Juniper Ridge

I received a sample of this tea from Derk, thank you!

It is so good. It smells like a pine forest in a cup, and it is so relaxing. I love pine notes in tea, and this is just pure, wonderful pine. I will have to get some of this sometime!

April Sipdown Challenge Prompt – an herbal tea for Herbalist Day!

I received a package from beerandbeancurd today! Many thanks!

It was already past our caffeine hours so I started with this one. The smell of the teabags in their pouch was astonishing. High citrus notes but wow, is this ever the scent of the most freshly Christmas tree and greenery ever. Sharp, exquisite pine-y aroma. It is immediately grounding.

The steeped beverage tastes the way it smells, but soft and gentle. When we poured it into our tiny white cups, it looked like a slightly cloudy soft green, and then – even though the leaves were in a fine filter bag – a cloud of soft sage green dust swirls and settles like clouds in the bottom of the cup.

Impressed with this one. I am drying the bags and saving them to stash here and there to enjoy their aroma for a little while longer.

Thank you, beerandbeancurd!

Ordered this because of so many lovely Steepster reviews. I don’t have much to add to what’s already mentioned in said reviews, except a nice long “me too” sigh. I love this, and I don’t really know that I need any other non-caffeinated tisane in my life, ever. The taste, to me, is total fir/evergreen/pine and all their beautiful nuance. I don’t love mint/menthol/camphor flavors, and I don’t get any of that here. Lovely for a rainy day, before bedtime, outside around the fire. Reminds me of camping and Michigan and the PNW — some of my favorite spaces and memories.

An interesting herbal evening tea while catalogging japan lupicia teas.

I won’t rate this one, this go around since I don’t know if I am doing this right.

First mug i put 2 tea bags in this thinking, “hey it says 8 oz of water, I have 14 oz.” Ulck! It was all evergreen tree sap. Like you could raise the dead with this stuff.

Second round: ding! ding! I only used one tea bag for 5 minutes and let it cool down.

Tasting note: Hmm. I get a really sharp medicinal bitterness at the end which reminds me of all the years I crushed/chewed meds that were supposed to be swallowed because I hadn’t developed the swallowing reflex/technique. Lol. This tea is very bitter and medicinal and strong. Pinesol, resin, some sweetness before the medicinal bitter attack. I am giving it two more tries of different brewing methods and if it doesnt behave, im exiling it.

It smells wonderful though, like a sauna or evergreens on a hot day. I guess i could brew it for aroma therapy too. Haha.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – January 2024 Tea #10 – A blend made in your home country
I managed to fill all ten prompts this month!  Nice.  I’m assuming this was made in the USofA, since it uses ingredients from California!    It’s so old now, I remember when it was fresh it was SO strong.  Glad I was able to try it. 
2024 sipdowns: 11

Yesterday I just happened to drink three different teas from TheLastDodo that I received a while ago.  This is a special one I haven’t written a note for yet.  Earlier on this was STRONG.  At times almost seemingly unnaturally strong for what should be a wild/organic tea. Yowzas, but it seems to be taming down at this point.  I’ve enjoyed a few of these over the years though I can never notice the sage.  It’s just EXTREMELY mint.  Mint mint mint so not much to say. But it was time to say something! I’m intrigued that it’s wild.  And for a wild organic tea, this is holding up in freshness very very well.  Always good for the headaches.  The second cup has almost a creamier element to it, which is unexpected.
Steep #1 // 1 teabag // 16 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // many minute steep
2020 Sipdowns: 38 (one of Teavivre’s – Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree Black + Anne’s 52Teas – Blackberries & Cream Shou Mei  + Frank’s 52Teas -Lemon Meringue Chai (one pouch left!)

Brewed with a bag of mildly tart rosehips to cut through the resin-sweet medicinal taste. It adds a gentle fruity taste to the background. My housemate and I spent Sunday cleaning out the garage and creating maneuverable workshop space. Should’ve worn a dust mask. Yerba santa is a good herb to brew when I’m severely stuffed up and mucousy. It worked well to clear me out during fire season, too.

Edit: brewed with a bag of this https://steepster.com/derk/posts/409498 which is not rosehips

My old coworker who now works for Juniper Ridge contacted me again for more work, this time harvesting some other tree or shrub near Grass Valley, CA. This project involves schlepping all the chainsawing gear up a mountain and camping for several days at a time instead of staying in a hotel and working on flat ground like the last few trips. But I can’t go because I love my new job and my days off are incompatible with their camping trips. So if anybody in the San Francisco Bay Area or Grass Valley/Nevada City/Tahoe region has the cojones to attempt this kind of work, send me a message — pleasefixsteepster oot gmail doot coom. They’re chill people.

Yerba Santa is a highly resinous evergreen shrub with long, toothed-lobed leaves and white- to lavender-colored flowers, indigenous to Oregon south to Mexico. I’ve only come across it in one location here in the Bay Area while doing restoration work. While eradicating an invasive grass, I’d toe my way around the yerba santa plants, trying not to disturb them too heavily but I’d always emerge at the end of the day with a sticky pair of work pants, more fragrant with this plant’s sap than with my own sweat. I love the resinous smell, so I’d admittedly wear my work pants for as long as possible before having to wash them :P

The aroma of this tea is difficult to describe and since I’m intimately familiar with the plant, it of course smells like yerba santa. Very resinous, sappy, medicinal. The taste is the same but also quite bittersweet at the same time, with the sweetness seeming similar to stevia for me. The finish is tart and drying with a lingering light bitterness. Immensely body cooling, more like balsam or pine than menthol. As far as medicinal claims, it’s supposed to be good for relieving the symptoms of lower respiratory ailments and allergies and bladder issues as a diuretic. I’m not testing whether this is true but if you follow herbal medicine, maybe give this one a try.

A tea from derk from our very first swap. Thank you. And SIPDOWN 69!

It’s quite sad one, because it is such unique herbal blend. Decided to brew it today morning as I was looking for something uncommon.

And although I don’t feel stuffed up and mucousy as derk suggests, I thought it couldn’t hurt with the similar feeling like yesterday. Cold symptoms. I feel much better today though.

I “grandpa” brewed it, keeping the bag in the mug all the time. I have to say, I have much better experience than in the first time! And I am able to describe it better as well. Resinous and sap like, but with honey base. It’s bitter somehow as well, somehow astringent.

Quite a weird and truly uncommon tea. Shame it’s gone. But well getting only two tea bags… I can consider lucky I even could paw them. Thank you derk for all Juniper Ridge teas!

I came home, prepared myself a cuppa of this one.

Just hot water in mug, where tea bag was. Just keeping bag in. So, while I am writing this line it is over 7 minutes now.

When dry, it smells strongly medicinal, so I was not really sure if it is a tea for me. Like some kind of cleaner which is used in hospitals. Bleh, but who knows, in cup it can be different. And indeed it is! I am afraid I can´t describe it very well, but just few words: “Fresh air, forest floor, after rain”. Those were random ideas whose came to my mind.

11 minutes steep now.
It becames drinkable. It is a honey? No, it is a tea! But really – smooth, honey flavour, maybe bit of roasted. Very, very interesting.

19 minutes
There is some aftertaste, which makes it sour or astringent. That makes it bit unpleasant. Still; it tastes good – but this is queer.

25 minutes
Tea is gone, certainly interesting; but I am not really sure if I would pick it again.

Thank you Derk for all three teas from Juniper Ridge, they are really interesting teas.

There are cups of certain herbs that are especially relaxing for me and this is one of them. My muscles felt much softer and cup full of Vitamin C as I have read somewhere — that’s douglas fir tips tea.

Definitely relaxing, definitely tasty… just something I needed this evening.
Thank you derk for a whole box. That will last for a while.

Unfortunately SIPDOWN.

Yep, small sample from derk it gone.
I needed something to boost my mood, because yesterday I failed an exam from Algortihms and more over teacher accused me of cheating. Of course I was not! “You programmed it two hours ago, you should know now how to do it!”

Stupid teacher. Enough, I would not get angry again.

Rather enjoy this tea. This tea, which I was saving for better days. They did not came for long 6 months. Everything sucks recently. Or I have that feeling.

I even did not had tea yesterday, I had to leave early in the morning and returning back home really late, because of work.

YEEEEAAAAH! It worked. I feel much better now. At least something.

Derk – thank you for this tea. Hopefully I will be able to get something similar as this one here. Orders from US are bit out of range for me.

Rating from 88 to 92.

This is very interesting tea. Thank you Derk for small sample, so I can try it!

Douglas firs aren´t common in my country, they are usually planted as park trees. And I really like their aroma.

Visual: light green, clear liquor
Aroma: really strong! Finnish forest, lemons, citrus fruits, sap
Taste: Unique, lingers for really long; firs, lemons, citrus fruits. But really dry. Sap taste as well. Needles.

I was keeping the bag in a cup for whole time I was drinking it. Maybe I will try to make another steep later. Lovely experience which brought me to Finland.

A new box of tea lavishness from derk arrived today, happy times! It’s too late to indulge in caffeinated tea, but I had to try this tisanne and it doesn’t disappoint.

Before steeping, I dropped the bag into a preheated glass teapot, and the aromas sent me directly to a fir tree forest. Nostalgic, a little sad for the lack of forest around here in Southern Ontario, but also full of beautiful memories.

Once infused, the tea has mostly a citric acidity as one would expect, but it’s got a good sweetness and woodiness supporting it. The balance is pretty good and it drinks well. The aftertaste has some nice vegetal notes and has an interesting throat drying quailty. As far as bagged teas and tisanes go, this is awesome.

Oh well, another “escaped” tasting note.
Anyway, second and last tea bag from derk of this blend from Juniper Ridge. Thank you for picking all 3 for me – this one is really aromatic. It filled my room with mint and sage (how unexpected)

Anyway, I had awful day today. I was doing geometry for 6-7 hours, I did not make everything I should. Friend was not really helpful too! He prefered to sleep. And he did not know anyway. And when coming home, I regret that I did not bring my camera with me and going home about hour earlier. The light was amazing!

Stop complaining Martin and focus on tea. Yeah, this tea. I like the comforting aroma of sage. I think I need it even for herbal effects – I had sore throat back few days, nothing major, but it was there. Now I am have starting headache. Probably I was working too hard and forgot to drink (anything).

It is really nice in matter of aromas. It smells like sage and mint. Yeah it is not really surprising I know. But it is those two, nothing else. Maybe it can remind somebody a toothpaste a bit, but I think there is it far too artificial.

Visual of this tea is amazing as well. Golden; clear with no dust. Actually the pieces in tea bag are quite big which I like very much. I haven´t torn the bag though. If it is loose leaf, I think I can dip whole my body in it. It is just so nice. Not just visual and… already described scents.

Taste…
this is not a surprise. It tastes really herbal – minty and sagey. But it is so smoooth! Like a warm honey into a throat. It is mild; soothing with cooling effect of mint. It is just a perfect herbal for today evening. And another evenings too.

JUNIPER RIDGE rocks! One of the best herbal teas I ever had. Close behind are Swiss teas I am drinking now. I wonder what are Czech producers doing wrong? Using old plants, overdried plants or what is making it so bland? Maybe not interesting blends? Maybe mixing too much different flowers and making it just weird herbal mix? I do not know and I am too afraid to ask.

Derk, thank you once more – another thanks are coming soon with finishing all three, eh – two, Juniper Ridge teas.

Steep time: around 10 minutes (-3+5), I am not really sure. But I think it does change anything.

I wanted something simple today. And I don´t feel writing much today.

Colour of liquor is golden – when brewed. I just kept the bag in, it is herbal, so not a big deal.
Aroma: strongly mint of course, lovely! Maybe bit fir.
Taste: Great herbal tea, mix of mint and sage. Nice ratio, both were dominant earlier or later. It was smooth too and with bit like honey aftertaste.

Have I said it´s from derk? I have not! Now I did, thank you! (By the way, this was the tea that started our swap)
Conclusion: Really nice blend of herbals, I expected much less.

Last month, I took a road trip to visit some old coworkers and had a cup of Juniper Ridge’s Douglas Fir Spring Tips while I was there. I really enjoyed the tea so I perused their website, ordered the 3 teas they had available and came across a job posting on their website for a Production Line Supervisor in Oakland, CA. If anybody is interested, the posting is still up: https://juniperridge.com/wp-content/uploads/PDF/181101_JRCareers_Wildcrafter.pdf

I would’ve applied at the time but I knew I’d be moving soon, so I passed the job posting on to the coworker who gave me a ride from the Bay Area down to Monterey. It seemed like a good fit for somebody with our habitat restoration experience.

Cue yesterday, about a month later, I got an email from a different coworker at our habitat restoration company that closed down last year. He got a new job working for a company that makes essential oils, perfumes, soaps and teas. They source their ingredients sustainably from various locations on the west coast. He’s looking for contacts with landowners and resource agencies so that the company can broaden their harvest-base. I’m sure you can guess, he’s working for Juniper Ridge but in a different role than the job posting I linked.

How strange and exciting.

I made a few mugs of this tonight for both myself and my housemate who is afflicted with the same two-week sickness that I finally recovered from this week. The other one developed bronchitis and the third, who actually lives in an RV out front, developed pneumonia.

Anyway, my housemate really enjoyed this as a hot beverage to soothe her sore throat, cough and burning lungs. The sage lends a good savory base but still has some ethereal qualities, while the mint is pretty strongly cooling and I can feel it with each inhale. Long after I’ve finished the mug, I notice a clean, sweet-tart aftertaste. This herbal tea is simple, refreshing and calming. The white sage and mint are incredibly fresh and despite steeping the bag many minutes past the recommended five, they are not stewy in the slightest.

I’ve tried 2 of the 3 teas available from Juniper Ridge and both have been of excellent quality. Now that I know my old coworker is working for them, I’m even more inclined to purchase their sustainably harvested herbal teas. This makes me happy :)

Two bags to a pint mason jar in the fridge and forgotten for a few days. Is it possible to like this better cold-brewed than hot? The taste is sweeter and sappier, more expressive and clear. It’s really like drinking a Christmas tree.

I crown this my Favorite Herbal Tea for Rainy Season.

It’s a serene walk through the coastal range. Damp and crisp, foggy. Quietude.

The most recent box I bought is sweeter than before and not at all drying. I think the tips were harvested early such that tannins hadn’t started developing yet.

I had been hanging on to my last bag of this for a long time and finally decided to say goodbye.

I’m totally not plugging for Juniper Ridge even though I’ve gotten paid to go on some juniper harvesting expeditions for them.

This is a pricey herbal tea (same price both on their website and at Whole Foods which is the only place I’ve seen it out in the wild), too high for me even given the quality of the material. The Bay Area is not a cheap place to headquarter a business. Regardless, this herbal tea is so unique, calming and refreshing that I’m hoping a sipdown note will spark others’ interest. Maybe I’ll stop pinching pennies and pick up another box once I get my tisane numbers under control.

Upon arriving at my coworker’s apartment, one of the first things I noticed was a collection of beautiful English-style tea cups on a shelf in the kitchen. Her roommate is a tea head! I was shown the stash in the closet and the selection screamed ‘Steepster Member!’ at me. So much loose leaf. She said I could drink anything I wanted, but I remained modest in my selection and only had one of her teas over the weekend. I picked this Douglas Fir Spring Tips because I’ve never seen it around.

We have Doug Fir here in California, but in most of the forests I’ve been in Northern California, Doug Fir is mixed with other tree species. This tea had a damp, dewey quality that reminded me of a moist Cascadian pure Doug Fir forest. It had a sweet fir aroma and tastes of fir, light earth and citrus and nectar sweetness. Wow, what a comforting and refreshing treat for a cold morning on the coast. I have to find this tea.

This tea is a rather old sample, so a fresh one might taste different. I’m mostly getting a sour citrusy flavor here. I don’t taste any pine at all, which is a big disappointment. I don’t know that I’m interested in a fresher sample since I’m not sure I want a citrusy pine tea.

I’ve drank this tea once or twice and haven’t logged it yet. I am having it tonight as my first cup of tea this weekend…lol. And a tisane at that!

So onto the review. I don’t feel like doing a detailed one tonight as I want to get back into my book before bed, but this one is soo savory, I love it. If you like savory teas, you will enjoy. To me it smells like Christmas turkey and mint lol (from the sage). It’s more broth like than tea like. But it’s rejuvenating and soothing to me.

I saw some reviews saying this tea gave them odd dreams. I haven’t experienced that yet with this tea, but as it’s the first time I drink it before bed I guess we will see. I’ll have enough trouble sleeping with daylight saving time kicking in today (sleep time an hour earlier and I’m a night owl lol).

Anyways, this tea is tasty and caffeine free, which is just what I need right now. Very enjoyable for a bagged tea as well.