Redwoods – Redwood Fog
When we think about flavor inspiration, we often talk about fruit trees in bloom, street markets bustling with aroma, or sweet treats enjoyed on our travels. But sometimes, the most evocative flavors don’t come from what we taste on our tongues, but from what we feel in the air. The quiet hush of a redwood forest. The mist that clings to your hair and wraps around your shoulders. That particular scent of earth, evergreen, and dew.
For this installment of our National Park series, we’re heading to one of my absolute favorite parks, home to the tallest trees in the world — Redwoods National and State Parks. Our flavor tribute: the Redwood Fog. Inspired by the classic London Fog – but with a twist for the Redwoods – it blends earl gray and vanilla, with pine and cranberry. It’s a true homage to one of the coolest trees and forests I’ve ever seen.
A Forest of Giants
Redwoods National and State Parks protect the tallest trees on Earth. Located along the northern California coast, this collection of parks spans over 130,000 acres and is home to Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), which can live for more than 2,000 years and grow over 300 feet tall. Walking through these ancient forests, the light dims and the air feels cooler. Every footstep feels reverent and alive.
The parks were officially established in 1968, but these forests have existed for millions of years—and they’ve been home to Indigenous communities long before any modern conservation effort. Tribes such as the Yurok, Tolowa, Hoopa, and Karuk have stewarded this land across generations, and their history is intricately tied to the redwood groves.
Devastatingly, in the mid- to late 19th century, the timber industry expanded tremendously in response to settlers expanding their reach and creating sawmills. In just a few decades, nearly all of the old-growth forest was owned by the timber industry, and only 5% of the forest remains today. Efforts over the last century were critical in fighting back against deforestation of these ancient and inspiring giants – without it, we likely wouldn’t have any Coast Redwoods left.
Today, visitors come to wander the shaded trails, drive through misty scenic byways, or spot Roosevelt elk grazing in the nearby prairies. The experience is both grounding and awe-inspiring, and critical in sharing the importance of these forests. Conservation efforts remain vitally important, not only to preserve the trees, but the vast ecosystems they support.
Through the Fog
One of the defining features of the redwood region is the fog. It creates an atmosphere akin to a dream, and keeps the forest cool in the summer months. However, it’s also a large reason that the redwoods are able to reach such heights. From May to October, a thick fog crawls inland from the Pacific Ocean, blanketing these forests. It provides a critical source of water in the drier months, ultimately making up roughly 30% of the annual water intake for coast redwoods.
Another fascinating features of the redwoods trees is their ability to essentially create their own rain from the fog! The moisture from the fog condenses onto their needles and branches, forming water droplets that fall to the understory. Just another piece of the perfect symbiosis these trees both live in and create.
Redwood Fog
We wanted to capture the Coast Redwood itself, as well as the calm, quiet complexity we felt amongst them. So we created the Redwood Fog, a flavored tea that brings us right back to that foggy, peaceful morning. At its base we have Earl Gray and vanilla, two main components of the London Fog. Next, we added in pine – whilst Redwood trees are not in fact pine trees, they are cousins in the conifer family (this is a scientific distinction that I sometimes don’t quite follow – did you know not all “pinecones” can actually be called that? Conifers that aren’t pine trees just reproduce using “cones”, like a sequoia cone. But that’s not nearly as fun or easy to remember!).
Finally, we added cranberry, a nod to another fascinating characteristic of the Redwood trees. Redwoods get their name from the reddish-hue of their bark, which comes from tannins. These protect them from fungus and insects, but also makes them resistant to fire. Like the giant sequoias, you’ll often see fire scars on their bark, evidence of past fires. Their special bark is one of the main reasons redwoods live so long – the oldest official coast redwood is at least 2,200 years old!
Applications
Redwoods might not be the kind of park where you pick fruit along the trail or picnic near a geyser, but they offer something else entirely—a place to slow down, breathe deeply, and take in the world at an entirely different scale.
Our Redwood Fog flavor works beautifully in applications like artisan confections, infused beverages, or on-the-go snacks. The grounding notes of pine and tea are balanced by a creamy vanilla body and just the right brightness from cranberry.
Contact us if you’d like to try a sample or chat about how to bring Redwood Fog to your next product launch. We love working with brands that are as inspired by the outdoors as we are. And stay tuned—next up in our National Parks series might be desert dunes or mountain peaks…
Nature is full of stories. We’re just here to help you taste them.
