Le Festival De The

French Rose Bud tea, original watercolor, 9" x 11"

I bought this glass teapot and the rose bud tea in the Lafayette Gourmet tea department.

While the 5-day Paris Salon du Chocolat was taking place, you could also visit the 3-day Le Festival de The and satiate both your obsessions.

Kusmi Tea was founded in 1867 in St-Petersburg, by P.M Kousmichoff, supplier to the tsars. In 1917, at the time of the Revolution, they moved to London and Paris. They're boutique at 56, rue de Seine will soon have a tea room serving Anastasia, Troika, Prince Vladimir, Petrushka, Samovar, Zoubrovka, and Russian morning tea...

All kinds of tasting and sniffing was going on - a green tea tasting...

Endless samples to sniff...the in vrac - lose tea leaves sold by the gramme. And tea sold in boite en metal from Les Contes de The. They also have a salon de the at 60, rue de Cherche-Midi ("tea Street") 75006, offering not less than 200 tea varieties. Sachets mousseline de thés are how the French do up tea bags in silk fabric..

China pots on a charcole brazier from Hindu Emami, brewing up Ayurvedtic herbal teas.

And finally a Japanese tea ceremony demonstration was ongoing...

You can visit Le Festival de The end of next October 2007