Blog – Discovering Tea

African massage

29 May 2026

Several East African countries are among the world’s biggest tea producers. In Burundi, I travelled along the shores of Lake Tanganyika to the Tanzanian border, gazing across the water towards the mountains of the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), while at night, the fishing boats scattered across the lake glittered like a constellation of stars. In a week, I did not come across a single Westerner, and some local children had never seen one, rushing over as soon as they caught sight of me. They emerged from the water in a constant stream, full of excitement, laughter and curiosity. I barely had time to snap a few photos and try to answer their eager questions before returning to my vehicle, leaving them to their waves. After hours on chaotic tracks that tossed me violently in every direction, I headed for the mountains. In Burundi, those long hours spent being jolted along gruelling roads have a name: the African massage.

On my return to France, someone pointed out to me that my photo wasn’t straight, that the lake was tilted. At the time, I didn’t believe them. Nor did I later. I had never seen anything like it. I want to believe my photo is faithful to what I was lucky enough to witness. I want to believe it is faithful to that unexpected axis on which beautiful Lake Tanganyika seemed to rest. When you travel, you have to accept being challenged, to confront other ways of seeing the world. That is all part of the charm of adventure. Here is the lake as I saw it that day: tilting gently to the left, no doubt beneath the weight of the boats and the children’s laughter.

Pastry chefs at the École du Thé

7 May 2026

Part of the tea sommelier’s role is to host tasting sessions for pastry chefs. Tea can be used like a spice in the kitchen: single-origin teas and flavoured blends can lend a lingering finish, additional texture or a delicate bittersweet note. The same tea can impart a multitude of flavours and aromas – zesty, honeyed, woody and more – to a dessert.

Among the pastry chefs who attend our tastings, some work in prestigious establishments that serve up splendid afternoon teas. These feature a succession of delicate delights, sweet and savoury. Of course, tea is an essential part of the experience, so it is important for pastry chefs – for whom this is not always their speciality – to understand different tea varieties, brewing methods and food pairings. Here at the École du Thé in Paris, we welcome top pastry chefs from prestigious establishments such as the Saint-James, the Shangri-La, the Bristol, Lucas Carton and Maison Bernard Loiseau.

(Photos: A. Denni)

Contemplation and calm

17 April 2026

In Japan, with cherry blossom season in full swing, it’s a time for contemplation. People travel from far and wide to admire the trees covered in blooms and take selfies or simply enjoy a picnic beneath a canopy of pink or white petals. This love of nature at its most fleeting naturally brings to mind the saying ichi-go ichi-e, which is an invitation to focus on the present moment, to understand and accept the transience of existence. This precept forms an essential part of understanding cha no yu, the Japanese name for the tea ceremony.

This contemplation of cherry blossom evokes tea in another way. When you ask a tea enthusiast what tea means to them, what it gives them, the word that comes up most often is a sense of “calm”. Tea soothes us – in the same way that we are soothed by this silent, joyful, blissful contemplation of cherry blossom, by scenes of delicate beauty, like here in Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, one of Japan’s most celebrated gardens.

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.

Kenya, an unsung champion

20 February 2026

Kenya is the world’s leading tea exporter. Although China and India produce more, both countries consume a significant proportion of their own tea, unlike Kenya. The East African country’s soil, climate and altitude are ideal for Camellia sinensis, which is why the British introduced the crop there in the early 20th century. Today, tea represents a significant portion of Kenya’s resources. But who knows about Kenya’s tea? Most of it is industrially produced CTC (crush, tear, curl) and is found in paper tea bags, usually in blends of different origins, which is why the production country is not mentioned on the packaging. However, Kenya has a bright future ahead of it, provided it focuses on the superb high-altitude teas, which are harvested by hand and processed using the orthodox method. These teas could generate much more income and pride for the people who make their living from this crop. We must rigorously select the finest batches, support the farmers, introduce them to new techniques, encourage their creativity, and do everything we can to make consumers aware of this unjustly overlooked tea-producing region.

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.

The tea route

28 November 2025

Tea is more than a drink; it’s a way of life, a journey and a path. There is no need to hurry. Take your time to look around you. The path we travel on our tea journey is part of the experience, as it leads us to the top of a mountain. It invites contemplation. To understand tea, you must understand the path that leads to it. You have to want to explore it and to get to know everything about it. The road to tea teaches us about tea itself: its inaccessibility, its climate and soil, even its flavours. As we observe the path and the landscape, tea reveals itself to us. En route to Trongsa in the Black Mountains of Bhutan, I pause to gaze in awe at the wetlands of Phobjikha Valley. If I wait a few days, the black-necked cranes will appear in the sky as they do every year, returning to settle here at the end of their long migration. They follow the same route every year, flying south from Tibet to escape the cold. Professional and amateur ornithologists await their arrival, counting them to ensure they are all present. My tea route crosses the path of those black-necked cranes. Tea shows us different landscapes and phenomena. It is the end of September, and the cranes will arrive in a few days. I wait, and watch for them.