Palais des Thes

Had this as a hot cuppa earlier in the week and it just really struck me as tasting eerily like some kind of cranberry flavoured cereal or granola that I’ve had in the not too recent past. It was delicious but also strongly a deja vu type moment, and I couldn’t pick my finger on exactly what type of cranberry cereal/granola type thing I was being reminded of…

Damn if it didn’t make me hungry though!

This is my third tea of the Palais des Thes “Detox” line up…

This is my favourite so far, and by quite a bit. I think that the cranberry flavour is really quite spot on; and has a beautiful juicy/sweet quality with just a tiny, tiny tinge of tartness. That’s something that I like a lot about cranberry in European blends: it’s far sweeter than the way many companies in North America interpret it. Here, the focus always seems to be on tart cranberry notes (usually with accompanying hibiscus). That can be really nice too; but I love that sweet/plump cranberry vibe.

The woodier elements to the blend are phenomenal too; I think it adds a great naturalness to the tea and helps with balancing out the flavour. Definitely enhances that whole “forest berry” vibe, and I feel like sells me a little more on this being a “Scandinavian” inspired blend. I also feel like I get a biscuit-y element in the profile? Like, as an undertone – not a prominent part of the sip. Not sure which ingredient is doing it for me – though it could easily be a flavouring too that’s contributing it: those are so hard to track…

I’d definitely drink this one again though!

Second of this “Detox” line up that I’m trying…

Of the collection, I think this is the one that is least exciting to me. I just feel like I’m at a place where I’m like “Ok, I get it… Turmeric is a big wellness ingredient right now, and a popular spice in Indian so makes sense for spiced/chai type stuff. Haven’t we had enough of it though!?” Like, I’m just so over turmeric.

This is fine, I suppose. The turmeric is strong, as is the cardamom and ginger. Cardamom is the saving grace for me in this cup/what kept me from prematurely dumping it. It’s also pretty brisk/full bodied with a STRONG finishing astringency that lingers for a long time after the swallow. I’m not the market for this kind of tea – clearly. However, even just in comparison to turmeric chai type teas I’ve had in the last few months I find that this one is very middle of the road for me…

Shrug.

This tastes familiar, but I’m having one of those moments where I’ve just tried so many teas that I’m having a bloody challenging time figuring out exactly which one it’s reminding me of. It’s nice for what’s in it; but I’m not meshing with the more buttery and strong/full bodied green tea base. In general, I find that sort of distinct buttered greens note just simply doesn’t compliment something sweet and tropical like passionfruit/mango.

Very “European” feeling though – I’m beginning to build up quite a familiarity with that difference in flavour approach versus a North American type of flavour. Contrasting this against DT’s Green Passionfruit blend would be a good example of this difference…

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 23

So this is the companion to the “Paris for Her” blend, which was very rosey and definitely not for me. This one sounds much more interesting – vanilla, citrus, coriander? Definitely an unusual combination.

Unfortunately, this one is not for me either. It’s like drinking perfume… I think it’s the orange blossom that’s overpowering and is tasting so floral in a chemical perfume sense. I can taste some vanilla and possibly the sage.

Nope, this is vile. Down the drain it goes.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 24

This is one of the PDT blends I wanted to try, yay! It’s an almond, vanilla, and spice green-oolong blend. Almond teas tend to disappoint me, but still I find myself intrigued by the concept…

This is stone cold now that I’m getting around to drinking it. But that’s okay, I usually prefer my teas room temperature anyway. There is a lovely sweet cinnamon note that’s warming but not overpowering. I do taste the almond as well – it has a marzipan-like flavor but is mild enough to not be cloying. The two together taste quite cookie-ish. Maybe something like a snickerdoodle but with added almond? The base is smooth and fairly docile – I can taste maybe a hint of the green tea’s grassy and leafy notes.

It’s yummy! I would consider ordering this one.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 19

Ughhhh, I am so beyond irritated with the whole mortgage process. We found out today that our house was appraised at a lower value than the purchase price (about $20K lower), which basically means we’re paying $20K more for it than it’s objectively “worth”.

So now we have to pay the difference at closing, and since the mortgage is only for the appraised price, it doesn’t even count as a down payment. So we’ll just be an additional $20K out of pocket beyond what we’d planned for the down payment, and it doesn’t even help our interest rate at all.

Really really frustrating.

Anyway, back on topic. This is the fourth DETOX blend I’ve tried from PDT. I can’t say I’m terribly excited for it, but that’s not its fault – I’m just not a big fan of turmeric in tea.

It’s actually better than I expected. The turmeric is fairly restrained, which is nice change from other turmeric teas I’ve tried. It adds a nice earthy note without being overpowering and making my mouth dry. The black tea is very light for an Assam. I’m not sure I really get lemon, but I do enjoy the herbal flavor of the tulsi here and it really goes well with the turmeric. It’s almost lightly minty in flavor? I don’t have much experience with tulsi, so I’m not sure how it’s meant to taste.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 18

Hmm, a rose tea… Rose is one of the few flavors that I really can’t stand. So this doesn’t bode well for me, heh.

It’s mostly just a somewhat grassy and dried leaf-y base tea with rose flavor. I can taste the lychee a little bit, and maybe just a hint of raspberry. But the rose is definitely the main event.

Nope, it’s not for me! :P

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 17

Another straight tea from Palais des Thés today. I’ve been surprised by how many unflavored teas they included in their advent calendar.

It’s perfectly pleasant. The main flavor is earthy and mineral. I’m not really getting the sweet potato that I’ve come to expect from Yunnan black teas. There is some baked bread and a bit of hay.

Overall, it’s smooth and drinkable. I’m not sure I would know specifically that it’s a Yunnan tea, it tastes more generically Chinese.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 16

Hm, a fruit tisane. Womp womp…

I steeped the sachet in 8 ounces of water rather than 12, because it looked to have very little volume in it.

Even with the reduction in water, this is quite weak. It’s vaguely apple-y and vaguely spiced with clove and cinnamon. There’s a bit of orange and a bit of sweetness. I am thankful that it’s not drowning in hibiscus, and the steeped liquid is a lovely pale pink.

I feel like this would be decent if there had been more leaf in the sachet. But it’s definitely not unique, just another fruit & spice tisane.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 15

Hmm… Well, Darjeeling isn’t generally one of my preferred black teas, but I haven’t had that many experiences with it either. This one is a second flush, so it has that going for it! I followed the recommended parameters and steeped this for 3 minutes at 200°F.

This is quite nice, actually. It’s extremely smooth, without even a hint of bitterness. And it reminds me of a Chinese black tea in a lot of ways. It’s very light-bodied, with strong notes of malt and freshly baked bread accompanied by soft hay, grains, and wood.

Definitely pleasantly surprised by this one! It would be lovely as an afternoon tea or perhaps a milder breakfast tea for lazy weekend sipping.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 14

Excellent, this is one of the Palais des Thés blends that I wanted to try specifically! I held off on ordering any teas from them since I knew the advent calendar would essentially be a giant sampler pack.

This is a standard Earl Grey blend, but on a Yunnan black tea base.

Yummy, I’m really enjoying it. I’m not sure I would know the base tea is from Yunnan, as it’s quite dark and not at all sweet potato-y, but I would know it’s from China. It has a pleasant earthy flavor and is extremely smooth with zero bitterness or astringency. There’s also perhaps a little touch of smoke, and some mineral notes. The bergamot is quite light, and it tastes citrusy as opposed to perfumey.

Quite lovely as a lighter Earl Grey taken without additives!

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 13

This one sounds delightful! I love all three of the ingredients listed. Dry, it smells quite orangey.

Hm, I’m surprised by how mild this is. I taste only a hint of the blackcurrant or elderberry, mostly at the end of the sip. I think the strongest flavors here are the orange and the elderflower. Luckily, I love elderflower too, so it’s a non-issue. It’s smooth, mild, and sweet – perfect for relaxing in the evening.

I possibly should have used a bit less water for this, but oh well! Still tasty.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 12

Yay, this is one of the ones I’ve wanted to try from Palais des Thés! I considered ordering some teas from them on Cyber Monday, but I figured that would be silly when I still have a full calendar of samples to try still. Hopefully most of the blends I’m most curious about are in here!

This is a fairly tasty green tea. At first I thought there was a bit too much floral, but there’s a lovely little current of orange flavor that comes across somewhere in the middle, and it really helps to quell the floral a bit. I can taste a bit of rose as well as the citrusy orange blossom. The berry flavor tastes a bit chalky, which seems to be a common issue for me. I don’t think I can taste the date at all…

It’s not my favorite flavored green tea, but I am surprised that I quite enjoy it in spite of the high proportion of floral notes.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 11

Yay, a nice Chinese green tea is the perfect thing for after lunch! Palais des Thés is not generally the place I would go to source such a tea, but I’m thankful to have this sachet available nonetheless.

This is a perfectly nice, mild dragonwell. It’s smooth and creamy with light vegetal notes that remind me of sugar snap peas and edamame. There’s some tasty nuttiness as well, perhaps pine nuts? Now that I mention it, there is a slight piney note here as well. And there’s a little hint of apricot at the end, which is something I often find in Chinese green teas.

It’s perfectly lovely and drinkable, and it’s making my workday so much better. :)

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 10

Hmm, I can’t say that I’m excited for this one. Red rooibos and I are tentative acquaintances at best. Plus this is a holiday tea, which are often generically spiced. But here we are.

Dry, it smells quite gingery, which does not bode well.

I’m actually quite pleasantly surprised by this one. The orange is stronger than I expected, and it really lifts the whole blend. The ginger melds a bit with the sweet almond flavor, which helps to tone it down. There’s also some other light spicing – mostly I taste cardamom and clove, perhaps a bit of cinnamon as well and a touch of black pepper. I think there’s a hint of anise as well.

So really, it’s a pleasant orange spice rooibos. I’m enjoying it a lot, which is very surprising to me.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 9

I’ve been curious about the Palais des Thés Detox range, so I’m happy to see them included in the advent calendar. This one is an herbal blend with berries. I wasn’t sure what a bilberry is, but it seems they are similar to blueberries.

This came out a little bit weak, but otherwise I really like it. I can taste the blueberry-esque bilberry, along with the slightly zingier cranberry on a sweet base of apple. Apparently there is beet here as well, and I think I can taste it a little bit, especially near the end of the sip where it adds sweetness. I can’t really comment on the birch, having no idea what that would taste like. I do taste a bit of elderflower, which is lovely considering it’s one of the few florals that I really enjoy.

I quite like this one. In fact, I may consider ordering a tin… The artwork is also beautiful, which always helps. ;)

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 8

I’m drinking this in the evening, because I was busy all day. Went to see our house (we’re moving in on the 27th), then went to lunch and, after that, a brewery. So I’m pooped, partially from all the hubbub and partially from drinking too much beer…

This is fairly light for a breakfast blend. I get the feeling that there’s more Yunnan here than Assam, because it tastes somewhat earthy but very smooth with some notes of bread and sweet potato. I don’t really get the briskness and raisin notes that I associate with Assam. Maybe there’s a little bit of raisin in the finish if I really look for it? But there’s zero bitterness or astringency here. There is a nice dollop of sweetness throughout the sip.

It’s perfectly tasty, not really a breakfast blend though in my opinion.

As my kids would say, I haz a sad. I found some stray bag of this tea, only to discover that I really like it and it’s no longer available. Very strong almond but the fruitiness of the cherry and cranberry cut it so it’s not cookie-like, just warm and sweet. The smell is wonderful, like cherry pie in a cup. I wish I wish I wish it was still around!

This is probably my favorite Palais des Thes yet. It is light as their teas seem to be, with floral and fruity notes that complement but don’t overwhelm. I can’t say exactly what all those were, though – it is one difficulty I tend to have with their teas, where a lot of flavors are not identifiable. Regardless, I enjoyed it!

I like the lightness of Palais des Thes teas. This one doesn’t disappoint me, with sweet orange and just light spices (mostly cinnamon?) but somehow not tasting heavy like some Christmas teas do. The green tea is unremarkable but supports the flavors sufficiently. All in all, I enjoy it.

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 7

Wow, I’m surprised to see this one so early in the calendar. I fully expected this to be the Christmas Eve tea. Well, I guess now it really will be a surprise! This is your garden-variety holiday black tea – with orange and clove and some other additions.

It is better than I expected. The orange is stronger than the spice, which makes it a bit more fresh-tasting. Overall, it’s a very light tea, and the flavoring is light as well. There is some bubblegum-esque flavor – maybe from the almond flavoring?

Overall, it’s light and flavorful with a nice pop of orange. I’m not the biggest fan of these holiday teas, but this is enjoyable to drink nonetheless. :)

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 6

It’s interesting to me that PDT has so many straight teas in this calendar. I would never order a straight tea from them, as I consider them to be more of a flavored tea company. But I won’t ever turn my nose up at a genmaicha!

Wow, this is surprisingly sweet! The bancha is mild with notes of grass and dry leaves. I always find bancha to be a comforting green tea because it reminds me of autumn. There’s a little touch of umami, but no bitterness or astringency at all. And, of course, the toasted rice is delicious. I’m not sure whether the sweetness is coming from the tea or the rice, but it’s clear and crisp, reminding me of cool stream water.

This is much better than I expected it to be. So comforting and delicious!