint from Canada or Europe). Fireweed or Camellia sinensis leaves can be harvested and dried at low temperatures to make herbal teas… which don’t actually taste that good.
The process for creating tea is as follows:
The leaves of a plant are harvested and processed using techniques involving several precise stages: picking, wilting, rolling, oxidation, high-temperature drying, cooking, roasting, etc.
During the black tea manufacturing process, the action of enzymes naturally present in the plant helps to develop new aromas (e.g. Darjeeling black tea from India). We can therefore harvest Fireweed, raspberry or C. sinensis leaves and subject them to the enzymatic process to make a tasty black tea.
In a nutshell:
- Fireweed leaves harvested and dried at low temperature = Fireweed herbal tea (caffeine-free)
- Fireweed leaves harvested, withered, rolled, oxidized and dried at high temperature = Fireweed black tea (caffeine-free)
- Camelia Sinensis leaves harvested and dried at low temperature = Camellia sinensis herbal tea (with caffeine)
- Camelia sinensis leaves harvested, withered, rolled, oxidized and dried at high temperature = Camellia sinensis black tea (with caffeine)
The presence of caffeine
It’s important to understand that caffeine (also known as theine) is a molecule found in plants. Very few plants in the plant world contain it: coffee, Camellia sinensis, yerba maté, cocoa, guarana, etc.
By the same token, what makes coffee is the processing (fermenting and roasting, in this case), not the plant. Coffee can be made from other roasted plants, but without caffeine: barley coffee, cereal coffee, chicory coffee, dandelion coffee, etc.
In a nutshell:
- Tea is all about transformation.
- Caffeine depends on the plant used.
Voilà!
Processing steps of our Boreal Teas
Workshops
Are you fascinated by local tea-making techniques?
Would you like to pick and roll the leaves yourself using traditional techniques?
During these workshops, I’ll share my journey as a local tea producer, my stories and techniques, and we’ll enjoy drinking numerous different teas together.
Sign up for my newsletter to stay informed of upcoming workshops.
