This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
It does not grow Camellia sinensis in Quebec. This plant, whose common name is “tea tree” and with which tea is made, is grown in Asia in acidic soil in the heart of the mountains and in very high humidity conditions. She couldn’t survive in our climate. Impossible to produce a local tea, therefore. But don’t let the locavores despair! While they’re not likely to drink an Earl Gray or Dragon’s Pearls made here anytime soon, there are some local options available to them. We make you discover them during the Tea Festival which takes place on Saturday in Montreal and on October 15 in Quebec City.
To “locavorize” your tea consumption, you will inevitably have to switch to herbal tea. Indeed, no plant grown here contains the theine found in Camellia sinensis. Fortunately, drinking the boreal forest is a delicious experience and made quite accessible thanks to more and more local companies offering local concoctions.
This is also the mission that Karina Hammond and Nathalie Morand gave themselves when they founded the Tisanerie Mandala, in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, ten years ago now. Inside their tiny Ali Baba’s cave-like shop, there are over 75 natural, organic herbal teas, handmade in their workshop and whose ingredients have been carefully picked by local producers. With their original creations, they try to make the Quebec forest accessible to everyone, one sip of herbal tea at a time.
Endless Possibilities
“We have some very beautiful plants here, which make excellent infusions”, exclaims Karina Hammond with contagious enthusiasm. One thinks, among other things, of Labrador tea, “which is not really a tea”, but whose very mild taste goes perfectly with the woody and herbaceous aromas of our forest. She cites their herbal tea as an example king in the north, a blend of said Labrador tea, rosemary, juniper berries and sage. Nathalie Morand, head tea maker, was inspired by Val-d’Or, her hometown, to create this blend with Nordic aromas that particularly appeals to customers.
However, no local plant can boast of actually reproducing the taste of tea, according to Marie-Chantal St-Pierre, of the small family business Les thés de Charlevoix, established in Baie-Saint-Paul. She also specializes in local herbal teas and relies almost exclusively on plants harvested by hand, on their Charlevois land. She notes that there is fireweed, a native plant with pretty purple flowers that is prepared as an herbal tea, whose taste is somewhat reminiscent of Orange Pekoe black tea, light and fruity. End of comparisons.
Otherwise, the Quebec herbarium also makes it possible to concoct more fruity drinks, using, for example, local dried berries, such as wild blueberries, elderberries, blackberries, strawberries or cranberries, among others, or herbal teas more flowery, with sweet chamomile, lemon balm, yarrow or Quebec mallow. In fact, the possibilities are almost endless… if you have the time to do some taste tests! According to Marie-Chantal, “it can take us up to a year to develop a new herbal tea”.
What if we really want black or green tea?
“The best thing is to encourage small local shops that get their supplies from carefully chosen foreign producers,” explains Marie-Chantal St-Pierre, who has accepted the idea that there will always be a demand for tea from ‘other countries.
This is why it decided to “locavorize” its three blends of tea, one black and two green, in order to meet the needs of its customers. “We tasted several to choose a black and a green one which we then flavored as much as possible with local plants. At Les thés de Charlevoix, black tea goes well with orange, blueberries and rose petals in the blend. Orange or blueberry. Green tea, on the other hand, is blended with hibiscus flowers, strawberries, rhubarb and lilac in the mix. sunny morning and with field berries and chamomile in The time of a berry.
Despite everything, Marie-Chantal still dreams of a Quebec tea. “Initially, we really wanted to grow Camellia sinensis greenhouse,” she says. The project has encountered some pitfalls and has not yet been realized, but it is still and always in the cards. To drink in a few years, perhaps?
Local companies that offer local herbal teas
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, relating to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.