The pen behind our guides
The LBDT Sommelier
The LBDT Sommelier is the mascot of La Boutique du Thé. He signs our guides on behalf of the team at our two houses, in Bordeaux and Nice, who have been advising tea lovers since 1999: what he writes is what we say every day at the counter.
His method
Every piece of advice starts from the steeping guidelines given on our product pages, the measure, the water temperature and the time, and from what our customers tell us in our shops. He describes a tea by its liquor, its aroma, its flavour and the moment it is best enjoyed, without any health promise: tea is a pleasure.
In the shop
His guides
- Matcha: the complete guide to Japanese powdered green tea
- Earl Grey: the guide to bergamot tea
- Tea steeping time and water temperature: the complete guide
- Which tea to choose? The guide to finding the one that suits you
- Caffeine-free teas and infusions: what to drink in the evening?
- The guide to homemade iced tea: cold brew and express method
- Darjeeling: the guide to the Grands Crus of the Himalayas
- The best Mariage Frères teas, according to our tea advisers
- Marco Polo: the versions compared, to choose yours
- Where to buy Mariage Frères tea, and on what terms
- Which tea to give at Christmas: our ideas by profile and budget
- Mariage Frères Christmas teas, edition by edition
- Rooibos: the guide to choosing and preparing “red tea”
- Maté: a beginner's guide, from gourd to teapot
- Oolong, blue tea: the guide to semi-oxidised teas
- White tea: the guide to silver needles and Pai Mu Tan
- Pu-Erh: the guide to dark tea, from loose leaf to cake
- Japanese green teas: sencha, gyokuro, genmaicha, hojicha
- Choosing your teapot, and the kettle to go with it
- The best Ombelle herbal infusions, according to our tea advisers
- Which evening herbal infusion to choose: the Ombelle comparison, plant by plant
- Where to buy Ombelle infusions, and on what terms
- Which infusion to give: our Ombelle gift ideas by profile
- Ombelle Christmas and winter herbal infusions, edition by edition
- Verbena, lemon balm, chamomile, mint: single-herb infusions
- Alcohol-free mulled wine with tea: the recipe for spiced Christmas punch
- Tea jelly: how to serve it, from breakfast to a festive meal
- Ceylon tea: the seven regions, the two monsoons and our gardens
- Glass teapots: which to choose, how to use and care for them
- Matcha whisk and bowl: choosing, using and caring for the chasen and chawan
- Tea infuser: ball, tube, paper filter or filter teapot, which to choose
- Tea and food pairing: matching tea with cuisine, from sushi to chocolate
- Mariage Frères chai: eight chais compared, from Chandernagor to Chaïwallah Rouge
- Fine tea: what makes a great tea, and how to recognise one
- Tea mugs and teacups: choosing the capacity, material and shape
- Tea service: putting one together for entertaining, from 4 to 50 guests
- Tea accessories: the essentials, and the ones that bring pleasure
- Tea with milk: which teas to choose, and how to make it
- Chinese tea: the great provinces, their teas and their names
- Tea types: the six families, from green tea to dark tea
- Tea-producing countries: where tea grows and what each origin brings to the cup
- How to store tea: what spoils it, where to keep it, which tin to choose
- Mariage Frères Earl Grey: 18 versions compared, from Earl Grey Impérial to Rouge Earl Grey
- Lapsang Souchong and smoked teas: from the lightest to the boldest
- The difference between tisane and infusion: the words, the methods, the settings
- London Fog: the Earl Grey and vanilla latte recipe
- English Breakfast: what it contains, and morning teas compared
- Secret Santa gift idea for a colleague or your child's teacher: tea for under €20
- Cast iron teapot: telling it apart from a tetsubin, preparing it and caring for it
- Black tea: the great styles, from Assam to Yunnan, and how to choose one
- Matcha set: give it ready-made or build it piece by piece
- A gift for a tea lover: our ideas to suit their taste
- Gong fu cha: brewing tea the Chinese way in a gaiwan, with short infusions
- Mariage Frères gift sets: the gift sets compared, from the duo to the Grand Coffret Henri
- Building a tea gift set, step by step
- Homemade chai: the spiced winter recipe, and its variations
- Tea and Christmas dinner: pairings from aperitif to Yule log
- Giving tea to a beginner: four profiles, safe choices