Monday, March 23, 2009

thé ô dor

In a Japanese foodie magazine that I subscribe to, I recently came across this coffret (box) of teas.

Thé ô dor (tea-o-door), is a relatively new brand of French teas. (I wanted to make sure that the French markings were included in this post so that no one would confuse it with the word odor.)

Anyway, they have an online shop in Japan, but instead of paying for shipping, I found the coffret that I wanted at the Quatre Saison shop inside of the Umeda Hanshin department store, a shop that sells houseware items.

The reason I wanted to get the coffret was so that I could try 5 different teas (20 grams each) rather than spend a lot of money on 1 (100 gram) flavor.

The red tin was called October Revelation, a black tea with bergamot, grapefruit and orange. This was disappointing, no citrus flavor at all. Though the aroma of the tea before it was brewed was nice and fruity.

The pink tin was called Bollywood Chaipur, a black tea with pink peppercorn and cardamom. With a splash of milk this made a nice chai.

The white tin was called Histoire Tibetaine, a black and green tea blend with bergamot and vanilla. The vanilla flavor was faint but the bergamot non-existent.

The green tin was called Hanami Imperial, a green tea with pearl rose and sakura (cherry blossom). This was my favorite. A delicate cherry flavor.

The orange tin was called Marabout, a red rooibos with caramel and apple chips. It was supposed to be reminiscent of a tarte tartin, but the rooibos was more prominent than the caramel or apple.

The tins are very shallow which makes it hard to scoop the tea out for brewing. Also, there is a warning slip inside the box which says that if you don't keep the tins straight, you may spill the tea. I think the tins aren't airtight which makes the tea lose its flavorings. While I wouldn't want the tea to be perfumy or overpowered with flavor, I would expect it to have some aroma after brewing.

I'm glad I tried this, but I don't think I would buy it again.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

So pretty, Love the packaging !

ila said...

that's too bad that the tins don't stay shut... but i'm curious about the hanami imperial. mmmm.

K and S said...

yes the tins are cute Shar but not airtight :(

I know Ila! The Hanami Imperial reminds me of cherry blossom viewing :)

Take care you two.
Kat

billetdoux said...

Hi
I'm actually a subscriber of your blog and LOVE reading your blogs! i love food that's why!

im actually wondering if you can recommend any good food places to go to and places to visit in general around osaka, kobe and kyoto coz i'll be heading over to japan in april!

it'd be great if you can! thanks a bunch in advance

K and S said...

Jada,

E-mail me, I am not sure what type of foods you are interested in.

Take care.
Kat

Lynne said...

My mother and sister are big tea lovers. My sister especially loves "exotic" teas. I will have to share this entry with her. Very cool!

K and S said...

Thanks Lynne :) I hope they like it!

Take care.
Kat

Anonymous said...

If I were to judge by the pics alone, the Hanami Imperial appeals to me the most. I like the flower petals in there.

Those tins look the perfect size to pre-germinate veggie seeds!

K and S said...

I could send them to you after we finish them Rowena :)

Take care.
Kat

Deb in Hawaii said...

It's too bad you didn't enjoy it more but it's always good to try. The cherry one and the pink one with the pink peppercorn and cardamom sound good.

The tins are pretty. Maybe for paperclips and little desk stuff?

K and S said...

That is a great idea Deb :)

Take care.
Kat

Anonymous said...

Lovely and very pretty the box! Very fine!

K and S said...

Thanks Anna :)

Take care.
Kat