Maine's Gourmet Teas Story by: JOHN BREERWOOD
It’s odd that Americans have yet to discover tea that’s nearly 5,000 years old and the most consumed beverage worldwide. Perhaps that disconnect happened when we chose freedom over tea by dumping it into Boston Harbor? But, Mainers like discovering themselves and their state, and more and more folks are finding out how wonderful the mighty leaf is. Just like its craft beer industry, Maine’s tea companies are committed to quality and solidarity. Green Tree Coffee and Tea, Cup of Sea, Tempest in a Teapot, and Bar Harbor Tea Company are here to either warm your bones or cool your jets, depending on the weather. I actually began drinking tea out of necessity. Coffee in excess gave me jitters and bellyaches, so I needed an alternative. Gradually, tea would become my daily beverage since it’s
52 summer / fall | 2021
so versatile in flavor and mood. Once I began drinking “loose tea” I was hooked. The freshness was undeniable. John Ostrand, owner of Green Tree Coffee and Tea said, “Generally, speaking, I think Maine, like the rest of the country, is just discovering loose teas.” Most of us are familiar with the box or tin containing several little bags. Loose tea, however, allows you to scoop leaves into bags or reusable tea steepers. “Once people discover the difference in quality and that they can do their own ‘blending,’ they are more interested in tea,” he said. Ostrand began roasting coffee for the hospitality industry as early as 1997. Located in Lincolnville Beach, Green Tree Coffee and Tea eventually expanded their offerings, carrying blended gourmet teas. Preferring his “jolt of coffee” in the morning, Ostrand said, “I just really started enjoying tea in the afternoon.” The Fogbuster (black) and Wellness Blend (herbal) are popular blends for their rich flavors. The Ceylon Estate and Organic Green Ginger Pineapple are delicious iced on a hot day. Cup of Sea blends locally sourced seaweed and loose tea, which has a pleasant, salty essence
Photo courtesy of Bar Harbor Tea Company
Living Loose
that is unlike anything I’ve had, short of tasting the ocean itself. Founder Josh Rogers said, “Seaweed is local and it’s as ‘Maine’ as lobsters or blueberries.” Emigrating from Canada to Grand Manan Island, Rogers’s greatgrandparents enjoyed both eating seaweed and drinking tea. While working in New York City, Rogers recalled his great-grandparents’ passions and combined them into a memorable tea as a testimony to his home state. “I missed the Maine Coast so much that I wanted something with the power to transport me there every day,” he said. “The aroma and taste of our blends have that effect.” In doing so, Rogers’s company is the first worldwide to sell seaweed tea. The Sailor’s Cure-All, an herbal, is a turmeric-ginger/seaweed tea, an aromatic, zesty blend that serves as a good remedy for inflammation. The Great Wave, a green tea, possesses a mellow, saline goodness. The Sea Smoke is the rauchbier or the Islay scotch of tea— a delicious blend of dulse seaweed and smoked black tea. Rogers describes Sea Smoke as “camping by the beach in Maine.” The Bold Coast Breakfast is more of a traditional black tea with subtle oceanic notes, yet rich in flavor. An iced Emerald Honeybush is refreshing
