Blog – Page 67 – Discovering Tea

The first tea from “Delmas Bari” has just arrived

22 May 2012

It must be nearly 10 years since a plot of land on the North Tukvar estate was given my name. In high season, these hectares produce a remarkable tea thanks to the skill of the planter, of course, but also because of the quality of the tea plants selected. They are among my favourites.

For the first time, a single lot of tea from this plot has arrived in Paris. For fans of delicate, fruity, vegetal notes and the fragrance of white flowers, this is its name: Darjeeling North Tukvar DJ14 Delmas Bari.

Tasting new teas is like a bowl of fresh air

18 May 2012

While many of you are taking advantage of the long weekend of the Ascension holiday to escape to the country, I’m in Paris at my tasting table with an impressive number of samples before me. I won’t have time to taste them all over the weekend. In Darjeeling, the harvests are over, but I’m now receiving new-season green teas from China, all very fine examples indeed. Every year, their vegetal aroma is like a big bowl of fresh air. I’m also getting sent most of the Nepalese teas which, in nearly a decade, have achieved excellent standards. New gardens are joining them and making themselves known. Excellence is worth waiting for – it has taken them years to reach this point. Just like these young tea plants, which are receiving such attentive care.

Leaves of the tea plant also attract frogs

15 May 2012

The leaves of the tea plant attract many predators, undoubtedly due to their delicious taste.
In addition to its gastronomic qualities, tea is supposed to promote wellbeing and serenity. This harmless frog, very much at ease, would surely agree.

Tea can infuse directly in the glass

11 May 2012

In China, tea is often infused directly in the glass. As you drink your “cha”, your host tops it up with hot water. To stop the leaves going in your mouth, you bring your teeth together, which doesn’t prevent you from smiling at the same time.

The Darjeeling train can travel without carriages

9 May 2012

The little Darjeeling train is completely unpredictable. From time to time it travels without carriages. A few lucky passengers seem to be allowed though, on condition that they can hold a contorted pose for a long time. They hang their bags wherever they can, and simply put any other luggage on the roof of the locomotive.

Panels for trapping harmful insects

4 May 2012

On the tea plantations there are plenty of ideas for trapping harmful insects. For example, here in Hangzhou, they place little panels covered in glue everywhere among the tea plants. The fluorescent yellow of the boards attracts the insects, but most of all it is the pheromones in which they are coated that appeals so much to bugs.

These are clearly unrelated to all the election boards that are flourishing, right up until this weekend, all around our voting stations.

On the tea routes with my colleagues

2 May 2012

Most of the time I travel the tea routes alone, but I also really enjoy sharing with my colleagues the pleasure of walking among the tea plants and observing all the stages of the processing. These trips are very rewarding because we can spend time together talking about our shared passion, understanding, learning, tasting all sorts of teas, and discussing them endlessly. Here, on the right of Waterqian, who produces Bi Luo Chun, and in the middle of his tea garden, are Aurélie, Carine, Cyrille and Mathias. I took this photo last week.

Newly wed Chinese couples love going to Suzhou

27 April 2012

The city of Suzhou is full of character. Many Chinese tourists come here to find some old-world charm. In the historic part of the city, canals run alongside the narrow streets, and many newly wed Chinese couples come here to make pictures. In fact you cannot walk more than a few paces before coming across a pair of young newlyweds posing under the watchful eye of the professional photographers, who are eager to capture their models in the right pose. This pretty bride exudes happiness as she smiles for the cameras.

My niece Aurélie launched Le Palais des Thés US

24 April 2012

Twenty-five years ago I created Le Palais des Thés to turn my passion into a job, and to share with other enthusiasts the pleasures of tasting the world’s best teas. Since she was little, my niece Aurélie has always seen me with a cup of tea in my hand and has listened to my stories of distant travels to the plantations of China and Japan. A year ago, Aurélie, who has grown up to be a great connoisseur of tea herself, decided to start an exciting new venture and a fantastic challenge. Accompanied by Cy, her husband, she has decided to move to the United States and write a new chapter in this family story, by launching Le Palais des Thés in North America.

I am hugely proud of my niece and I know she will succeed – I have seen how passionate she and her husband are. They have a pioneering spirit.

Bi Luo Chun: one of the rarest China teas

20 April 2012

Bi Luo Chun is one of the rarest and most prestigious China teas. Here, my friend Waterqian – one of the few farmers to produce the highest quality Bi Luo Chun – is showing me how much must be taken off the stem during the harvest: a small bud with just one leaf. This type of plucking is extremely rare. It explains the very high price of this tea, whose name means “Spiral of Spring Jade”. In one day, each worker only harvests around two kilos of fresh leaves which, after processing, will produce just two hundred grams of tea.