Le Pain Quotidien

I recently joined a book group, and we had our first meeting yesterday at Le Pain Quotidien (we discussed the first half of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantle). . Talk about like minds – we are all tea drinkers, and all ordered Earl Grey at the cafe! It is served in a personal teapot and of course I had to peek IN the teapot — there was a silken sachet with lots of full leaf tea inside, and the paper at the end of the string said Le Pain Quotidien, and no other brand or purveyor. A handless cup is provided for drinking.

I took the tea with no additions, and it was quite delicious! Good tea, very mild on the bergamot. I was worried that the tea would be rough or strong since I was too busy concentrating on the discussion to time the brewing, but there was nothing to worry about. The waiter took our pots for more hot water two more times. The first resteep was delicious, the next very weak and I wouldn’t go for a third again.

When I asked if we wanted to meet again at this venue or change, it was unanimous that we stay, so I think everyone enjoyed the tea and kind service! They offer a handful of tea choices, but the Earl was so delightful I would get it again next time without a doubt!

A few mint leaves plucked straight from the plant and steeped in hot water. This is on the mild side, almost too weak, but it has lovely delicate flavor and is particularly nice if you’re feeling a little queasy.

Giving this a shot as a good friend listed it as the best Earl Grey they had ever tried. I already tried Pain Quotidien’s Masala Chai and had good results, so I’m expecting something great here too!

Has a wonderful warming scent to it, not overly floral/bergamot-y as some tend to be, like the black tea base is dominant here. The bergamot seems to be more of an edge than a main scent. As I brewed this until it’s dark brown I expect simply brewing it for that amount of time may have let the black tea steep fully…

It’s an interesting tea when black! I think I might brew this less strong if I’m going to drink it without milk as the mouthfeel is rather dry afterwards and the bergamot seems to bite at the end of the sip. Having added milk, however, the bergamot’s come out all floral and sweet and bold but not too assertive, and it’s become a hearty, delicious cup! There’s just the right balance of flavours and neither the tea nor the bergamot are getting lost (as I might expect from Twinings). High rating on this one, shame I only have 14 more teabags of this!!

Teas are not main of the Le Pain quotidien. they have just four to five teas, but they’re not that bad enough to forget writing tasting note. Today i tried ‘red fruits’. it’s just simple triangle teabag.
unfortunately the water they served wasn’t hot enough, so i wait over 4mins to see the color turns to real red. Strawberry smell is awesome, but not strong, so you have to closer your nose to teabag and take some time if you want to Smmmell it entirely.. i hate acid taste which some fruit tea has at their last moment, but this red fruit tea has very clean last in compared with others. one or two ts of sugar makes it like cherry or strawberry candy. but i recommend you earl grey if you take it with their great cakes, flan, and tarts.