Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Le Palais des Thés
Tea Description:
Pure Indulgences Cinnamon is an exceptional new flavored tea featuring a single natural ingredient.
This deliciously novel pairing combines a magnificent Chinese Pu Erh with subtle, sweet cinnamon for an exceptional blend.
Pu Erh, also called dark tea in reference to the deep brown infusion it produces, gets better with age. These teas come from the Yunnan Province in China and are widely renowned in the Asian pharmacopoeia for their many beneficial properties.
Pure Indulgences are the result of a lengthy process of selection and development, motivated by the quest to find the perfect balance between the tea leaves, which have their own gustatory characteristics, and the finest ingredients (delicate pieces of fruit and flowers and only all-natural extracts).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Pure Indulgences Cinnamon Tea from Le Palais des Thés is a little misidentified on the website, as it’s called a black tea as well as a Pu-erh, and while there are some that consider these two teas to be one in the same, to those serious about tea, they certainly are not the same thing.
I love the aroma of this tea. That’s not something I generally say when it comes to Pu-erh teas, especially darker Pu-erh like this one. But the cinnamon overpowers the earthiness of the loose Pu-erh and the two intermingling parts that comprise this tea create a sweet cinnamon note. It doesn’t smell spicy, it smells like a sweet cinnamon, like the smell of cinnamon baking in a peach cobbler or something.
When I received this tea, I thought it was this tea that I reviewed back in 2012. But I think that this is a wee bit different. The cinnamon here seems to have a stronger presence in the cup than in the tea in the Cinnamon Wood Caddy.
I love the way the cinnamon is represented in this tea. It’s a smooth, rich flavor. Sweet and spicy, but it’s a true to the spice flavor – that is to say, it tastes like something that would come out of your spice cabinet and not something that came out of a bag of candy.
The tea is a mellow tasting tea. It’s slightly earthy … but here is where this tea becomes very interesting to me. This is where the cinnamon really shines because the earthiness that I can sometimes find off-putting in a Pu-erh melds in a very harmonious way with the earthiness of the spice.
The first two infusions were like this. I found these two infusions to be pleasantly balanced between the two components – tea and cinnamon- and I liked the way they played together on the palate.
In the later infusions, I noticed the cinnamon notes began to wane and I started to notice more of the Pu-erh notes. The tea is deep and very smooth with no bitterness or astringency.
I enjoyed this tea, and was pleasantly surprised to find that this tea is different than the aformentioned Pu-erh in the Cinnamon Wood Caddy, and even though I really love that beautiful wooden “tin”, I preferred the flavors of this Pure Indulgences Cinnamon Pu-erh, especially the earliest infusions where there was such a perfect balance between cinnamon and tea. It was quite a lovely experience!
Pure Indulgences Lavender Oolong Tea from Le Palais des Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Le Palais des Thés
Tea Description:
Pure Indulgences Lavender is an exceptional new flavored tea featuring a single natural ingredient.
This magnificent green Oolong tea from China is combined with fresh lavender, whose powerful fragrance spices up the tea’s plant notes.
Semi-oxidized Oolong is a specialty of China and Taiwan, this tea comes in many varieties depending on the growing region, tea plant variety, and manufacturing process.
Pure Indulgences are the result of a lengthy process of selection and development, motivated by the quest to find the perfect balance between the tea leaves, which have their own gustatory characteristics, and the finest ingredients (delicate pieces of fruit and flowers and only all-natural extracts).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A really nice blended Oolong, this Pure Indulgences Lavender Oolong Tea from Le Palais des Thés! When I first opened the package, I wasn’t too sure, because the lavender aroma is rather jarring! I can’t recall another tea experience when the fragrance of lavender was more abundant.
And although the flavor of the lavender is prominent, it doesn’t overwhelm the Chinese Oolong tea used in this blend, nor does it come off tasting perfume-y. Instead, the lavender marries beautifully with the natural floral notes of the Oolong, creating a bold flowery note that is sweet and feminine without tasting TOO floral.
The Oolong tastes light and buttery with a delicious creamy undertone and notes of vegetation. These flavors weave their way in and out while the dominating floral flavor present throughout the sip. My favorite part about this tea is the way that the natural sweetness of the Oolong and the sweet notes of the lavender intertwine and create this really delicious, delectable sweetness.
Later infusions become a little less lavender-y, a little less floral, and allow for the other notes to surface. The lavender is always there, though.
I get why Le Palais des Thés has chosen to add this tea to their “Pure Indulgences” line of teas. It has a very indulgent flavor to it. As I sip it, it evokes thoughts of relaxing in a warm bubble bath. And while the flavors are strong, there is a soft, calming essence to the tea because the lavender is … just a soft and calming herb.
A really nice tea – this is one I’d recommend to those who love lavender teas … or Oolong enthusiasts who are looking for something a little different.
Thé Vert á la Vanille from Le Palais des Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Le Palais des Thés
Tea Description:
A wonderful combination of green tea and vanilla. Enlivened by small vanilla pods, this delicately flavored Sencha is beautifully mild and smooth.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmmmm! I know I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again, I love vanilla flavored teas. There is something so luxuriously smooth and wonderful about vanilla teas … the soft, creamy taste of vanilla melds so beautifully with the leaves of camellia sinensis! And this Thé Vert á la Vanille from Le Palais des Thés does indeed taste creamy, smooth and luxurious!
The overall presentation of the cup is mellow. The soft, lush taste of the green tea – vegetative and fresh tasting – unified with the sweet, creamy taste of vanilla. It is delicate and delicious, with a buttery undertone and sweet high notes.
The green tea notes have almost a “lima bean” kind of flavor to them, and there is a hint of buttery taste in the layers of flavor, and a wisp of flower in there too. The vanilla brings it all together – and while it seems like it shouldn’t work (I mean, lima beans and vanilla? Really?) somehow, it does. It works out wonderfully!
A really nice cuppa. I think this makes a great afternoon tea … a beautiful way to spend a leisurely afternoon … not rushed, not hurried … the kind of day when you have time to just sit back and enjoy a delicious cup of tea!
Thé des Moines from Le Palais des Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Le Palais des Thés
Tea Description:
An ancient legend tells of how the Tibetan monks would prepare this blend of tea, plants and flowers in the greatest of secrecy. After several days of soaking, the leaves were carefully plucked out and put to one side. By this mysterious alchemy, the monks turned the tea into gold and gave it its exceptional scent.
Black and green tea blend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
With my first few sips of this The des Moines from Le Palais des Thés, I kept trying to figure out what that familiar flavor was. It tasted kind of like bubble gum, with notes that are reminiscent of grenadine, and hints of citrus, vanilla and jasmine. Then I thought … this is like a Monk’s Blend!
Then I read the description (above) and it would seem that it is indeed a Monk’s Blend, but with one significant difference … the base of this tea is composed of not just black tea leaves, but also green tea leaves. Recognizing the green tea leaves before I brewed the tea, I decided to brew this at a lower temperature than was recommended on the packaging (I went with 185°F instead of the recommended 205°F) and brewed it for 2 1/2 minutes.
And I like the difference that the green tea brings to this cup. The base is lighter and crisper than the usually stronger, slightly more astringent taste that I might experience from a typical Monk’s Blend. And this allows me to explore the floral and fruity notes just a little more. This tastes more bubblegum-y to me, sweet and juicy and tasty … evoking thoughts of childhood … but without having the sugary gum stuck to my teeth!
I recommend tasting this tea before sweetening … I found it to be plenty sweet without any sweetener, and I think if I had added anything it would have ended up being way too sweet! This is really quite enjoyable as is.
A very pleasant Monk’s Blend type tea … but with a nice twist!
Thé des Fakirs (Green Tea Chai) from Le Palais des Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Le Palais des Thés
Tea Description:
A tasty, scented blend of green tea and spices (cardamom and clove) with a hint of citrus. Delicious hot or iced.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love spiced chai blends, and I’ve said that on more than one occasion, I’m sure. However, I am usually partial to chai blends crafted with a black tea base, and I’m not always as excited over the green tea based chai blends. However, this Thé des Fakirs (Green Tea Chai) from Le Palais des Thés is making a believer out of me!
This blend does not contain all the “usual” spices that I typically find in a chai blend. This blend focuses on just cardamom and clove, and personally, I think it was the right decision to omit the stronger spices of cinnamon and ginger, as these can be rather aggressive spices and can sometimes overpower the more delicate green tea base. By eliminating the cinnamon and ginger (and other spices like fennel or pepper), the drinker can enjoy not just the warmth and exotic flavor of cloves and cardamom, but also the sweet, lush notes of the green tea.
This tea offers a really lovely balance of flavors. The orange brightens the cup, adding just a touch of sweetness. The spices are warm but not overwhelmingly spicy. The green tea is sweet and slightly buttery. It’s a really nice combination of flavors. I found this to be delightful served warm (just a tiny drizzle of honey helped bring out the spices a little bit without making the cup too sweet) and it was also really good as the cup began to cool … this would make a really nice alternative to the typical glass of iced tea!