2014 – Page 4 – Discovering Tea

Smiling tea pluckers

16 May 2014

Tea pluckers work very hard, yet when I meet them in the middle of the fields they greet me with big smiles. They look at me with a happy expression. These radiant faces contrast with the ones we see so often around us. In our cities, life is no easier or harder than on a tea plantation. But sometimes we forget to pay attention to others. We look at each other harshly. We live a bit like strangers. We complain about nothing. I can’t wait to get back to my mountains!

Two “grand cru” teas from Nepal to try soon: Mist Valley and Sandakphu

9 May 2014

Three plantations in Nepal are currently producing teas that in my view are worthy of the “grand cru” appellation. But in the past year, it has to be said that Guranse, Kuwapani and Jun Chiyabari are no longer alone in offering exceptional teas. Mist Valley and Sandakphu, both situated in Ilam Valley, are making teas of remarkable flavour quality. These teas will be ready to try in a few days, and are excellent value for money.

On May 1st, let’s celebrate nature

30 April 2014

Here in France, May 1st is a public holiday. We are going to look at the flowers coming into bloom. We will go for a walk. Admire nature, in all its shades of green. Then we will sit down and contemplate it all. Take our time. Breath. Inhale the spring air. Feel the earth waking up. Listen. Listen to the birds singing, the leaves rustling. And then the kettle whistling.

Making tea requires great precision

25 April 2014

Making tea requires great precision. Scales are used to check the weight of the leaves, then there is a kettle with volume markings , sometimes a thermometer, and a timer. When I’m on a tea plantation, I like to photograph the different measuring instruments I see, like here, in Nepal.

Rolling Darjeeling leaves

18 April 2014

When you read tasting notes on Darjeeling teas, you learn that the leaf can be more or less rolled, depending on the batch. This is what the rolling looks like. As soon as the leaves have finished wilting, on the upper level of the building, they are dropped (see photo) into this container, which has a press. Rolling, as it is performed in Darjeeling, takes just a few minutes. It prepares the leaves, by lightly crushing them, for the following stage: oxidation.

The teas and landscapes of Assam: an incredible contrast

11 April 2014

Assam teas have scents of honey, tobacco and spices and a very pronounced aromatic profile, unlike some of the flat countryside in this region. The teas are particularly astringent, and here too, the vocabulary used to describe this sensation contrasts with the words we might use to depict the landscape. Astringency is marked by a contracting of the tissues of the palate, while this beautiful field of tea relaxes me as soon as I see it.

Spring harvest in Nepal

4 April 2014

Every year, the first-flush Darjeelings open the season, followed by the spring harvests in Nepal, then China and Japan. I have now started tasting the first samples of Nepalese teas. They come a few weeks after the Darjeelings, due to the harsher climate. Yet the two regions are not so far apart, barely a few days’ walk, and you could pass from one country to another without noticing it unless you pay attention to the signs.

Some good news from Darjeeling despite the unfavourable weather

28 March 2014

The news I’m getting from Darjeeling is not very good. The planters are disappointed by the small quantities of tea harvested in March. This is due to low temperatures and a lack of sunshine and rain. So far, production is down by almost a third. However, as long as you act quickly, there are still some very fine teas. I have already bought several batches from gardens where the quality is improving year on year, like Gielle, Rohini and Teesta Valley. And a tiny batch of “Puttabong SFTGFOP1 Moondrops”: anyone who gets a chance to taste this tea will love it.

Let’s celebrate spring!

21 March 2014

To celebrate the arrival of spring with you, what better than to take a break together, put the kettle on, sit down in an upright position, empty our minds, shut our eyes, inhale deeply while the leaves infuse, get ourselves in the right frame of mind, and prepare to drink tea. And then, to open our eyes on this beautiful landscape, to nature reawakening, the first buds opening, the return of life.

Olfactory journey for the Césars

14 March 2014

At the end of February I was invited to lead a tasting session for some actors, most of whom had been nominated for a César award. Throughout the day, they arrived at a suite in a Paris hotel. Among them was also Kevin Rolland, Olympic Gold medallist at Sotchi (see photo), as well as television presenters and journalists. I enjoyed introducing them to some Grand Cru teas such as Dong Ding, Tawaramine, Dan Cong and Jukro. And I surprised them with Pu Erh. Many of them really appreciated this astonishing tea. They stuck their nose into the infused leaves, which reminded some of a walk through the forest, others of a stay on a farm. An olfactory journey.