Tea of the Week: Palais des Thés’ Thé des Alizés

Yes, you read it right. Today’s Tea of the Week is Palais des Thés’ Thé des Alizés, a tea that I can barely type out much less pronounce. Luckily, as with all great teas, pronunciation matters little, so long as you enjoy the brew and know where to get more of it!

For my birthday this year, my sister showered me with some gorgeous tea gifts, including this cobalt blue Japanese cast iron teapot and some fancy tubes of fine green tea, both from the world-class tea boutique, Palais des Thés. As my big sis, Melissa has always made it a point to spoil me, and this year was certainly no exception.

palais de the 1Palais des Thés is a French based tea company with several locations throughout France and Belgium, but only 2 stores based in US, both in New York. For those of us living in the US, what’s great about this company is that all of their products are easily ordered online without having to deal with overseas shipping fees.

At first whiff, I knew that Thé des Alizés was going to be the first of the teas that I wanted to try. This blend is a softly scented, fruity green tea flavored with white peaches, kiwi, and watermelon. The tea also has a very slight hint of banana-like essence, which makes it warm and inviting.

palais de the the des alizesAlso known as Tea of the Trade Winds, what makes this blend worth trying is that it’s exceptionally well-balanced—it’s delicate tropical fruitiness doesn’t overwhelm the vegetal Chinese green tea base.

palais de the cobalt japanese teapot

As summer gives way to cooler fall days, Thé des Alizés is the perfect drink to say goodbye to summer with. A few sips and you’ll be reminiscing about the best of sunny days past.

Tasting Notes for Le Palais des Thés’ Thé des Alizés:

BREWING TIPS:  160-170 degrees F for 3 to 4 minutes. Good for two steepings. Great iced or hot.

THE BLEND:  Chinese green tea with flowers and pieces of white peach, kiwi, and watermelon mixed in.

THE SCENT:  Smells of ripe cantaloupe and honeydew. Lightly floral with sweet, soft tropical notes.

THE STEEP:  Light, crisp, and indulgent. Tastes of exotic fruits without tasting the least bit artificial. Although it’s delicious drunk plain, the lightest touch of honey will accentuate the fruit flavors in this delicately fragrant brew.

GET IT:  Since French teas aren’t always the easiest to buy in the US, we are lucky with this blend! You can find it in loose leaf form at the Palais des Thés website, and in muslin tea bags at Amazon and Birchbox.

FOOD PAIRING:  This tea is delicious served with a simple fruit salad when trying to keep things light. The tea is also perfect with “spa foods” like small nibbles of honey roasted nuts or trail mix.

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