What are the selection criteria for Pagès teas?

Pagès has acquired an uncontested reputation for the quality of its teas. Its production facility in Le Puy en Velay is without doubt a vital asset. Selection methods and decisions made right in the very plantations also guarantee Pagès quality. These are tasteful plantations offering a suave and refined and sometimes robust
But how does Pagès choose its plantations? What are its criteria? Pagès experts answer our questions…

"We first opt for high altitude plantations offering the best quality thanks to the greater concentration of essential oils which develop the flavour. High altitude teas can be recognised by their more subtle aromas as well as a lighter colour. Our teas are selected on site directly with the growers or during auction sales. We focus on the best tea-growing regions.

In Ceylon, we select Dimbula plantations – for the harvests from January to March – and the plantations in Uva for their harvests from June to August. We prefer to purchase produce from the Nuwara Eliya plantations during the dry season.

In Darjeeling the plantations in Makaibari, Puttabong and Jungpana gain our attention. We buy during the best seasons, i.e., in spring for the first harvest. We appreciate the freshness and vivacity of this selection. The second harvest in June is also excellent and offers a delicate taste of muscatel. We often purchase directly from the growers in Darjeeling.

Bio plantations do not product large quantities. It is therefore important to deal directly with them. Darjeeling Makaibari for example, which we feature in our Prestige Bio range, has an output of only 170 tonnes per year. Organic teas are very rigorously selected for quality. Our personalised approach is a priority for us which ensures direct relations and makes it possible for us to obtain exactly what we want.

In all cases, each tea is tasted prior to purchase. This is a vital procedure to ensure that the best possible batch is chosen. Each country has its own specific features; a Ceylon tea must be aromatic, round and feature an orange colour in the cup, whereas Darjeeling has a variety of bouquets, each differing depending on the season. In the spring, Darjeeling tea is lively and very light in the cup. In June it will feature a muscatel taste, whereas the dominant overtone in autumn will be almonds. Assam will be malted; Kenya powerful and red in the cup.

We also select plantations for their involvement in the environment. We are very sensitive to how growers preserve nature. One of the plantations we particularly like working with in Makaibari implements an extensive reforesting policy on a day-to-day basis on the strength of which it was especially proud to announce recently the birth of the sixth wild leopard in the plantation! Promoting the plantation through our products makes us believe we are on the right track to preserve our planet."