Palais des Thés

The boyfriend enjoys black fruits, like blackberry and the like, so I bought this one specifically with him in mind. I thought it was have a more forest fruit-y sort of quality but I find it’s primarily blackberry, and that it tastes very similar to the blackberry flavoured one from AC Perch’s that we’ve already got some 200g of.

So while this one is very tasty indeed, it’s not one I feel the need to keep in stock. I have an easier way to get something very similar.

Gosh, that oolong took all day! Following these amateur gong-fu sessions, I almost always find myself wanting a break with something rather more plebeian. Something that makes the purists shudder. Something a little more down to earth and every-day like.

Something flavoured.

And if it’s sweets flavoured, even better.

Cheers, Steepsterites.

Greetings, Steepsterites.

I’ve tried a number of the teas I ordered from Le Palais des Thes, but I’ve only posted about a couple. I found myself with an attack of unwillingness to analyse it to death; I just wanted something nice and warm. So I’ll just do a brief round-up of the ones I’ve tried so far but not posted about.

I chose this one because I’ve always got my feelers out for a good caramel flavoured tea. I chose the Toffee because it was such a nommy sounding flavour and it caused me to debate with myself for quite a while whether or not I could justify getting both this and that. I figured the two must be pretty close together in flavouring, and surely one ought to be enough, right?

Well, this one was quite like the Kusmi Caramel. It’s there, but it’s kinda subtle and it’s easy to tell that it’s tea. It’s the same level of flavouring. I don’t know what sort of base this is on. I know Kusmi uses a Chinese black, but I couldn’t tell which base I think this is.

The toffee was more of a fudge-y dessert, very sweet and very rich, and this is more like an afternoon treat. That said, I don’t actually think it’s essential that I have both in the house at the same time, and I think I may actually be leaning more towards toffee out of the two, just as when it comes to actual caramel, I’m still leaning more towards Kusmi. Can’t say why really. It may have something to do with familiarity, to be honest.

Still, a very nice caramel tea.

Toffeee

Steepsterites! I have a book recommendation for those of you who enjoy fantasy and humour. Run, do not walk, to check out the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. Personally, I have in my little paws the newest book in the series and I? I am going to be awol until I’m done. I’m already trying to come up with a way to do tomorrow morning’s c25k jogging while also reading. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this are welcome!

While we are reading, we should consume nommy tea, yes? I’m a total sucker for a good caramel black, as you may or may not know. Bit like vanilla, really. The only difference being that with caramel and caramel-y flavours, I’ve already found the two that are perfect for me, one being Caramel from Kusmi, and the other being Toffee from Le Palais des Thes. I realise that the latter is not technically caramel, but somehow it still manages to come close enough that it counts. When it comes to vanilla, I’m still searching (and slowly losing hope that perfection exists)

So this, one of my favourite teas for sheer indulgence (or comfort when such is needed) is going to be my book-companion for the rest of the evening. It’s a 17:30 now. How many hours do you think I’ll need to plow through this book? I’ll see you on the other side, Steepsterites. Right now, Ang is BUSY! :D

(squeeeeeeeeee flail!!! )

Another one from the massive LPdT order, and another one of the ones that I was very excited about trying. Just the name!

Taste the word. Toffeeeeeee. It’s an onomatopoeia (look it up), that word.

The aroma of these leaves! I- it’s- they- I’m- SWOONS!

They’re all chocolate-y and vanilla-y, and all in all it turns into, like, super-caramel, even though it doesn’t actually say anything about there being caramel anywhere in this at all. But there must be, mustn’t there? Or how could they call it toffee?

After steeping, it’s the same picture of super-caramel. It’s smells all rich and butter-y. It’s like a vanilla fudge! It smells like a sweetie shop! Even if I find I don’t like the flavour I might still make it now and then just to smell it.

This is either really really REALLY good, or it’s unbearably cloying. I’m concerned now. pokes it

OH my CEILING CAT!

You! Guys!

There are NO WORDS!

First some cocoa, then vanilla and then a soft, fudge-y, butter caramel-y finish.

You know how I always said that Kusmi’s caramel black was my perfect caramel? Let’s just say it suddenly has competition.

I’m in no state to be more detailed than this. I’m so blown away, I can’t think. Socks are well and truly knocked into orbit.

Steepsterites!

My MASSIVE order from Le Palais des Thes has arrived. The vast majority of them are flavoured. Unless you count a smoky tea as flavoured, in which case they’re all flavoured. Included also three free samples which… makes me think I’m just not very lucky when it comes to free samples. AC Perch’s have so far been consistent in including samples of things I know I’m not very keen on (ginger, jasmine, darjeeling…), and while these are not known dislikes, they’re just not really that interesting to me. Oh well, maybe when I try them I will change my mind!

I really didn’t know where to start with this order. Did I mention it was massive? It didn’t help that there were more than one thing in here that I was really very excited about. So I decided to just reach in and get a random pouch, which was this one.

Which coincidentally happens to be one of the ones that I was really excited about! And I see that it already comes with an Auggy stamp of approval. We have very very similar taste in black tea, she and I, and especially of the smoky variety, so now I know for certain that it is worth the excitement.

I have been led to believe that Lapsang Souchong, real LS, is always always always a Chinese base. Do correct me if I’m wrong. I’m under the impression that it’s probably one of those protected names by now, like how Champagne is only made the Champagne district of France and if it’s not greek, it’s not feta cheese. If it isn’t, it’s a distinct enough kind of tea that it probably ought to be.

Therefore this one is interesting because it’s a Taiwanese base.

The leaves, when dry, smell like your average LS. They’re smoky and pine-y, and with a touch of sweetness to them. After steeping this sweetness is so much stronger. It still smells very smoky and a bit pine-y, but the sweetness in the note is sort of fruity and honey-y and it makes the whole thing smell vaguely sticky and viscous. Sort of tough and chewy sticky.

I like a balance in my smoky teas, and my lapsangs in particular, between the smoke and the sweetness. A good LS has a strong and fruity sweet note which tastes like the smoke is mixed into it, so that the flavour profile comes across as one complex note. Many LSs, though, don’t really get to this particular balance and the flavour, while still yummy and smoky, feels divided into layers. Sweetness below and smoke sort of hanging randomly above it. Those that don’t really manage that perfect melded flavour feel more like standing in a room full of smoke with a mouthful of generic black.

The aroma of this tea has that perfectly balanced aroma, and the flavour is nearly there as well.

This one, while smoky, is actually surprisingly mild, which is odd considering LPdT calls it ‘smokiest of the smoky’. Erm no, actually, I have had much more smoky stuff than this.

Before tasting this, I sort of expected a raging smoke-monster with flavour up to here, and what I’m getting is a cute and well-behaved little bunny-wabbit. I have to say, I’m feeling slightly let down here.

At first, when you sip this, the flavour is very sweet and caramel-y. Caramel quickly turns into a fruity flavour, something stone fruit-y like plums or apricots. More the former than the latter, I think, but still somewhere in between. Funny that it should be caramel-y, because in the aroma I thought it was more like honey.

At about the same time I get the fruity notes, the smoky note begins and it grows to its strongest just before I swallow, leaving me with a long, smoky aftertaste.

The aftertaste is as strong as I want it to be and it’s very pleasant, so really, the aroma and the aftertaste is bang on. It’s just the middle, the flavour, that I find lacking. And that’s not really something that can be helped. If a tea is strong, it’s strong, and if it isn’t, you can’t make it. I shall just have to try and brew it stronger and see if that helps.

Still, it’s sweet, it’s smoky. Believe me, this will not be sitting on the shelf for long in this house.

I am not against Camomile, but for me it was always a “tisane”, and nothing more – something that my grandfathers dranked before sleeping. Here with rooibos, camomile’s flavour gets bodied and that’s a very good thing, because it suddenly gets a full tea’s status in my mouth. I enjoyed it very much.
As alway for (not green) rooibos, you don’t have the full body of it if you let it steep for less than 5 minutes. In that case, it’s crucial.

A very pleasant Oolong. Like any Oolong, the leaf need to open freely (no filters here). Infused leaves have a very good smell – don’t miss that part. And yes, it’s 5 min. steeping, minimum, with almost boiling water.

Dry leaves smell almost of dark roasted chocolate. Moist they have the characteristic fresh grassy smell. Mostly broken leaves they deliver a mild and pleasant but heavy flavor, lacking high, bitter or grassy notes.

I’m sick (fighting off a sinus infection… again) so this will be short(er than normal).

Bagged version of this tea, another new offering from my grocery store. First off, I don’t really like Le Palais De Thes’ teabags. They have a really thick string which wicks tea like crazy. If I leave the little tag at the end of the string on the side of the cup, by the time my tea is done steeping, there is a puddle of tea underneath the cup where it has wicked out of the cup, soaked into the tag and run down the side of the cup. Very annoying.

That being said, what’s in the teabag is pretty tasty. This reminds me a lot of A&D’s Tiger – smooth but with enough stoutness that it would not be defeated by a dash of milk, sweet and a bit honeyed. It’s a little more… floral? than Tiger was. Definitely a big thumbs up for a bagged tea.

When brewed properly, this tea has rich earthy notes along with a hint of burnt caramel. Very nice.

I enjoyed the original version of The du Hammam, which is a green fruit blend with dates, but the green leaf and the super-sweet date in the blend wasn’t my preference. To my good fortune, I was offered a chance to try the black leaf version of this recipe, which features a wonderful smoky, floral, spicy keemun as the base and swaps the dates for rhubarb.
Fantastic! None of the ingredients overpower each other, it’s fruity without being super-sweet or astringent, and the richness of the keemun just keeps me coming back to my mug. Notes range from floral, red-fruit, spice, and I even detected some chocolate in the sip because the keemun is just that good (no chocolate in the ingredient list).
Definitely worth trying if you haven’t yet – it wasn’t listed in their Theophile catalog, but it’s available on their U.S. website, so it might be fairly new. They have a rooibos version as well that I haven’t tried yet. But I will definitely be ordering more of this Black Leaf The du Hammam.

Recently, my local(ish) grocery story re-did their tea section. They stopped carrying some of the more ‘normal’ teas (like Twinings and Bigelow) and added some new ones (like Teatulia and Le Palais des Thes). Even though most of the new teas they added are bagged (though they did add some loose, too), I couldn’t resist trying them. I was so pleased with Le Palais des Thes’ Blue of London that the next time I stopped into the store, I perused the other LPdT selections. This was one of the ones that I grabbed.

I do love smoky teas. Love them. But I am not too big on harsh tar in my smoky teas. And I just sort of expect tar in bagged Lapsang. (Probably because of the smell of the Twinings Lapsang Souchong bags that I use to make the husband’s iced tea.) So I really wasn’t expecting much from this tea. But yeah, I bought it anyway and was prepared to be disappointed.

I was wrong. It’s lovely! There’s no tar in this at all. It’s smooth and silky with no astringency and a nice, sweet ending. I will say, for a tea that is described as “the smokiest of the smoky”, it’s actually relatively mild. That’s not to say the smoke is hiding – oh no! It’s there, evoking thoughts of brisket, bacon and ham. But I was expecting harsh, strong and smoke that smacked me around. Instead it’s calming, softy smoky and has a very mellow overall feeling with a great smooth, round flavor. The ending is sweet and smooth and makes me think of caramelized sugar paired with soft smoke.

The bag gives off a great smoked-ham-with-a-honey-glaze sort of smoky smell, especially once hot water hits it. It’s mouthwatering. But after steeping for four minutes, the taste isn’t as strong as that smell. In fact, once the bag is removed, the smell mellows out to a thick, heavy fall-like smoke and sweetness. And that’s what the taste is – smoke, tea and sweetness. It’s not overly complex but it is very nice to have all three flavors present during all parts of the sip. It gives such a great overall feel to the tea – smoothness, sweetness, mellowness and cuddly fall-esque smoke.

If I had one complaint about this tea, it would be that it is almost too soft and mild. The strong smell of the steeping teabag leads me to expect more oomph in the smoke and not to have it almost on the same level as the sweetness in the tea. But honestly, I like the sweetness so much that I can’t find it in myself to complain too much about the relatively equal balance.

I’ve had more complex Lapsangs but I can’t off of the top of my head think of a sweeter one. And for a tea bag, this is rather impressive. In fact, I liked it so much that I used it to make a cheesecake (bacon cake!) for Thanksgiving. It was amazing! The sweetness of the tea worked well with the dessert aspects of the cheesecake and the smoky added a delightful hearty sophistication to it. I served the cake with cups of du Tigre and the pairing was wonderful, accenting the smokiness in the cheesecake and the sweetness in the tea. The cheesecake was so delicious; I would definitely be willing to repeat the experience. And even without the cheesecake, I’m enthusiastic about repeating this tea experience. I imagine I’ll buy this tea again (and again).

(And if anyone is interested in the recipe I used, here it is: http://pinkness.danzimmermann.com/2011/11/bacon-cake.html)

I’m in my second week of having this tea accompany me nearly all day, and it’s still a favorite. There’s a ying/yang of smooth and and astringent, the very subtle vanilla backdrop ties it together. There’s an aftertaste of citrus, but it’s orange citrus, not lemon or bergamot, which is why it appeals to me. You can taste the green and the black in different sips.
My only problem is that I’m going through my supply so quickly, this is one I’ll need to re-order soon.
My initial/full review with pics (second half of post) : http://bit.ly/tJ9v40

This was the second of two samples I was sent from Le Palais celebrating their new online web presence for the U.S. This one by all appearances seems to be a best seller, and it’s well-crafted, but it’s an example of why I’m not crazy about green tea blends.

It’s a base of China green, which comes through just fine with the other ingredients. It’s a strong sweet front of citrus, strawberry, and date, but then it turns into astringent and perfumey, which clashes with the sweet/not-sweet qualities of the green tea.

They have what I can only assume is a new version of this tea in a Keemun blend as listed on the U.S. web site. They’ve taken out the dates in that version, so I imagine this might work better in line with my taste preferences, the smokiness of the Keemun being a better match for the citrus/berry/perfume notes.

So if you don’t have an aversion to a perfumey aftertaste, you might enjoy this.

My full review and pics at my blog : http://bit.ly/shse0P

This tea bag is a funky little thing. I was expecting the silky bag type that so many upper end vendors seem to be using but it is a rectangular, loosely woven muslin bag, more like Kusmi’s but bleached rather than off-white. (Well, the box says unbleached but it is much whiter than Kusmi’s unbleached…) The bag also really plumps up when steeped and I can’t help but think that is a good thing – it means there might be some real leaves in there! I’m going to have to cut a bag open at some point…

The scent of the tea is rather interesting – it’s Earl Grey but there is also a note in there that reminds me of yuzu. It’s all in the citrus family so I suppose that works. The scent is rather strong but not unpleasant or fake.

The flavor is a bit surprising. The scent is so strong, I was kind of braced for a bit of a perfume shock. But there wasn’t one. Sweet and smooth on the front end, the dominant flavor is definitely the Earl Grey, but as strong as the smell and flavor of the EG is, there is no unpleasantness associated with it. I don’t feel like I’m breathing perfume and there is zero astringency or roughness. The mouthfeel is really quite silky.

I’m finding that I am having difficulty figuring out the proper words to describe the EG taste. It’s like a silky, sophisticated peel of some citrus fruit mix (mandarian with yuzu, perhaps) but without the bitterness or tartness associated with citrus peel or pith.

I can’t honestly say I love Earl Grey as a tea entity unto itself (but the husband does so I’m always on the lookout for a good one) but this one is really lovely. I feel kind of sophisticated drinking it. I’m actually sitting here in my silky monkey pajama, but I feel a bit like I’m having tea with Jane Austen. Or Mr. Darcy. At Pemberley. In full period dress.

The second steep (5:00) isn’t quite as sophisticated feeling as the first. There is a little prickle on my tongue that shows up at the end of the sip. It stays small, though, so that’s good. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the tea is astringent now, but the silky mouthfeel is missing. The flavoring seems sweeter now, but it is still in the citrus family – a navel orange, perhaps. The slight prickle brings to mind orange pith a little, that kind of tongue tingling/numbing sensation pith can give. (Or is that the center of a pineapple?) Anyway, the first steep is definitely my favorite. (That being said, the second steep sure disappeared quickly.)

(ETA: I cut open the bag after the second steep. The leaves are broken but probably some of the largest leaves I’ve seen in a teabag. Here’s a pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aug3zimm/6332730588/ )

An exquisite flavored green tea. Light with balanced, nuanced flavors.

Look at me with my posting! I’m sharp and kicking bottom. It’s 1pm and I’m steeping this as my fourth cup today. I shall be in a constant back and forth to the bladder unloading station for the rest of the day, I expect.

This one came to me from ssajami and I have high expectations of it. It’s a Keemun, how could I not? It smells exactly like one too. Grainy and sort of pseudo-smoky with a touch of something floral. And also quite sweet and caramel-y. This is a very good smell, this smell that I’m smelling! So rich and creamy and sweet, it reminds me a little of creme brulee, although not as much as the Clear Jade Orchid oolong from Shang Tea does. (That one is crazy creme brulee-y!)

Gosh, it’s very sweet in flavour as well! There was one note in there; I caught a whiff of it for a split-second just before swallowing and it was pure sugar. After just this one sip there’s a feeling of aftertaste expanding in the mouth like an explosion. It starts at the taste buds and then grows to encompass the entire mouth until it feels almost as if the cavity itself is really getting bigger.

Okay, that description was mildly icky, but I hope you get what I mean here. I do hope you have all had at some point in your life a tea with an aftertaste that does this. It’s so… strange and weird and good.

Anyway, back to the flavour. It’s a quite smooth tea with an almost milky feel and very sweet as well. Quite akin to caramel but not 100% there. Not yet. Like the flavour nuance just before caramel.

There isn’t much in the way of grain-y flavours, though. I’m sort of missing a bit of rye bread-y bite to it, and the absense of that gives the impression of a very mild tea. A bit shy. I should have liked it to have a little more oomph to it.

If it had had the grainy notes, I could have gone on and on about that and about the comparison to proper danish rye bread and how that differs from the stuff most of the rest of the world calls rye bread, and the pros and cons of same. As it isn’t really there, it’s rather difficult to say anything about it.

That sweetness, however, that is spectacular and it’s worth every single point here. Not a favourite Keemun for me at all, it’s far too well-behaved, but definitely not a bad one either.

Greetings all.

These days the boyfriend and I are watching a BBC series about China. We tend to do one episode per evening while eating (Dining table? What’s that? Ooooh, you mean the cat playground!) and the episode we watched yesterday was primarily about the Yunnan province. Although tea wasn’t mentioned more than briefly. Mostly it was about nature and a wee bit about anthropology as well. Quite an interesting series, actually. The first episode we watched was about how they grow tiny little rice fields terraced up and down mountains and with little walk-ways so narrow that it looked like if you lost your footing and fell, you would be lucky if you got out of it with only a broken leg. Amazing how adaptable the human species is! And how inventive. O.o

Anyway, inspired by that first mentioned episode, I thought I should drink some Yunnan tea today and it just so happens that I’ve got a sample of this one which the very kind Ssajami shared with me recently.

While I was steeping it I found myself assailed by a strong caramel-y aroma. Especially while pouring my cup. It’s was unbelievable and for a moment I wondered if I had actually managed to pick something caramel flavoured instead of what I thought I had taken. But as the sample tin that this is in is a small pale grean Adagio sample tin and as the tin the Caramel is in is a large, brown Kusmi tin, I didn’t think this very likely. So apparently this tea just have a strong note of caramel in the aroma. That’s new to me. I’ve never noticed this sort of note in a Yunnan before.

So when I tasted it, I was expecting something with a slightly sticky flavour and absolutely dripping with caramel. But it wasn’t. Instead I got something that from sip one was more nutty than anything else. Walnuts in particular. I can just visualise them in my head as I’m drinking it. The note is so strong that this would be a poor base for something walnut flavoured, because it would just be impossible to tell a difference.

If I didn’t know any better, I would think it WAS flavoured!

How very pleasant to happen upon a Yunnan black that doesn’t taste like hay, but like walnuts. This is definitely preferable.

It’s not completely unusual though. It is in fact still very recognisable as a Yunnan due that unmistakable spicy, pepper-y, prickly note in it and it’s all smoooooooooth too.

Very nice tea this. Thanks for sharing, Ssajami.

ETA by the way of the unrelated kind! Finally have the real ring, a photograph of which can be seen here. http://pics.livejournal.com/iarnvidia/pic/0000121b

The first time I had this, I had made it with boiling water because I had not been paying attention. Lately, based on how Kusmi’s flavoured teas are frequently better at around 90°C as opposed to the boiling 100°C, I have taken to consequently using 90°C for flavoured black teas.

The first time I had this one I noted a certain astringency, almost bitter and something I could definitely have lived without.

This time I didn’t get that astringency in any noteworthy amount, so the reduced temperature was definitely worth it. The rest of the flavour, however, was much the same.

An enjoyable cup. Bit on the flowery side for me, but otherwise quite nice. Still wish the rhubarb would come out more. I’ve had a rhubarb flavoured green, which was quite nice, but I would love to try a rhubarb flavoured black. Maybe in combination with strawberry like in this blend, only without all the flowers. I wonder if it would be like the red fruit porridge my late grandmother sometimes made when I was on holiday at their house as a child. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B8dgr%C3%B8d)

I’ve never seen anything rhubarb flavoured that wasn’t green, though. Or, like this one, in a rather more complicated blend.