flipLabrador Tea Infusion from the Laurentian Forests
Labrador Tea Infusion from the Laurentian Forests
Why this dish? Hélène Dorion walks in the Laurentian forests, boots on her feet, meditating on nature and belonging. An infusion of plants from those same forests extends this intimate dialogue between the poet and the landscape that nourishes her work.
A fragrant tisane made from Labrador tea leaves, a boreal plant from Quebec's forests, sweetened with a dash of maple syrup. A warm, resinous drink to sip after a walk in the cold.
When I come back from the forest, boots still cold, I like to wrap my hands around a warm cup. This woodland tisane tastes of the very place I just walked through—something resinous, a little wild, that the maple softens. I drink it slowly, watching the light fade among the trees. It's my way of keeping a bit of the forest with me, until the words return.
- •Labrador tea leaves (Rhododendron groenlandicum) — a small handful (base infusion)
- •Spring water — enough to cover (medium)
- •Maple syrup — a drizzle (sweetener)
Labrador Tea Infusion from the Laurentian Forests
A fragrant tisane made from Labrador tea leaves, a boreal plant from Quebec's forests, sweetened with a dash of maple syrup. A warm, resinous drink to sip after a walk in the cold.
Why this dish? Hélène Dorion walks in the Laurentian forests, boots on her feet, meditating on nature and belonging. An infusion of plants from those same forests extends this intimate dialogue between the poet and the landscape that nourishes her work.
When I come back from the forest, boots still cold, I like to wrap my hands around a warm cup. This woodland tisane tastes of the very place I just walked through—something resinous, a little wild, that the maple softens. I drink it slowly, watching the light fade among the trees. It's my way of keeping a bit of the forest with me, until the words return.
Ingredients (period version)
- Labrador tea leaves (Rhododendron groenlandicum) — a small handful (base infusion)
- Spring water — enough to cover (medium)
- Maple syrup — a drizzle (sweetener)
Ingredients
- Dried Labrador tea leaves — 1 tsp per cup (light infusion) (base infusion)
- Water — 250 ml per cup (medium)
- Maple syrup — 1 tsp (sweetener)
Method
- Bring water to a simmer (not a rolling boil).
- Add the Labrador tea leaves and steep gently for 5 to 8 minutes.
- Strain into a cup.
- Sweeten with a drizzle of maple syrup and drink hot.
- Consume in moderation: Labrador tea is a potent plant, infuse lightly and avoid during pregnancy.
How it was made : Labrador tea is a traditional beverage of the First Nations of the Northeast, later adopted by Quebecers. This recipe respectfully draws on that Indigenous knowledge without claiming to reproduce its ritual use; it is meant as an evocation of boreal foraging.
The contemporary twist : A few balsam fir needles added at the end of steeping for an even more vivid forest note; served in a raw stoneware cup.
Hélène Dorion · Charactorium
