Palais des Thés les Floraux, Les Gourmands and Les Fruités Tea Coffrets + Scent in Teacup for Mother’s Day Draw

Afternoon Tea by Richard Emile Miller

Afternoon Tea by Richard Emile Miller

One thing I have noticed since becoming part of the perfume community is that perfumistas in general are a bunch of hard-core sensualists. They love not only perfume, but all kinds of things that involve the immersion of the senses into something interesting, and often tasty. When gift-giving occasions arise, like Mother’s Day, it is usually wiser to give a scented gift over choosing a perfume. Fine teas with beautifully blended aromas can be a wonderful present for a tea-loving Mom, even if that Mom is you. I received a coffret of teas from one of the pre-eminent tea companies in the world, Palais des Thés, who employs a master perfumer to assist with scenting the teas.

I selected from three different sampler sets: Les Fruités, Les Floraux, and Les Gourmands. After careful, and to be honest, difficult consideration, I selected Les Floraux, primarily because I am a big fan of jasmine teas and I was anxious to taste one from this company. The teas included Thé Des Moines, Fleur de Geisha, Grand Jasmine Chun Feng, Thé des Sables, and Thé de Sources.

palais des thes grand jasmine ching fen cicely-mary-barker-the-flower-fairy- cafleurebonalphabet-the-jasmine-fairy

Jasmine Flower Fairy by Cecily Mary Barker

I probably have a dozen jasmine teas, each one unique. Grand Jasmine Chun Feng is one of the most sublime jasmine teas I have ever tried. It is made in a method that resembles enfleurage, only with tea layered with jasmine flowers. Once the tea has been infused with the scent of the blossoms, the flowers are picked out, leaving just excellently flavored tips. This process is repeated several times. The Chinese green tea used is subtly grassy, and the resulting brew is sweetly perfumed, delicious, and relaxing.

Thé des Sables is a perfect blend of green tea, roses, and exotic fruits like mangoes and peaches. I can just imagine a cup of this on a summery morning, with a follow-up of a glass or two iced as the temperature soars. The flavors are delicious, and the fruit balances the flowers beautifully.

Thé des Sources is made simply of quality green tea with bergamot and mint. It is refreshing and easy to drink by the potful. The tea is has a great green flavor to it, and the mint is cooling. The touch of bergamot is a nice twist of citrus.

palais des thes fleur de geisha cafleurebon

Vintage Geisha, photographer unknown

If elegance is what you like in your tea, Fleur de Geisha fits the bill. Just the aroma alone is transporting. It is a good green tea scented with cherry blossoms, and I suspect a bit of cherry may be in there, too, because the tea has a lovely piquant aspect, and is a very lovely drink. Perfect for a morning spent lounging in your kimono, even if it is actually a well-loved chenille robe.

Thé des Moines is the most robust of these teas. A combination of green and black teas with a blend of plants and flowers based on an old Thai recipe, the tea is exceptionally perfumed. It is uplifting and energizing, and the fragrance is unique. Those who prefer a boldly scented tea should try this out.

palais du thes cat serving tea cafleurebon

"Cat Serving Tea" by Stefano Faravelli

One thing that is nice about tea is that is provides a great deal of pleasure at prices that won’t damage your wallet. I know for a fact that full bottles, um, I mean, tins of some of these will be added to my full-to-bursting tea cupboard, and these coffrets will go on my gift-idea list for my tea-loving friends.

I received my samples of tea thanks to the generosity of Palais des Thés. Palais des Thés products are available online and in over 30 boutiques worldwide including two in New York, and at select retailers.

Tama Blough, Managing Editor

palais des thes coffrets cafleurebon

Les Gourmands, Les Floraux and Les Fruités

As a special treat in honor of the maternal people in our lives we celebrate on Mother’s Day, Palais des Thés has generously offered to send one US reader all three sets of tea coffrets and  100 small paper filters. Please leave a comment stating where you live, why you love drinking tea or a scented memory of your mom. Draw ends May 4, 2014. We will announce the winner on May 5, 2014 so that these coffrets of scented tea will arrive in time for Mother's Day May 11, 2014

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

Editor's Note: In 2012, we went Behind the Teabag with Carine Baudry, who is the nose for Palais des Thés. It is a fascinating interview and we encourage you to read it. If you still drink  tea  with sayings attached to the tea bag, it is time to learn your A, B,  & Teas,  with Palais des Thés great online guide for the Newbies.

 

 

 

 

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24 comments

  • silvrolive says:

    I remember the mysterious bottle of Ombre Rose sitting on my mother’s dresser, from an age where I was barely old enough to see over the top of it. Perfume was something magical then and still is now that I have my own dresser collection. I live in the US and refuse to start the day without my cup of tea.

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    I love drinking tea because tea has no calories! Haha, just kidding! I received a tea maker as a gift one year and that fact was on the box. We thought it was pretty funny…
    I am in the USA. Thanks as always for the draw. 🙂

  • leathermountain says:

    I am in the US, and I will always associate the smell of Earl Grey with my mom. We have enjoyed it so many times together! Thanks so much.

  • Sandi L says:

    These sound delightfully different than my current choice of resinous teas, although I will never give up a cuppa good frankincense tea. Why do I like tea? A friend shared a traditional tea ceremony years ago, since that time I have found it to be something special to do for me 😉 Right it’s all about me, not. During stressful times when nothing else works to bring me back into balance, Tea does. I am in the US and Thank You Palais des Thés for the generous draw.

  • Nemo says:

    Reading this review made me think of my mother, because we do a lot of tea drinking together 🙂 As a result, the act of drinking tea always makes me feel extra soothed, and all of these sound amazing. I am in the US, thank you!

  • Nitasha says:

    Hi these sound lovely! I live in Boston but grew up in India where my Mum had her two cups a day with tons of sugar 🙂

  • Barbara B says:

    My mother NEVER wore scent, She had some Evening in Paris in a drawer which was a gift and she never wore it or anything else!

    Now tea – we always drank tea together ever since I was a child. I live in the US.

  • Brooke says:

    Lovely review. I enjoyed The de Moines when I tried it last year. The aroma was lovely and the flavor was complex. I totally agree that most fragrance enthusiasts are sensualists. My Mom always took pleasure in an indulgent meal. I remember going to High Tea with her as a child and the memory is one of the most pleasant as a child. I am in the US.

  • TaffyJ says:

    What a lovely review. I enjoy drinking tea because it has more rituals attached to it than coffee drinking. My Mother, on the other hand, really enjoyed her cuppa coffee. I always associate Emeraude with my Mom.

    I live in the U.S. Wonderful draw!

  • Ginny M says:

    My mother passed away a year and a half ago, but it still seems like yesterday; I took care of her for 29 years, so it seems like she’s still there with me. Her favorite scent came from the roses that she loved to grow, so I cannot wear a rose fragrance without thinking of her…. I live in the U.S. (and I adore tea!)

  • karin says:

    Oh, what a wonderful draw! I love tea, especially on a cold, winter day. As to a scented memory of my mom, she’s always worn Y by Yves St Laurent. Just recently she sniffed a J’Adore scent strip in a magazine and swooned over it. She told me she loved it better than Y!? I purchased a bottle of the L’Absolue for her for Mother’s Day. I hope she loves it; but I’ll miss Y!

    I live in the U.S. Thank you!

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    my mom’s first fragrance was probably a givenchy in 1980s but i dont know which one and she is not alive now..passed away before i developed taste in fragrances…but the two fragrances she fell in love with in late 1990s were both masculine and even too strong for some men..they are dior eau sauvage extreme and valentino vendetta pour homme..these two are the last ones i remember she really loved and actually wore herself…i reside in the US..

  • Connie says:

    I live in the US and I love drinking tea because it warms my body and my heart. Over the past few years my mom and I have explored perfume together, so our scented history is very rich and full. Some of teh scents I associate with her are Eau de Givenchy, Habanita, Quartz by Molyneux, Diorella, Aromatics Elixir, and Copper Skies.

  • The Perfumed Veil says:

    My mom and I are big tea drinkers. She has a whole ritual she does when she gets home from work: get a large bowl of tea with milk (we are Russian) and sit on the couch with a good book. I do not drink much tea with milk but love fragrant black tea without sugar or fruity tea with lots of sugar. Tea is a staple in my house. There is a tradition of leaving the samovar on in case you have a guest so my house and my mother-in-law’s house always has a simmering stove-top samovar with fresh tea. I have not tried this brand of tea though I have tried a numerous amount of different tea brands. If I win, it will be nice to share these teas with my mom. Im in the US.

  • Claudia says:

    I love tea for there are so many different types, varieties and flavors of tea. I love my tea with some milk or when I lived at home, my dad used to put a tiny bit of rum in his black tea, simply delicious. The real scent memory I have with or about my mother is and will always be YSL Opium Pure Parfum, on the other hand Myrurgia Maja will always and forever remind me of my grandmother.

  • many_worlds says:

    My favorite tea is anything with chamomile, valerian, or catnip. I don’t sleep very well, and those are great for helping me fall asleep and stay asleep all night.

    Reading the ingredient lists for the Palais des Thés teas, they’re mostly all green or black teas, but I do love non-caffeinated Rooibos, and I’m very intrigued by the “splinters of cocoa” in the “Melange du Cap” blend! (Also, I’m in the US.)

  • Omer m says:

    I end my days with a hot cup of good herbal teas at night before bed, it’s relaxing soothing and so good for the mind n body. Where I come from people start days with black tea chai and drink it at least 3-4 times a day. I drink chai in the morning for some caffeine intake. To me drinking tea makes me feel tasting the essence of the earth.
    USA thanks

  • David says:

    I have been drinking Japanese sencha) and mattcha for years. I just feel balanced when I have a cup, especially when its brewed in an iron tea pot. I am in the USA.

  • steve A says:

    I drink herb tea for the health properties I believe they have. I drink it every day. All year. USA

  • Cynthia says:

    Tea is an afternoon drink for me (I have to have my coffee in the morning). Coffee is to get me up and moving, but for me tea is a ritual to slow down, take a breath, and be mindful of my day. It is a small moment of reflection in a busy day. USA

  • mim says:

    Oh, how lovely! I drink lots of tea and love trying new ones.

    My mom does not wear scented products, so the scents I associate with her are mostly kitchen and garden smells, especially different mints and lemon verbena. She dried bunches in the pantry and made tea out of them. Mostly her tea was plain old Lipton or various herbal, but sometimes we got out the intricately painted red tea set from Chinatown and had milky tea together.

    I remember when we found a tin of oolong lying around, which was mine or my sister’s, no one really remembered. She wanted me to take it with me because I drink tea almost every day, with an automatic kettle with temp settings and everything. But I insisted we should split it and both enjoy it. She felt like it was an indulgence–which I guess all tea is, but a constructive one–but ultimately accepted. I hoped she took the time to really enjoy it.

    My whole life it’s been hard for her to take time for herself, to build in rituals in life to focus and just be, without being anxious about what comes next or what obligations are still uncrossed-off. She always has cups of tea around but they are warm drinks, fuel, comforting but routine, and not something to really pay attention to. I drink tea like that too sometimes but I try to slow down and learn from what I see of her. Still don’t get out my own tea set enough. I suppose it helps to have company.

    USA

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I live in the US and prefer iced tea, with lemon – everyday at lunch. My mom loved Hawaiian White Ginger from Avon and always wore it. That’s my scent memory of her.

  • nekosan says:

    I live in California. I love tea as both a pick-me-up (black tea with milk in the afternoon) or clam-me-down (white tea, green tea), or just as a meditative drink (oolong).