From plant to cup – Page 27

The first selections of first-flush Darjeelings

7 March 2014

As happens every year at the same time, the first samples of first-flush Darjeelings are starting to arrive. There are never many during the first week, then during the peak of the season, around the end of March, I can taste dozens every day. Each one represents a very small batch of about 100 kilos. I have just chosen two: the Rohini “early spring” and the Longview FTGFOP1 ex-5. They are characterised by their fresh, vegetal, floral and zesty notes.

Jukro, a fine and rare tea from Korea

28 February 2014

Jukro from South Korea is one of the finest quality teas in the world. I know just one farmer who produces it. He can only do so in the first days of May, using his best leaves. The quantity obtained is so small that only a few customers are able to enjoy it. I think you can imagine how eagerly I anticipate his new plucking every year. The richness of the tea’s flavours and its complexity and length in the mouth are worth tasting at least once in a lifetime.

Le soin apporté aux théiers entre l’automne et le printemps

7 February 2014

Si vous disposez d’un bout de jardin, vous savez qu’entre l’automne et le printemps et à l’écart des périodes de gel il y a toujours du travail, en termes de taille, par exemple. Dans les champs de thé aussi on va mettre cette période à profit pour examiner chaque arbre et lui dispenser les soins nécessaires. Comme pour un fruitier, on va observer la plante avant de procéder à la taille hivernale. Cette taille qui n’a pas lieu tous les ans aide à régénérer l’arbuste.

Evocative tea plantations

6 December 2013

Nothing looks less like a tea plantation than another tea plantation. Here, in the south of Sri Lanka, tea bushes occupy the hills beside a paddy field and other different crops. Hence these subtle and evocative tones of green and yellow.

Highly prized pu er cakes in China

29 November 2013

2007 saw the start of a spectacular craze for pu er in China. In the space of a few weeks, this previously barely-known tea became the subject of frenzied speculation, and it took two or three years before prices came down again. Now it seems this same phenomenon is about to be repeated. Once again, the Chinese are queuing up to buy cakes of this tea, which is said to improve with age. As before, the cause is speculation. At the Canton Tea Fair, which has just taken place, we saw pu er cakes selling for over €1,000 each.

Strange shapes in the Japanese tea fields

22 November 2013

Because tea plants don’t like frost, Japanese tea fields are populated by strange shapes. When their blades are turning at the top, these fans prevent freezing air from stagnating above the bushes.

Autumn landscape in Darjeeling

25 October 2013

For those dreaming of travelling through beautiful scenery, the month of October fulfils that promise in the regions south of the Himalayas, like here in Darjeeling. After several months of intense heat, storms and torrential rain, a clear sky reveals the highest peaks.

The autumn colours of rooibos

18 October 2013

The tea plant is an evergreen and its leaves do not change colour when cold weather follows the summer. So, to bring you some seasonal autumn colour, I have chosen an image of rooibos leaves spread out in very thin layers to dry on the ground, as they oxidise after being watered.

Teas from the Margaret’s Hope garden

11 October 2013

The Margaret’s Hope garden is one of the best known in Darjeeling. Its reputation is justified by the quality of its teas and also because, from time to time, this plantation products batches of a truly remarkable quality. Of course, you have to taste many samples before finding a rare gem, but that is exactly what my work entails: drinking large quantities of different teas every day.

Last spring I bought a batch from Margaret’s Hope that I am sure you remember if you were lucky enough to taste it. The planter called it White Delight. And I have just chosen a Margaret’s Hope DJ512 which has such an incredible floral bouquet it is worth the detour too. For connoisseurs, it comes from the varieties P312 and AV2.

The autumn Darjeelings are arriving!

27 September 2013

At the moment I’m tasting some delicious teas from Darjeeling. The autumn harvest (third flush) is early, and I have just chosen a Phuguri DJ168 as well as a Margaret’s Hope Pure Clonal DJ512; both are quite exceptional. They should arrive in France in about 10 days. As connoisseurs know, and to simplify a little, autumn Darjeelings are generally more woody than summer Darjeelings (second flush), which in turn are fruitier than spring Darjeelings (first flush). Whatever the season, though, these teas grow on mountains that offer breathtaking views.