Le Palais des Thes

Dong Ding … My first encounter with Dong Ding dates back to some years. I was very surprised when this friend arranged these tiny cups on the trail and poured that almost translucent water with this finest scent. From this experience I could only remember that sensation like drinking a piece of fine bakery, that wonderful feeling in the mouth, so flowery. I also remember how he was making fun of the name, trying to pronounce it with the right accent. Tung Tiing … So that stayed like a fantasy in my mind and I never tasted Dong Ding again.
Until two days ago, now that I am myself getting interested into teas and looking to explore all of them. My expectations had been high, once again, and I got deceived at first sip, once again.
But now, i know, it takes some cups to get acquainted with any tea. And after second steeping, it was all there. That feeling of light bakery in the mouth, the soft but inviting taste of fresh flower… It has become my number one tea in my cupboard, taking over LongJing. I also love how these tiny balls unfold to become these big nice leaves.
So I can just sit back, close my eyes and imagine that “frozen peak”. When I get there, I know I have found the perfect tea … for now …

I was told this tea (?) won a third best black tea in the world. Well, whatever. It is pleasant enough. Lovely honey colour in the cup but much lighter than I had expected. The leaves were quite varied in length and the leaves quite variegated in their colours – dark, golden, silver, green. I thought it smelt for all the world like early season dry hay, very grassy.

On the tongue it was delicate, somewhat astringent, pleasantly so and it lingered nicely. There is a light natural sweetness so I did not feel a need to go overboard on the sugar. My nose is not much for catching floral notes unless the buds are stuffed up to the sinuses. Cannot say I really caught the classic “almondy” bouquet either. The aroma did not seem to burst out of cup like some other teas. Perhaps too subtle for this barbarous nose.

I don’t think this has the robustness that I like for a morning tea. It seems like a crepuscular tea to me, one for sipping on the porch on a early summer afternoon watching the sun go down. Serve with shortbread I think.

Tasting this tea ruined a fierce certainty inside of me : that tea had to be green and that I would never go for black …
That gray dark heavy rainy late winter afternoon, i opened that little sampler from Le Palais des Thés and the first string of smell just changed my instant world. In one second I found myself in the heart of a golden autumn forest, let’s call it paradise.
It’s already some days I tasted this tea, that’s sad, i couldn’t describe the entire feeling, but that was wonderful, that sooo rich spicy woody smell. It would do for all the perfumes I’ll never wear anymore, all the alcohols I’ll never drink anymore. I can’t explain. if that fragrance was a world, i would live in that world forever !
Then I pour it in that little yellow outside white inside cup where i like to pour my dry leaves to admire them. Oooohhhh those golden buds (is it like that you call them in English ?) and those long black leaves, so nicely rolled … I never thought I could admire just a simple leaf with such a passion. The most beautiful lady of the world wouldn’t do that effect on me anymore (hmmm … no really … sorry ladies … I can live on tea and cookies forever now)
You remember ? I said it was one of those really drag-down afternoons, one of these days you have worked so late into the night, slept some hours and woke up in that pouring skies gloomy light. Body empty of energy, mind turned all the way to numbness. The next second I was bathed in that golden spirit with an incredible feeling of completeness, happiness and well being.
I have noticed these last weeks that the smell, colour and taste of every kind of tea brings me memories from my far away childhood. Every tea I had the chance to taste brought me that millisecond flash of a forgotten moment of my childhood. But I could never concretely describe that.
The impression tea leaves on me is still beyond the reach of my vocabulary …
I’ll get there i think …
Cheers !

Twinings Vanilla Tea was probably my first encounter in the largest world of tea, and it had left a deep impression of me, only because of the context (a girl friend had then left a little note on the paper packaging and the smell had long accompanied me.
Today I tasted this flavoured sencha, and I don’t think much about it. It smells great, my memories will tell you, this mix of vanilla and sencha smells great. But i didn’t tasted much in mouth.
Maybe I didn’t brew it correctly, but I found a slight hint of vanilla in the second longer steeping, for the rest it was more like drinking regular sencha, nothing special about it. Still its intense flashy green was nice, I enjoyed taking some pictures in this sunny (almost warm) February afternoon.
Thanks Le Palais des Thés for their generous samples in each order parcel. i won’t buy more of this tea. i’ll taste the next one.

I don’t have the proper words to talk about tea. Just I really like the lightness and the freshness of this Sencha superieur. It feels like a meal of fish and seafood in a freshly cut grass field a sunny spring afternoon, with its discrete grilled aftertaste. Its neon yellow-light green is almost fascinating. From this tea, I know I should not use my large teapots anymore, this sencha only bears the right amount of water, or it becomes a waste … The second steeping is always good, even better. I think this tea doesn’t want too hot water, but I don’t like just warmy tea, so i made it 75° … and slurped it fast ! Cheers

This tea is amazing! It’s so chocolaty, it’s sweet and smooth. And its caffeine-free and has no sugar ! What more could I ask for? I love my flavored, sweet blacks, but I end up drinking a whole pot, and in the evening that is way too much caffeine. This tea is my solution.
It is great with and without milk.

There is finally, FINALLY a tea store in my little country, that has many teas to try, is decently priced and that I don’t have to pay steep international shipping fees for. Happy Day! I have no experience with actual tea stores, I always purchased online. Being so close to so many different kinds of teas, to see and smell them all, it took all my self control to not purchase every single one of them. Alas, my wallet has it’s limits, and after I chose 5 or 6 (ok, ok, maybe 7) teas, it was screaming STOP THIS NOW!. Le Palais des Thes in Tel Aviv – I wish you a warm welcome, and I suspect I will be seeing you often :)

This is the first of the teas that I purchased. I am impressed.
It’s flavor has a presence, yet it is smooth and mellow. I had the first cup straight, and the second with a touch of milk. Both were very good, but I admit I am partial to black tea with milk.

the smell is really good but the taste is just spicy, not sweet as the smell. not bad tea, the idea is good but nothing special.

Delicious, fresh but full… hands down favorite earl grey ever tasted.

I smelled the tea at the boutique and remembered it to be a lot more sweet rather than spicy when I opened my bag… but maybe that’s because it was sealed up? Or maybe I’m crazy.

But anyway, I was a little worried at first that there would be a mystery icky flavor but was immediately relieved of that stress when I took my first sip.

Lovely, absolutely lovely. It’s spicy enough to really warm you through but the apple keeps it smooth on the throat and heart. I don’t really taste the almond, but I can kind of feel the texture a bit.

I really enjoy this tea. I’m excited to keep drinking it throughout the fall and winter!

Brewed in a big teapot, I tried multiple brewing time. Ok tea, but still, the bad black tea basis from Le Palais Des Thes is there

This tea certainly differs from other Japanese teas such as sencha or macha, being less bitter and a bit more subtle, yet quite refreshing. Very tasy!

Renowned for its quality and taste, I decided to try this although I am leaving for Japan in about two weeks and should really be consuming the tea I already have.

As I am not a big fan of the “official” way of making sencha, I always use less tea than normal, about 1 teaspoon per 2.5 dl. I usually works fine for me, but this time it came out really weak.

Increasing the amount of tea to 2 teaspoons to a 3.5 dl in a traditional Japanese teapot seemed however to do the magic!

A wonderful, round taste with a somewhat bitter touch.

Very fruity and nice. A bit more fruitier than its close “relative” Dong Ding.

My first milky wu-long and I’m really not sure what I should get.

First attempt yesterday, I used way to much tea (used my teaspoon for measure but left the leaves free in the cup), the result was excessively bitter. But it is very impressive to see those pearls unfold into ig leaves.

Second attempt today, used 4-5 pearls but with too much water I think. While I can smell the different aromas, it feels diluted, I’ll try the second infusion with less water.
Scent and taste are pleasant, buttery and floral.

I’m looking forward to compare with other milky wu longs !

I decided to start discovering tea with what I have at home, where I have to be, writing my thesis. While I am familiar with different types of black or green tea, I only had oolong once before, so this is the perfect time.

The colour is surprisingly (to me) clear, almost like a white tea, the smell is delicate while present and definitely nutty. The taste is not too strong either and it develops nicely after a few seconds.

Several people told me in the past they don’t like tea, because it’s like “drinking hot water”. I am pretty sure they wouldn’t like this one at all, but I’ll try it again, maybe with more tea or longer steep time.

I’ve bought this tea for taking it everyday at work. On the bag it’s written “cinnamon and liquorice notes”, well – at first I couldn’t find them, but 5 minutes after drinking a cup, I could feel the liquorice taste in my mouth.
It’s a medium tea: there is a very light floral taste and something that reminds me of cereal, surprising. Nothing like the usual Tie Guan Yin, not bad, but not crazy either – a good tea for its price.
The thing that surprised me the most me with this tea is how hard it’s to brew : impossible to get something in a big teapot … I’ve tried a long steep, a short one, more leaves … nothing : a light faint taste of cereal, nothing more.
And in Gong Fu Cha, it works ! Surprisingly, the steep are quite long : 40’’ – 45’’ – 1’10 – 2’00 – 2’30.

Without milk this tea is ok, but with milk it’s rather good. Mild maybe, but malty and full-flavoured.