October 2019 – Discovering Tea

Mr Huang, a displaced worker

31 October 2019

Mr Huang is one of millions of Chinese workers who have decided to leave their native region to earn a living elsewhere. It is much easier to find work in the wealthier coastal provinces than in the interior of the country. So every year, Mr Huang leaves Guizhou, where he was born, and where he grows vegetables in a mountain village, and travels to the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian. There, inhabitants’ incomes have increased significantly, and people no longer want to work in the fields, preferring to live in the city. So Mr Huang goes there to work on a wonderful organic plantation. He tends to the tea plants and helps with the harvest from early March until the end of September, before returning to his family in his own province. And every year, he never hesitates to repeat this journey, for a monthly wage of 5,500 yuan.

Rare smoked teas

24 October 2019

Smoked tea, or Lapsang Souchong, is a speciality of Fujian. It is not very popular with Chinese people, and so it is exported. European food safety regulations were tightened a few years ago, and it is now very difficult to find a smoked tea that meets those standards. This is not due to specific pesticides, but because of a molecule called anthraquinone that forms naturally during the smoking process. For several years I’ve been encouraging a number of farmers to modify their smoking technique so that their tea can be approved. This is a slow, ongoing process, but there have been some positive results.

Quimper gets its Palais

18 October 2019

The people of Quimper now have their very own Palais des Thés, at 15 Rue Kéréon, near the cathedral.

I was delighted to open the shop, partly because I love Brittany, but above all because François, the manager of this beautiful shop, worked in our Rennes shop for six years as a sales adviser, then as the assistant manager. He has passed his Tea Sommelier exam, meaning he has a rare level of expertise, which is coupled with his natural warmth. A few months ago, I travelled with him and some other tea sommeliers around the tea plantations of Darjeeling. Here he is with me and Christine Delétrée, our network manager. I wish him all the very best in the wonderful city of Quimper!

A Christmas log straight out of Wonderland

11 October 2019

The Christmas logs designed by our leading pastry chefs are eagerly anticipated. We always look forward to the moment when the log is revealed, and we can admire its form and flavour. There is no limit on the imagination.

I’d like to present the Christmas log by Bryan Esposito, Head Pastry Chef at the Hôtel du Collectionneur in Paris. He was inspired by tea, and not just any tea either – No. 25 Black Tea by Palais des Thés. This exquisite creation has more than a touch of Alice’s Wonderland about it. A teapot to enjoy with family or friends and appreciate its gastronomic delights.

The right infusion temperature

4 October 2019

When you’re travelling, you sometimes have to boil water to purify it. For tea, that’s obviously not ideal, especially as some teas need to be infused at 50°, 70° or 80°C. Here is a simple method to reach the correct water temperature for your tea (this will be marked on the packaging of any decent tea merchant). When your water has boiled, pour it into a recipient. The water temperature will drop by 9°C. Then pour it into another; it will drop by 9°C again. And so on.