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Cameron B. drank Thé Noir N°25 (Black Tea N°25) by Palais des Thés

4320 tasting notes

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 22 (from November backlog)

I admit to being surprised to see this one before the 24th, as it seems like the classic holiday tea. Though Palais does tend to come out with a new Christmas tea every year, so I suppose this year’s offering will likely be the Christmas Eve selection. This sachet has a lovely orange zest aroma with a bit of clove.

This is milder than I expected. There’s a mellow and sweet orange note that reminds me of navel oranges along with some clove I think? It’s all a bit muddled. Perhaps it’s the rose that’s throwing me off? I don’t really get almond or vanilla, which are both listed in the ingredients. The base is also a tad bitter and somewhat astringent, which I haven’t really seen with the other black teas in the advent. It’s a Ceylon base, though I’m not sure what some of the other black teas were as they don’t have the ingredients listed.

Anyway, this is disappointing after the lovely dry scent. It’s mostly a somewhat bland orange and clove tea it seems… It looks like I had a different experience last time, so maybe this one really does need a 3-minute steep instead of the recommended 4 minutes to keep the base from overpowering the other flavors.

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Clove, Orange, Rose, Sweet, Tannic

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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3 comments

VariaTEA
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My sister bought me a box of this for Hanukkah. I am sad to see it was disappointing.

Cameron B.
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I hope you like it more than I did! I found it very interesting that you got so many Palais des Thés teas!

VariaTEA
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She bought me a bunch of them. And then she bought my a bunch of Vahdam teas. Not companies I would have picked for myself but at least they are all new teas to try.

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Comments

VariaTEA
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My sister bought me a box of this for Hanukkah. I am sad to see it was disappointing.

Cameron B.
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I hope you like it more than I did! I found it very interesting that you got so many Palais des Thés teas!

VariaTEA
Delete

She bought me a bunch of them. And then she bought my a bunch of Vahdam teas. Not companies I would have picked for myself but at least they are all new teas to try.

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2025 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January sipdowns: 34
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 34

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia (or monkfruit, etc.).

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing