KOREA - THE NOIR JUKRO

Origin: Corea, Hadong district, Giri mountains
Tea colour: black tea
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 90°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: very delicate, long leaf, only gently rolled.
Colour: matt black with touches of very dark green.
Scents: initially planty, then much warmer roasted notes (roasted cocoa, coffee), vanilla, woody, cooked fruits, typical roasted notes, cocoa beans at the beginning of the roasting process.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scents: initially very chocolaty (roasted and milky vanilla), very powerful and sweet. Notes of cocoa, chocolate, butter, milk and vanilla. Also notes of dark fruits (plum), quetsche plum jam and crème chocolat.

Liquor
Texture: very supple, powdery texture. Good, persistent presence in the mouth.
Aromas: sweet vanilla, milky (warm milk) and roasted cocoa and coffee notes. Typically evokes chocolate notes combined with notes of cooked fruits (plum and quetsche plum jam) and touches of honey and waxed wood (sandalwood).
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: Wonderful. Well balanced. Rich and complex throughout. The cocoa bouquet has exceptional length in the mouth.

Our verdict: This tea is really quite unique. Plucked and processed entirely by hand at the Jukro farm, this is one of the best black teas produced in the country. The cocoa, vanilla bouquet evokes the rich note of the China Qimen Mao Feng teas, but its strength, richness and intensity takes us more in the direction of the best dark Wu Longs from Taiwan. An outstanding gastronomic experience!

GYOKURO HIKARI

“Pearl of Dew”. One of the best Gyokuro teas from the province of Uji. To create this exceptional tea the tenderest buds are selected by hand, something that is very rare in Japan, and then one by one, finely rolled. In this tea one discovers a lively, fresh taste, with an absolute remarkable delicacy and roundness; the result of a refinement and a degree of care that only the Japanese are capable of. A tea to delight any tea lover.
For optimum enjoyment infuse 10 g of tea in 60 ml of water at 50°C for two minutes.

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.

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!

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.

DARJEELING PHUGURI DJ58 TIPPY CLONAL SFTGFOP1 - 2009 SECOND FLUSH

Origin: Darjeeling
Tea colour: black
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 90°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: large crumpled leaves (gently rolled) with plenty of downy buds.
Colour: brown, with some leaves still khaki green and barely rolled.
Scents: bread crust, fruity, woody, vanilla.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Colour: lovely blend of coppery brown and green.
Scents: rose, orange blossom, butter-vanilla, very rich with some milder notes.

Liquor
Colour: pale copper with golden yellow glints.
Texture : smooth, thick texture, full in the mouth.
Aromas: rose-floral and citrus. Initially fruity (mango), then woody, combined with fresh planty and vanilla accents. Long notes of stewed fruit and wax-polished wood, with fresh planty accents.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: elegant, rich, fresh and long in the mouth.

Our verdict: This plantation has been offering extraordinary “clonal” pluckings for the last three years and this 58th batch is an ideal example.

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.

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.

DARJEELING RISHEEHAT DJ147 «CHINA» SFTGFOP1 – 2009 SECOND FLUSH

Origin: Darjeeling
Tea colour: black
Length of infusion: 4’
Water temperature: 90°C

Dry leaves
Appearance: lovely leaves with plenty of downy buds.
Colour: mixture of brown, copper and khaki, with golden buds.
Scents: vanilla, woody, heady spicy and fruity (cooked fruit).

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Colour: copper and khaki.
Scents: highly fragrant: woody (wax-polished wood), preserved citrus and vanilla.

Liquor
Colour: gleaming, coppery.
Texture: initially supple, then an astringency that lines the whole mouth and adds presence.
Flavour: initially sweet, bitter, slightly acidic.
Aromas: woody, liquorice and spicy (star anise), honey, stewed fruit (eg. grape, mirabelle plum) and vanilla.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: well balanced, rich and harmonious. Long fresh notes (twigs, fresher fruit) and vanilla notes, thanks to the astringency and slight bitterness.

Our verdict: A truly excellent tea from this year’s harvest! Derived from China plants, this plucking shows all the qualities of the best second flush Darjeelings. The woody, fruity notes are well balanced with a few fruity accents which give it great elegance.

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.

NEW VITHANAKANDE F.B.O.P.F.E.X.S

Origin: Sri Lanka, Ratnapura
Tea colour: black tea
Water temperature: 90°C
Length of infusion: 4’


Dry leaves
Appearance: long, dark and well-rolled leaves that are not broken despite what might be assumed from the grade. Plucking features plenty of buds, somewhere between gold and silver.
Scents: fruity bouquet (ripe apples, strawberry), chocolaty and woody.

Brewed leaves (infusion)
Scents: woody (damp wood) and fruity (apple), note of “wet flowers”.

Liquor
Colour: mahogany, nice and clear liquor.
Texture: slightly oily, with a hint of astringency.
Flavours: slight bitterness.
Aromas: woody and honey notes – typical of low-grown teas – culminating in the distinct presence of an apple note.
Aromatic profile and length in the mouth: initially soft and supple, the notes mainly develop at the mid-point. Long in the mouth, supported by the bitterness.

Our verdict: the F.B.O.P.F.E.X.S from New Vithanakande is one of the best low-grown teas in Sri Lanka. Although it represents only 1% of the garden’s production, this grade’s finesse and aromatic richness have impressed connoisseurs over the last few years.

ASSAM MAIJIAN-T.G.F.O.P. SECOND FLUSH

One of the best Assams. With a large leaf and plenty of golden tips, this remarkable tea produces an amber liquor with a rich fragrance. A very fine tea which is flowery in the cup and long in the mouth.

DARJEELING PUTTABONG T.F.G.F.O.P.SECOND FLUSH

A prestigious estate and of one of the oldest in Darjeeling, famed for its pluckings rich in buds. The second flush produces a dark infused leaf and an amber liquor with depth and a lot of body. Its unique full, turns it into an ideal morning tea.

DARJEELING CASTLETON T.F.G.F.O.P. SECOND FLUSH

One of the most famous Darjeeling gardens which produces very consistent pluckings. This is a fine, well-structured tea which develops complex aromatic notes in the cup - both flowery and woody - with a good balance between the two. Suitable for drinking throughout the day.

DARJEELING MARGARET'S HOPE T.F.G.F.O.P. SECOND FLUSH

Fruity with a great character. Special feature: it is invigorating and dark because of the greater proportion of Assam tea plants (20%) than Chinese plants on the plantation, something that is not very common in Darjeeling. It is a much sought after tea, which Darjeeling enthusiasts find ideal in the morning.

BLUE OF LONDON

Earl Grey has been a great English classic ever since Charles Grey, 2nd Earl of Falloden and Foreign Secretary went on to become Prime Minister in 1830. For saving the life of the Chinese Mandarin, he received in gratitude a specially scented tea flavoured with oil of bergamot.

Yunnan is one of the best black teas in the world and with a fresh and delicate bergamot from Calabria, it gives a particularly fine and well balanced blend. An exceptional Earl Grey.

TEMI-T.G.F.O.P.- SIKKIM

This small Himalayan state produces a fine and aromatic tea that is a close cousin of the best Darjeelings, to which it is also geographically close.
As flowery but less powerful than a summer Darjeeling. Highly recommended. Best very early in the morning.

ASSAM HATTIALI-T.G.F.O.P. SECOND FLUSH

A beautiful large leaf Assam with a high proportion of buds. It has a pronounced, very spicy aroma. The dark, full-bodied liquor makes this a high quality Assam, ideal for the morning.

THIASHOLA CARRINGTON S.F.T.G.F.O.P.1

A superb leaf which gives a round and mellow tea; fruity and aromatic and a worthy representative of the best high altitude teas of the subcontinent. An exceptional crop, reserved for visitors to the plantation, of which LE PALAIS DES THES has managed to secure a few chests.

ILAM-T.G.F.O.P.

A wonderful tea. Flowery and slightly astringent, this is darker than a second flush Darjeeling.