Mugged: Citron and Poire [Le Palais Des Thes]

Subject: Le Palais des Thés
Teas Mugged: Le Citron and La Poire
Rating [see key]: both 4+

Having recently finished up a weekend at the NYC Coffee Fest, I am always amazed at how much of the coffee and tea industry involves flavoring. Of course flavored coffees I forcefully embargo, and syrups rarely pass through my lips (I try to keep my sweetener intake low), but natural flavoring in teas seem to be the one instance where an additive to the medium has some legitimate ability to add some quality flavor without using harsh chemicals or sugar.

Recently, I took some tea from Le Palais des Thés for a spin, trying out their Le Citron (Lemon) and La Poire (Pear). Both teas are flavored and each claims natural flavorings and refreshing results. I sampled each tea according to the brew recommendations on the product pages. 

The Le Citron smacked of lemon candy, cherry blossoms and cake, followed by a strong backbone of Sri Lankan black tea. While the taste of lemon was more akin to a sugary lemon concoction than an actual lemon, the tea all in all proved light and tart with some fairly solid qualities.

The La Poire also had a sweet, albeit more subtle, candied quality of fruit about it (in this case pear), along with notes of lemongrass, chardonnay and flecks of a deep green tea. Complete with marigold petals, this tea makes for a pretty sight and a decent brew.

While, I can't say that these two teas were my all-time favorites (I usually prefer my fruit flavorings from a fresh source), they each made for a fairly refreshing cup of tea. For a taste of France, check out these as well as the numerous other tea options on the Le Palais des Thés website.

note: tea was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

Mugged: Du Hamman and Des Moines [Le Palais des Thés]

Subject: Le Palais des Thés
Teas Mugged: The du Hammam and The Des Moines
Rating [see key]: 5+

When many folks think of French cafes, they think of small bistros where patrons sip espresso-based beverages and coffee. But the French like their tea too, and Le Palais des Thés with its numerous locations and bountiful online offerings seems to sate not only the tea lust of its countrymen, but also the appetites of other places like Israel and the US.

As a man always up for trying new things, I agreed to take for a dance two of their signature teas, The du Hammam and The Des Moines. I steeped each tea according to standard brew directives for the type of tea.

The The Des Moines is a black and green tea mixture with calendula petals and vanilla pods, making for an extremely aromatic tea. Brewed, the tea gives off expected notes of vanilla but also lavender, rose, ginger, lemon rind and a little spinach. Overall a vibrant tea with lots of sweet, floral notes.

The The du Hammam is a green tea mixed with assorted flower petals, the dry tea mixture gives off a pleasant aroma of fruit juice. Brewed the tea smacks of apricot, ginger and a little jasmine, proving refreshing and smooth.

In the end, these two teas proved to be a delicious change-up from my normal forays into different types of pure tea. If you're looking for floral, juicy tea blends, give Le Palais des Thés a browse.


note: tea was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback. 

Mugged: Dragon Well Green Tea [Teavivre]

 

What does Mugged mean?

Subject: Teavivre 

Mugged: Premium grade Dragon Well Green Tea

Rating: 5+ [see key]

 

Anticipation is sometimes almost as good as the object anticipated. Personally, I don't want to think like that but in looking back, I definitely do seem to cherish the planning and waiting for something positive ahead. 

 

On that note, today begins a four part, long-time-coming review of Teavivre's wares that I've been anticipating for some time. I had hoped to get these reviews out sooner but circumstances held me at bay. And of the four teas I was sent to review, I chose to tackle their green tea first.

 

The Premium grade Dragon Well had a much fresher appearance then most greens I've sampled, with flat and vibrantly-colored straight leaves. Though the tea offers a very light color, the flavor is very distinct. The lovely flavors of honey, light spinach, sesame, grass and grapefruit leap from the cup, demonstrating smooth yet sassy infusions that proved both refreshing and soothing. 

Amongst the green teas I've had, this one definitely ranked high as a solidly delicious green tea. Personally, I would utilize this Premium Dragon Well for both hot or cold infusions (the cold could be beautifully accented with some honey or mild citrus). 

note: tea was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.