India – 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.

Sharing knowledge

4 April 2025

Sharing your passion with your team, experiencing moments of happiness together, rewarding and celebrating the best… This is what comes to mind when I express the joy of going on a trip with my team, in this case six Master Tea Sommeliers I invited to India to discover an iconic Himalayan region: Darjeeling. Over five days we visited some of the finest tea plantations (Risheehat, Barnesbeg, Seeyok and others), including some small producers, and tasted the first premium teas of the season. We also visited villages surrounded by abandoned tea gardens, where Karuna-Shechen – Matthieu Ricard’s nonprofit organisation – is working on the ground with strong support from Palais des Thés.

Here, with Allan Rai, the producer of Yanki tea, and his wife, mother and father are: Marie (Lyon Croix-Rousse store), Lucie (Nantes), Elena (communications), Simon (Liège), Lola (data analyst), Kenza (Faubourg Saint-Antoine) and myself. Is there anything more important, more essential in life, than sharing experiences and passing on knowledge and skills?

Tea at the top

7 February 2025

From November to March, the days in the Himalayas are cool and the skies clear. This is when you can see the distant peaks glistening white beyond the tea bushes, like Kumbhakarna (7,710 metres), whose ghostly silhouette can be seen here. The best time to see them is at sunrise, before they disappear in the mist. The view is well worth the relative discomfort of the journey and the rudimentary morning wash with a bowl of cold water and a cloth, out in the open if you follow local custom.

Feeling grateful

12 July 2024

Being a Frenchman, I admit I probably complain more than I should. And yet, as someone who spends much of the year travelling around regions of the world as diverse as a Himalayan kingdom, the Andes and the Great Rift Valley, in countries that are much less fortunate in terms of standard of living, I am well aware that France is the stuff of dreams, a kind of paradise in the eyes of so many of the planet’s inhabitants. It’s true that it shouldn’t take much for France to become a paradise if we united and sought compromise instead of adding fuel to the fire, preferring to fight rather than agree, thinking that violence will solve every problem. Why are we still so comfortable protesting instead of trying to build bridges? It’s a mystery to me.

Tea has opened my mind to harmony, to finding the right balance, to paying attention to others. What if we looked at the world differently? Let’s have a cup of tea and look around us. As we sip the delicate nectar, we can contemplate this beauty and feel grateful.

Soothing, just like tea!

7 June 2024

The purpose of this blog is to tell you all about Camellia sinensis, not about the monuments, however impressive, that a tea researcher might encounter on their travels. And yet, as I stood in front of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in the silence and stillness, entranced by the lights, the gold and the shimmering evening light, I felt a deep sense of fulfillment. I was completely at peace, despite the crowds. Serenity. Time stood still. I felt transported. Opportunity, happiness – a gift. These were my thoughts as I felt compelled to stop and take in my surroundings. I sat down and contemplated the reflections on the water. It seemed to me that this liquid element, this precious material, this gold, corresponded to what I feel when I drink a cup of tea. Something rare, unique and delicate. A call to peace, tranquility and harmony. When I drink tea, I close my eyes, and what I see is beautiful, radiant and soothing, just like the Golden Temple.

Trees that speak to us

26 April 2024

At a time when we don’t have a clear view of what’s going on in Darjeeling, where the plantations have been suffering for many years from a crisis that we would like to see end, I am travelling through other tea-growing areas of northern India. “Nature is a temple where living pillars let sometimes emerge confused words,” wrote Charles Baudelaire. And here, in the Kangra Valley, who wouldn’t feel its presence? Look how these trees watch us with a familiar gaze! I don’t know if you can hear them. They speak to me.

Ship ahoy!

22 December 2023

On a tea plantation, unless you do everything by hand, from toasting the leaves in a wok to drying them (a truly titanic task), you need an engine to power the machinery. Those lucky enough to visit the Badamtam factory in India are in for a surprise. An authentic antique ship’s engine sits at the back of the building, and has been powering the various tea processing machines for years. Today, the engine gleams like a new penny next to a small Hindu temple. The gods watch over it to make sure it runs smoothly.

It’s all about the people

15 December 2023

I love inviting employees to join me on a tea research trip. This is a unique opportunity for me to show the people who contribute to the success of Palais des Thés where tea comes from, how we source it, and who harvests and processes it. Here in Darjeeling (India), for example, they can immerse themselves in the world of tea, in direct contact with the leaves, and understand every stage of their transformation. Above all, they will discover how the work of the tea researcher is all about the people. We know the men and women who live on these mountains – some of them for decades – and we love them. Here, between tasting teas and visiting plantations, Audrey, Camille, Geoffroy, Laurence, Laurie and Marc realise that picking tea is not as easy as it seems.

Tea reporter

8 December 2023

Before I started working in tea, more than 36 years ago, I wanted to be a journalist. Since then, I’ve combined this original dream with my work in my own way, through my search for rare teas. I try my hand at reportage with this blog and with my podcast, Un thé, un voyage, which is another way of taking you on a journey.

When I meet villagers living in such poverty, like here, the reporter in me takes over and wonders: does the tea they harvest help them to live, and would they be worse off without it? Or does the tea – poor quality, worth little or nothing – help keep them in this situation?