French Blend Loose Black Tea -- Camille's Teas -- Tea, Teapots

Country of Origin: India, Sri
Lanka, Kenya
Region: Assam, Dimbula,
Kiambu
Shipping Port: Haldia, Colombo, Mombasa
Grade: FP (Flowery Pekoe)
Altitude: 1500’ft - 5800’ft above sea level
Manufacture Type: Orthodox, CTC, Green Tea
Cup Characteristics: Ooh-la-la flavor notes from
crème de la vanille, Earl Grey, Jasmine and Lavender
deliciously blended with flavory Ceylons, pungent Assams and malty Kenyas.
Infusion: Bright coppery colour
Ingredients: Luxury black tea, Luxury green tea, Rose petals, Lavender, Jasmine,
Cornflower petals, Natural flavors.

Information: Truly a unique and wonderful tea. With their innate sense of style and
sophistication, the French elevate even the simple act of taking tea to an art form. From
the delightful tea salons dotting every Parisian arrondissement to tea served at outdoor
cafes nestled in the hills of Provence you will find French Blend the pinnacle of everything
tea.

The Assam component gives the tea richness – like a brocade at Versailles whereas the
Nilgiri and Ceylon gives the tea a saucy but sprightly flavor. From Kenya there is romance
and mystery with superb golden color notes and from China there is the delicate
perfume of Jasmine – so often used in Parisian perfumes. To cement the ‘French’
character, lavender from Provence was added along with some rose petals – a tea fit for
the Latin Quarter along the Seine.

Tea became the fashionable beverage in French society toward the end of the reign of
Louis XIV. Members of the upper class would gather to debate issues of the day and
drink tea. Princess of Palatine remarked in 1706 that tea could make one chaste and
therefore was better for Catholic priests than for Protestant ministers.
French art romanticized the tea hour in their paintings as artists such as Chardin and
Boucher painted teapots into rich still-life works and portrayed society at festive teas set
in exquisitely furnished rooms. They captured voluptuous women taking tea in the
intimacy of their boudoirs or languishing at tea tables resplendent with silver and lace.
One of the more ambitious teas paintings was Barthelemy’s 'Le The a l’Anglais' which
he painted in 1776. The elaborate work depicts Mozart at the harpsichord performing for
the gentry seated at tea tables in the Paris salon of the Prince de Conti.

What really makes French tea unique is the accompaniment of ‘one patisserie’. Careme
(1783-1833), a celebrated patisserie chef declared a pastry to be one of the noblest
forms of architecture. One of our favorite methods of taking French tea is with a buttery
croissant, ‘pain au chocolat’ or ‘le muffin’ accompanied by a fruit confiture.

Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1
teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover
and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the
stronger the tea). Even though milk and a dash of sugar help enhance the flavor
character on this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea straight-up.

Iced tea brewing method: (to make 1 quart): Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or
heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5
minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving
pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and
sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the
strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water]. Please
note that this tea may tend to go cloudy or "milky" when poured over ice; a perfectly
normal characteristic of some high quality black teas and nothing to worry about!

About Camille's Tea:
Camille's Tea, based in the San Antonio, Texas area, offers a wide variety of gourmet teas, including flavored teas, traditional teas, green teas,
herbal teas, decaffeinated teas, decaf teas, caffeine free teas, and iced teas, and lavender, Time & Again Shea butter, Chantal teapots,
Lomonosov teapots, tea infusers, tea accessories, Aroma Naturals candles, Bearington Bears, tea linens, neck warmers, Herbal Concepts
slippers and eye pacs, and Pre de Provence bath and body products. We also feature multiple tea of the month clubs. Read more >>