A co-worker recently brought some Douglas Fir Tip Tea from Juniper Ridge, and I had forgotten that I stashed a bag in my desk drawer until I was rummaging around trying to find a good tea to take care of the latest chest cold that’s going around. It isn’t advertised as a remedy, but the idea of breathing in the pungent vapors of the fir tree sounded like a pretty good way to soothe my airways.
It comes in unbleached bags, and the color of the brew is a very delicate light green-tan-yellow all at once. It does smell like a Christmas tree, but without the other spicy extras that are tossed into your average seasonal scented candle. There is nothing overpowering about this tisane – it’s simply the clean, bright scent of a the crisp, dry air on a January morning on the Cascade Crest. A lemony overtone creeps through, and it takes me back to my favorite forest campsite in the same way that my first pu’erh did. I think it would go well with a dab of honey, too.
Juniper Ridge is a West Coast company that harvests its organic ingredients in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, doing their best to harvest in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly manner. 10% of their profits go toward defending the western wilderness. They offer soaps, incense, sachets, as well as tea, and host hiking trips and other outdoor events for the public that revolve around what they term as “wildcrafting.” You can read all about it (complete with photos) in their blog! Definitely worth checking out.