From plant to cup – Discovering Tea

A legendary tea

2 April 2026

Harvesting of the legendary Darjeeling teas begins every year in early March. But what makes Darjeeling so special? It is grown on vast estates that were planted by the British in the mid-19th century – an epic endeavour that left an indelible mark on two countries. The grand saga of the East India Company wrote a page not only in Great Britain’s history, but India’s too. The breathtaking views across stunning landscapes on the roof of the world have helped to create the legend of this exceptional tea, which grows in a unique climate. Harsh winters transition to early summers, which quickly give way to torrential rains until the arrival of a sunny autumn. The camellia thrives on these high slopes, where the acidic, well-drained soil suits it perfectly.

Thousands of men and women (mostly women) pick the most tender shoots, which fetch high prices, despite the fact that working conditions have improved little over the years. If labour shortages continue, they could one day jeopardise the future of the appellation.

Fair wages

20 March 2026

Picking tea by hand is labour-intensive, and the question of how to fairly compensate tea pickers concerns everyone. Some teas sell at high prices that can cover fair pay for everyone involved in their production. Other teas, however, are worth almost nothing when they leave the factory. So how can those involved in the production chain be fairly compensated? I am thinking of industrially manufactured teas, of course – the kind that end up as dust at the bottom of a paper teabag.
There are industrial teas and artisanal teas. Some teas are produced using mechanical processes, while others require expertise and manual labour. The latter can cover fair pay, though this should be verified by visiting the sites in person. These artisanal teas not only provide fair compensation, they can also instil pride in those who craft them.
We all have the opportunity to reflect on our consumption habits, and we can each play a part in ensuring that every tea picker is happy.

Stand-out shoots

6 March 2026

Kenya’s famous purple tea, developed by the country’s largest tea research centre, is characterised by its contrasting foliage. While the older leaves retain the familiar green colour of camellias, the new shoots have a distinctive purple hue. This makes picking easier, as only the reddish tips, which are the most tender, should be harvested.

Des pousses identifiables

Au Kenya, le fameux cépage violet qui a été mis au point par le plus important centre de recherche du pays se caractérise par un feuillage contrasté. Si les feuilles plus anciennes conservent la couleur verte familière aux camélias, les pousses, en revanche, épousent une teinte pourpre facilement reconnaissable. Le travail de cueillette s’en trouve facilité et seules ces extrémités d’aspect rougeâtre, les plus tendres, doivent être récoltées.

Purple tea is a source of pride for Kenya

6 February 2026

Purple tea is part of Kenya’s identity. The colour refers to the tea variety rather than the way the leaves are processed. The cultivar is easy to spot while walking through the tea fields (seen here in the background). It is rich in anthocyanin, a natural pigment and an excellent source of antioxidants. Developed by Kenyan researchers, the cultivar is known as TRFK 306/1. After harvesting, the leaves can undergo the same processing as green, black, white or semi-oxidised tea, depending on the farmer’s preferences and expertise.

Tea in Bhutan

31 October 2025

People in Bhutan have always drunk tea brought in from Tibet and China by yak. However, just under twenty years ago, following a visit from a young South Korean agronomist, two large tea plantations were established in the village of Samcholing in central Bhutan. Thanks to this expert’s advice, green tea is now cultivated at altitudes of over 1,800 metres, producing teas that resemble those from South Korea in their smooth, vegetal intensity. A few years later, a Thai enthusiast introduced the production of black and semi-oxidised teas to the region. In Samcholing, all the tea plants are grown from seed, and around forty farmers now belong to the cooperative. Rinchen and her husband Kinzang, who lead the group, dream that the region’s teas will one day rival the finest in the world and that tea plants will gradually cover the surrounding mountain slopes. Not far away, a young woman named Denchen, helped by her mother, sells teas of various colours with the support of rural development charities. The overall volumes are modest: the annual production of these two entities amounts to barely two tonnes. Palais des Thés is proud to be the leading foreign importer and is on a mission to promote Bhutanese tea in France and around the world – a challenge it relishes.

Tea and ginger

23 May 2025

It is common for tea to be grown alongside other crops. This can be seen in various countries, where tea bushes are cultivated among peanuts, coffee plants and tall palm trees. Here, in the Taiwanese hills, young camellias have just been planted between rows of ginger. It will be a while before their leaves can be harvested. This combination requires careful management, as ginger is vulnerable to attack by various pests. These must be controlled to avoid losing the crop, preferably using products that comply with organic standards. As a precaution, it is therefore essential to get the tea plants analysed by a laboratory.

Withering in the open air

9 May 2025

In Alishan, a region of Taiwan known for its high-mountain teas, the leaves are spread out in the open air as soon as they are harvested, to wither in the sun. An electric shade can be rolled out at any time to protect them from the elements. Withering is the first stage in producing these famous semi-oxidised teas. The leaves then undergo various processes including oxidation, this time inside the building.

Drink your soup!

21 March 2025

When you take part in a professional tasting, you assess the dry leaf, the infused leaves and the liquid in the cup, known as the liquor or “soup”. This last name seems particularly appropriate when it is tasted with a spoon similar to those used in Asia to drink the broth served at the start of a meal. You bring the spoon of tea soup to your lips and slurp. Inhaling air at the same time allows you to better appreciate the texture, flavours and aromas of the liquor.

Fingers of steel

6 March 2025

The appearance of the man in the pink hat is deceptive. Beneath his innocent-looking pastel camouflage are fearsome fingers of steel. With razor blades clipped to each forefinger, he moves swiftly between the rows of tea plants, plucking the bud and the next two leaves at lightning speed.

In over thirty years of travelling through tea producing countries, I’ve come across some amazing gadgets, but I’ve never seen digits extended by steel blades before. Tea is still harvested by hand in many countries around the world, which is a good thing. Some pickers are finding ingenious ways to speed up the process and reap the rewards.