The French have a completely different attitude to tea than in Russia. An ordinary hot drink is coffee or cocoa. It is customary for the Slavs to “drive teas” three times a day. Yes, and drink them snacks. Or just to keep warm ...
In France, tea always carried a reflection of aristocracy. And all because at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, during the period of acute love for everything Chinese, the nobility arranged receptions where guests were served an elite drink from the Celestial Empire. Even now in France there is a special kind of pastry shop - Salon de The. If you see such a sign, know: in the institution you can taste not only delicious cakes and desserts, but also elite varieties of tea.
The French went so far as to establish the title of a special sommelier, by analogy with wine. This specialist, subtly feeling all the nuances of tea and knowing how to make blends, is called Maitre de The. And the eponymous company became the embodiment of the most sophisticated approach to elite varieties. Over time, she began to produce other “colonial” goods: coffee, cane sugar, and preserves. But its main products remain tea. Maitre de The will be the focus of our article today.
A little bit about the brand
To deserve the honorary title of “Maitre de Te”, the leading tea sommeliers of Paris tried to compile a collection of the best blends. After all, there is only one plant that gives us an amazing drink - Chinese camellia. All the variety of teas in the world depends on the region and the height of growth of this bush, the method of collecting leaves and their further processing. And the last action plays the most important role. After all, black, green, yellow and white tea is obtained from the same leaves. Only the processing they went through is different.
Equally important is the degree of grinding of the sheet. Maitre tea has several collections. Noir is a unique blend of black teas. “Vert” is a no less elite mix of green varieties. But “Mate” is not really tea. These are the leaves of Paraguayan holly. But the Indians from time immemorial brewed a tonic drink from them. The company “Maitre de Te” included them in its rich assortment of teas, which added exotic to its collection. It produces products both in cans and in cardboard boxes.
What is famous for the company "Maitre de Te"
In France, there are quite a lot of companies that buy from around the world, blend, pack and sell tea. Maitre de The in its long history (the brand was founded back in 1880) has managed to gain credibility and recognition among drink lovers. The packaging design of the compositions is unpretentious and even minimalistic - a black background with a red or green sheet. But this brand has become more recognizable among endless boxes with vivid pictures. Indeed, it is not the colorful packaging that is important, but the content. And he is engaged in the best tea sommeliers of Paris, creating the best compositions. The assortment has both classic designs and original novelties. Instead of beautiful pictures, the manufacturer provides the consumer with valuable information on the packaging. As you know, different varieties of tea more fully reveal their taste with special brewing rules. In addition to instructions on how to better prepare a drink, the sommelier clarifies for which cases this variety is appropriate.
Black tea Maitre
The brand pleases connoisseurs of this particular species with a very rich assortment. You can purchase the product in a can of 100 grams or in a cardboard box - the content will be equally excellent. After all, sommeliers select only the best tea leaves for the “Maitre de Te”. For adherents of only one grade, there are Lao Puer, Gorniy Dian brands (the supplier of raw materials is China), Prince Noir, Golden Leaf (Sri Lanka), Kenya and many others. But there are also mixtures. Especially popular is the "All China" series.
The company is famous for its collection of herbal and fruit mixtures. But there are also black teas in which various flowers or aromatic additives are added. Among such products stands out "Spring mood". Safflower, calendula and mallow petals are added to black tea from Kenya. And the "Eastern Tale" consists of two types - "Assam" and "Masala".
Green Tea Maitre
Lovers of this drink also have a wide selection. The Chinese Milk Oolong, Alpine Wuy, Jade Gunpowder, Ginseng Oolong, South Fujian Fermented - this is only a small part of what comes to the company from China. Green tea leaf Maitre may also contain flavoring and aromatic additives - flowers of jasmine, lemongrass, peppermint, etc. Such products are also available in bags.
Gift Baskets
Many drink connoisseurs love variety. For them, “Maitre de Te” prepared a large collection of “Assorted”. In one box there are several tea bags with different varieties of tea - from two (for example, “Platinum Edition”) to twelve (“Bouquet”). But do not forget that the company also produces cane sugar, preserves, seasonal products. Therefore, the Maitre tea set may include not only various varieties of leaves. An elegant box may include a honey soufflé, cookies, various jams and jams, lump brown cane sugar.