This review is so late since I tried all of the French teas in December, but here we are. Better late than never, right? ICYMI, Jolie Tea Co. in Salem, MA is the most delightful place on the planet, and I’ve reviewed their Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland teas. I’m always over the moon excited to try new teas, but when I heard they were hosting a special Parisian-themed high tea for NYE? Sign me the heck up.

Also, if you’re feeling left out and you don’t live on the North Shore, you can buy a sample of the Versailles set! (Or literally any of Jolie’s amazing teas; as I’m writing this intro, I’m currently drinking my Monday morning Rhapsody, and it kick-starts my week into being fantastic every time.)

My favorite thing about Jolie is the atmosphere, and every year New Year’s, they pull out these gorgeous golden sequin tablecloths that just make me die with joy. This high tea was a little different from their normal ones, too, and was full of delightful little surprises.

I’d already tried three of the Versailles teas prior to this, so I ended up with the final one remaining, but I’ll be reviewing all four below as I drink them now.

Tuileries

Ingredients: Assam black tea, white tea, cardamom, organic lavender, jasmine flower, blackcurrant essence, bergamot extract

Floral teas are always my favorite, so I’m initially very excited going into this one, and it does not disappoint. Even just the aesthetic of it, the beautiful little jasmine bulbs dropped between bits of lavender and black leaves–it’s gorgeous. And the taste matches! This is a heavenly tea for me, the perfect weight of black matched by the lightness of flowers. It’s something I would drink often in the morning, something that feels distinctly more spring than the rest of these, which are mostly sitting firmly in the winter category. It’s an excellent combination, and, as corny as it sounds, it made me smile.

Royale

Ingredients: Black tea, South African honeybush, vanilla bean, cornflower petals, vanilla essence, blackcurrant essence, oil of bergamot, flavor essence

Pairing vanilla with bergamot is always a good idea, so I’m already happy before I’ve even sipped. I love how each of these four teas ties together with hints from each other. They’re all very sweet and full flavors, something you’re not going to forget about. I often drink tea and forget the taste while I’m going about my day, carrying it around with me, but the Royale sits with you, hang out on the edges of the mouth, and begs you to take another sip. It’s got more of that eating cake feeling than the rest of these, but it’s still absolutely delightful.

Opera

Ingredients: Black tea, vanilla bean pieces, vanilla essence, blackcurrant essence

This is so much more subtle than I was expecting. All of these have ingredients that lend to sweet teas, though in more of a French pastry kind of way than a sweet tooth eat all the American chocolate kind of way, and so I was prepared for the same thing going into this one, but it’s so light! Even the combination of black tea + blackcurrant has a very delicate taste. The vanilla just sneaks in a little, flutters at the edge of your taste buds, and then disappears, which is pretty much the best thing ever because it makes me want to keep drinking. This tea is such a lovely surprise!

Antoinette

Ingredients: Black tea, vanilla bean pieces, lemon peel, lemon grass, lavender, lemon essence, vanilla essence, rose petals

The smell alone would get me on this one. Like people do while drinking wine, I like to give my tea leaves a sniff before I start steeping them, and oh wow, it’s such a delightful experience with this one. Right from that first sniff, it’s got such decadent sugary vibes, like there’s a bit of a cake just out of sight waiting for me to absolutely devour it. And drinking it does just that! The sweet notes of vanilla bean really do a lot to create something that feels like I’m about to step into Marie Antoinette’s lavish court. This is honestly the most French of the Versailles teas, and it leaves me feeling like I’m reclined on a divan with a tower of cream puffs nearby.

My mom always says that pictures of me in Jolie look the happiest, and honestly, it’s the truth. This is where I feel like I most belong!

I love writing these reviews so much, and I love shamelessly plugging Jolie to everyone possible, so I’m going to try to make these a semi-regular thing. I’ll be traveling next month, so while I won’t be getting high tea at Jolie, I will be getting it in London for Mad Hatter’s high tea, so that’s sure to be a wildly wondrous review.

What about you? Is the tea in you?