BC Forestea

The blend's signature smoky profile is shaped by alder wood, cherry wood, and, when available, oak—enhanced with the subtle sweetness of local cherry wood and the rich complexity of oak repurposed from whiskey casks. This is a Canadian interpretation of the Chinese Imperial Scenting Method, intertwined with the origins of Lapsang Souchong, traditionally smoked with pine wood in the Wuyi Mountains region of Fujian. Having designed and engineered a smoke multi-level smoke house, our Master Blenders use a cold-smoking method with small chips of wood, slowly heated over an electric element to mimic the robust fires used in Lapsang Souchong production. By carefully controlling humidity, temperature, and concentration of smoke aromatics, this smoked tea also reflects the evolution of the Chinese Imperial Scenting Method by incorporating the techniques of British Columbia's First Nations, who use smoke houses to make smoked salmon. A true artisan creation, this blend—along with the Pu-Erh—is a rare, collectible tea that matures gracefully under precise humidity and consistently low temperatures. Akin to a vintage Bordeaux, this tea becomes softer and more nuanced over time, yielding increasingly complex notes over months of palate exploration.