Heading in to last January’s Elements Showcase I was expecting to find fragrance in all the old familiar places; perfumes, candles, room fragrances, incense, and body products. The exhibit hall was full of all of those things but I found a product which allowed me to encounter fragrance in an unexpected way. When I stepped up to the Le Palais des Thés booth Diana Castelnuovo-Tedesco introduced me to this line of tea which has a fragrance added to it to enhance the experience. If you’re thinking “So what its just jumped up Earl Grey.” Think again these teas have a wonderful fragrant component. Since my return home I’ve had the opportunity to try all of the teas in the line and they have been a lovely addition to my tea drinking habit. My favorite became Thé des Amants which is a black tea with fragrant notes of vanilla, apple, almond, cinnamon, and ginger. When I was trying another blend Thé des Moines, at the Elements Showcase, which was based on a recipe from Tibetan monks I remarked to Ms. Castelnuovo-Tedesco how deep the scent was. That was when she told me about the nose of Le Palais des Thés, Carine Baudry.

 

Mme Baudry is a graduate of the Isipca school where many of the best noses in France have learned their art. In the early 2000’s she met Francois-Xavier Delmas and Mathias Minet and together they established L’Ecole du Thé . She is currently the Director there, as well as being involved in directing the fragrance blending at Le Palais des Thés . I was fascinated with her process and so instead of taking you Behind the Bottle I’m going to take you Behind the Tea Bag with a few questions for Mme Baudry.

 

 

Mark Behnke: How did you become the head "nose" for Le Palais des Thés?

Carine Baudry: Various encounters led me to the world of tea and to Le Palais des Thés −− most notably, meeting [Le Palais des Thés’ founder] François-Xavier Delmas and [Le Palais des Thés’ co-director and co-founder of The Tea School] Mathias Minet. After working ten years in fragrance creation, I then chose to focus on the olfactory richness of a single product, tea −− and what a product it is!

 

MB: How do you match fragrance with tea? Do you work with a traditional top note, heart, and base note construction or is this meant to be a less variable fragrance experience?

CB: Describing and evaluating the quality of a tea, especially a Grand Cru, follows exactly the same process as perfume: top note, heart, base note. The idea is to have all three of them in perfect balance and harmony.

  

MB: You are heading out for the tea harvest in the next few days, is that correct?

CB: I am just back from Darjeeling where the first flush harvest is taking place. It is an exceptional time for smells and fragrances. We are surrounded by incredibly rich, intense, and yet very refined fragrances. These fragrances continue to evolve as the tea is processed, in a chemical transformation that is natural, yet perfectly controlled by man (e.g. the manager of the tea plantation).

  

MB: Do you choose any of the teas based on their fragrance or their ability to combine with something you have in mind?

CB: When it comes to selecting the teas, the intensity and personality of the fragrances are crucial.

MB: Do you have a favorite tea-based perfume?

CB: “La XIIIe Heure” (The Thirteenth Hour) from Cartier, created by my very good friend Mathilde Laurent.

Thanks to Mme Baudry for taking the time to answer my questions during this very busy time of the year for her. Further thanks to Ms. Castelnuovo-Tedesco for facilitating the communication between us. 

Le Palais des Thés wants one lucky reader to have their own fragrant tea experience and they are offering the Selected Blends Box Set. Inside are six bags each of nine of Le Palais des Thés blends. To be eligible please leave a comment on your favorite unusual place you find fragrance or go the Le Palais des Thés website and pick which tea you think might be your favorite. We will draw one winner via random.org on April 22, 2012.

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 spilt perfume (or used tea bags in this case).

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Editor's Note: If this has you interested in learning more about tea and everything going on at Le Palais des Thes they have a blog called Discovering Tea.