CHINA DA HONG PAO

« Big Red Robe »
Origin: China, Fujian
Tea colour: semi-fermented (40% to 50%)
Length of infusion: 7’ or by the Gong Fu Cha method : successive infusions lasting 30-60 seconds, almost as many as you want!
Water temperature: 95°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: large crumpled leaves which are very evenly sized and beautifully processed.
Colour: dark green and black.
Scents: complex: fruit (pear), fresh floral (lime blossom, verbena), spicy and peppery, with an underlying, heavier woody note.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scents: very rich: a fresh, fruity attack that also has cooked fruit characteristics. There are honey and floral scents too, followed by heavier notes: vanilla, woody, spicy.

Liquor
Colour: amber, with a few brown and black glints.
Texture: slightly astringent, with a good presence in the mouth.
Aromas: a gorgeous aromatic bouquet: floral (lime blossom, rose, ylang-ylang), fruity (stewed fruit, jam, pear, grape), citronella, honey and toasted. Underlying these are touches of wax polished wood, honey and flowers, accompanied by planty, mint and liquorice notes.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: long lasting. The complexity of the aromatic bouquet results in some very distinctive notes that are powerful on the palate.

Our verdict: Da Hong Pao is the best of the four exceptional Wu Longs produced in the Wu Yi Shan, in the mountains of Fujian, and is one of China’s truly mythical teas. Originally harvested from tea plants dating back to the Ming dynasty, most of this tea is now grown on cuttings taken from these ancient plants. A sumptuous, rich bouquet!

AIGUILLES D'ARGENT

Silver Needles or "Yin Zhen" in Chinese. This spectacular tea is exclusively made up of silvery buds. Because of this, it is extremely light and very high in caffeine. Its ripe grape taste is unique and no other tea can come even closer to its delicacy. Drinking it with nothing added is an absolute must.

GRAND JASMIN MU DAN

Rare and sculpted tea from the Chinese Fujian province. This very spectacular tea is prepared using long silver tips and young tender leaves, to which freshly plucked jasmine flowers are added. To retain the tea's mild flavour, these flowers are finally delicately removed by hand. Silver tips and young leaves are sewn together by hand with an amaranth flower, before being shaped into a ball. Only just visible when the tea is in its dried form, the amaranth bud is released into the cup after being infused for a few minutes. As it opens up, the tea forms the amazing shape of a flower with a pink heart. A few pink petals detach themselves and float to the surface of the cup. This exceptionally delicate work is only matched by the tea's equally fine flavour, as the softness of the green tea reveals to be the perfect complement to the subtlety of the jasmine.

Suggestion of presentation. Cup not provided.

CHINA AIGUILLES D'OR

Origin: China, Yunnan
Tea colour: black
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 90°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: long golden buds with yellow glints. A magnificent plucking.
Colour: golden.
Scents: floral, honey, animal, vanilla and woody notes.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Appearance: beautiful buds, sometimes with a young leaf attached.
Colour: a uniform brown-red.
Scents: honey, cooked fruit (sweet purple plum, mirabelle) and sweet vanilla as well as very distinct woody notes.

Liquor
Colour: coppery, with red glints.
Texture: velvety texture, full and long lasting.
Flavour: acidic.
Aromas: honey, cooked fruit (plums), woody (wax-polished wood, bark) and sweet vanilla accompanied by a few notes of undergrowth (mushroom, tobacco).
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: very round in the mouth thanks to the velvety texture present from start to finish, and the lovely succession of notes. The woody notes are beautifully long.

Our verdict: Les Aiguilles d’Or (“golden needles”) are known, along with the Bourgeons de Yunnan (“Yunnan buds”), as being one of the rarest, most exceptional black teas. This plucking of the finest downy buds acquires, following oxidation, a beautiful golden sheen which, when infused, produces a wonderfully smooth, fragrant, deep red liquor. A true delight for connoisseurs!

JASMINE PEARLS

Very rare and available very sporadically, the Jasmine Pearls are produced using best quality green tea leaves. They are rolled by hand into tiny round balls. By being folded in the leaf preserves the delicate fragrance of the jasmine flower with which it was scented. This spectacular tea produces a beverage of the highest quality: the softness of the green tea is the perfect complement to the subtlety of the jasmine. The roundness and the smoothness of the beverage feels like a pearl of tea to the palate. A jasmine tea must !

CHINA QIMEN MU DAN

« Qimen Peony »
Origin: China, Anhui
Tea colour: black
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 90°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: a hundred young leaves are stitched together in a star shape.
Colour: black and golden.
Scents: floral (orange blossom), zesty (orange), woody, terpenic.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Appearance: the “peony” of tea opens up.
Colour: red, brown.
Scents: fruit (cooked fruit) and jam (cooked strawberries), accompanied by woody, vanilla (vanilla pod) aromas and very rich cocoa notes.

Liquor
Colour: coppery.
Texture: supple and smooth.
Aromas: mild and sweet, vanilla, cooked fruit and a few floral notes.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: round and smooth, with mild and sweet yet heavy notes.

Our verdict: Inspired by the eponymous green tea “Huang Shan Mu Dan”, this is a finely crafted tea of very high quality, from Anhui. The finest Qimen leaves have been carefully “sculpted” into a star shape with a very refined fragrance. The delicate star will gradually unfurl during the four-minute infusion in your cup.

JASMINE SILVER NEEDLES

Origin: China, province of Fujian
Tea colour: white tea
Length of infusion: 3'
Water temperature: 75°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: spectacular plucking, composed entirely of long, silvery and twisted buds.
Colour: pale gold.
Scents: highly floral jasmine bouquet, both rich and complex. Evokes the scent of fresh flowers: notes of red fruits with animal undertones.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scents: this bouquet reappears on infusion with heightened intensity. The jasmine is powerful and complex, the wild strawberry note full-bodied. Surprisingly powerful!

Liquor
Colour: pale.
Texture: supple.
Aromas: the jasmine is well developed, balanced and full: the very distinct floral note of jasmine is combined with an intensely fresh and planty note, as well as a fruity note of wild strawberry.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: the overall effect is very long-lasting, with a delicious minty freshness.

Our verdict: a very elegant tea, which has achieved the level of the finest Chinese jasmine teas: Jasmine Pearls. A very small quantity of this tea is harvested and flavoured seven times with fresh jasmine flowers, connoisseurs are sure to be delighted by its opulence and complexity.

PU ER GRANDE FEUILLE ANNEE 1998

Origin: Yunnan, China.
Tea colour: black Pu Er
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 90°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: nice leaves of an intermediate grade.
Colour: dark with reddish brown highlights.
Scents: powerful nose, earthy and woody with very pronounced notes of undergrowth.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scents: the harmony between the notes of wood and undergrowth is very intense.

Liquor
Colour: reddish brown liquor, clear and glossy.
Texture: thick and somewhat dense.
Flavours: umami.
Aromas: initially heady and round. The notes of damp earth, cellars, wood and mushrooms are wonderfully balanced and gradually develop a rose note, recalling cultivated mushrooms, which enhances the olfactory palette.
Aromatic profil and lenght in the mouth: good length in the mouth and persistence of the mushroom/undergrowth note.

Our verdict: This Pu Er, which will soon be celebrating its tenth birthday, presents all the characteristics of the mature tea: the animal and leather bouquet of young Pu Er teas has developed more earthy, complex notes. A number of elements are evoked on tasting, including cellars, with their earth floors, and very damp wood. Enjoy the experience of traditional black Pu Er!

YUNNAN TIPS

A spectacular plucking of Yunnan, composed almost entirely of very long golden tips. This exceptional tea is to black tea what the Silver Needle is to white tea: an essential for all lovers of fine teas. The infused leaf has a powerful, deep aroma, with almost meaty, truffle-like notes of damp earth and rich foliage. The liquor is dark, almost black, and its full, generous fragrance evokes cocoa.

Undoubtedly the best of the Yunnans.

QIMEN IMPERIAL

The finest quality Qimen. This plucking is extremely difficult to obtain as it is one of the rarest and most prized teas of Anhui. Deliberately produced in small quantities, Qimen Imperial is renowned for its unique aroma and malty flavour.

CHINA BAI LIN GONG FU

“White jade for the Gong Fu”
Origin: China, Fujian
Tea colour: black tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 90°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: rolled leaves with plenty of small buds.
Colour: blackened leaves and golden buds.
Scent: honey, fruit and stewed fruit (prune, mirabelle, rhubarb), vanilla, cocoa and wood based notes (wax polished wood).

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scent: honey, fruit with apple, mirabelle and prune notes, as well as almond, vanilla and woody notes.

Liquor
Colour: a clear, gleaming coppery colour.
Texture: supple, powdery, developing a delicate astringency in the back of the mouth.
Aromas: initially plenty of honey and fruit, followed by wood and undergrowth, with floral accents over the top (geranium).
Aromatic profil and lenght in the mouth: the notes are present right from the start, and the intensity is long lasting and full. Woody, liquorice and spicy notes come through.

Our verdict: A surprising name for a black tea! In fact, it derives from the cultivar, the famous “Da Bai” – “Great White” – which supplies the leaves for both the Fujian white teas (Bai Mu Dan, Silver Needles) and for the spring pluckings of this region (Bai Mao Hou, for example). Processed in the same way as black tea, the Da Bai leaves produce a rich, complex brew not unlike the best Qimens. Tea fans will love it!

PU ER FO XIAN ANNEE 2002

Origin: China, Yunnan province
Tea colour: dark tea
Length of infusion: 90°C
Water temperature: 4’

Dry leaves
Appearance: small, well-rolled leaves with a very regular appearance.
Colour: fawn.
Scents: slightly heady and good presence on the nose, well-balanced harmony between the animal and undergrowth notes.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scents: dominant bouquet of undergrowth: mushroom, damp moss and earth; the animal note is more subtle.

Liquor
Texture: supple.
Flavours: umami.
Aromas: lovely initial aromas and wonderfully complex scents of undergrowth. The notes from infusion (moss, earth) can be rediscovered in the liquor and then develop towards more mellow aromas of mushroom, very long-lasting.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: well-balanced and very long in the mouth.

Our verdict: “Immortal Buddha”. A wonderful plucking, for a Pu Er with perfectly controlled fermentation. The passing years have enhanced the bouquet with damp cellar notes that are slightly more developed than those of the current year’s Pu Er. The tannins have also become rounder, for a tea that is amazingly smooth and mellow in the cup.

GRAND JASMIN MAO FENG

'Hair tips'. A very rare jasmine tea composed almost entirely of tips. This tea disappeared for a long time before the Fujian province began producing it again in very small quantities. It contains no flowers; they are removed to avoid bitterness when the tea is infused. The smoothness of the liquor and its subtle bouquet makes this an exceptional tea.

YUNCUI IMPERIAL BIO

Origin: China, Jiangsu
Tea colour: green tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 75°C

Twisted leaf.
From the Wukou-Ruikang estate.

Dry leaves
Appearance: twisted leaves and large downy buds.
Colour: khaki green, from pale to very dark.
Scents: vanilla, chocolate (Nesquik, Ovaltine) and woody aromas, combined with yellow flower, animal and undergrowth notes.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Colour: khaki (green with yellow glints).
Scents: a floral attack followed by a planty, undergrowth note (damp earth), softened by touches of vanilla and cooked yellow fruit.

Liquor
Texture: the astringency that fills the mouth gives it a smooth texture and ensures the liquor lingers.
Flavour: acidic and slightly bitter.
Aromas: initially floral and planty, enhanced by a strong mineral note on the middle and back of the palate, with accents of animal notes.
Aromatic profil and lenght in the mouth: beautifully well balanced. The mild notes at the start and the lovely lingering freshness are followed by a fresh, raw planty note, accentuated by a few touches of fresh fruit.

Our verdict: This tea from the Wuyuan mountains has a large leaf which develops well during infusion. It has the typical flavour of damp earth after a storm, highly prized by the Chinese. Subtle chestnut notes.

YUNNAN D'OR

Golden Yunnan is an exceptional crop of a rare delicacy that Le Palais des Thés experts source directly from the plantations, something which is very difficult in China because the marketing of tea is still very centralized on a regional basis. This is one of the finest, the most delicate and the most subtle of the Yunnan teas.

GRAND JASMIN DAO REN MAO FENG BIO

China organic green tea scented with jasmine. From the Dao Ren farm in Zhejiang province.
Organic jasmine and an excellent organic green tea combine beautifully to produce this wonderful tea with an intoxicating aroma. To ensure the infusion is not bitter, all the flowers have been removed by hand.

PU ER BAI YUN SHAN BIO

Origin: Yunnan, China.
Tea colour: black Pu Er
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 90°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: nice leaves of an intermediate grade.
Colour: dark with reddish brown highlights.
Scents: powerful nose, earthy and woody with very pronounced notes of undergrowth.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scents: the harmony between the notes of wood and undergrowth is very intense.

Liquor
Colour: reddish brown liquor, clear and glossy.
Texture: thick and somewhat dense.
Flavours: umami.
Aromas: initially heady and round. The notes of damp earth, cellars, wood and mushrooms are wonderfully balanced and gradually develop a rose note, recalling cultivated mushrooms, which enhances the olfactory palette.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: good length in the mouth and persistence of the mushroom/undergrowth note.

Our verdict: This Pu Er presents all the characteristics of the mature tea: the animal and leather bouquet of young Pu Er teas has developed more earthy, complex notes. A number of elements are evoked on tasting, including cellars, with their earth floors, and very damp wood. Enjoy the experience of traditional black Pu Er!

LONG JING

'Dragon Well'. One of the most renowned China teas. Originating from the Zhejiang province, the plants grow on the upper slopes of the Tieh Mu mountains. The tea can by recognised by the way it is folded into the shape of a tea leaf. It has a delicate fragrance, a slightly sweet flavour and a silky texture. The liquor is velvety and long in the mouth, with a chestnut aroma.

TIE GUAN YIN IMPERIAL

"Iron Goddess of Mercy". Intermediate fermentation (40%). This is the highest quality Tie Guan Yin tea. The leaves are almost black dark green, with a slightly yellow tint around the edges. It produces an amber liqueur with a hazelnut-like, flowery bouquet. Long lasting taste in the mouth, this is a tea of great delicacy.

QIMEN HAO YA

Like Qimen Impérial, this tea grows on the Huang Mountain. It is a high quality crop. The tea has a delicate, slightly chocolaty, taste. A subtle tea for the late afternoon.