It’s fresher than coffee. It’s fresher than ice-cream. It’s (almost) fresher than an Aperol Spritz. Nowhere is the symbiotic relationship between cycling and caffeine stronger than here in France but grounds aren't the the only game in town.
Meet our very special, grand cru, hand-picked and expertly curated tea, along with French tea master Olivier Schneider.
For the past ten years Olivier has been living and working in the mountainous Yunnan region in southwest China where the finest Puerh tea comes from. In that time he's explored the extensive territories within and beyond the region, forged close ties with local growers and producers, tasted, tested and experimented with different maturation processes and collaborated with other collectors and specialists to become one of France's foremost tea experts.
All while riding his bike.
As well as living the life of a tea master (we like to imagine a Zen master but with added leaves...), Olivier is both a daily commuter from his Dai Village, Manlang, and a cycling 'tourist'.
Granted his commute is a little different to most of ours, swap traffic lights and exhaust fumes for waterfalls and the odd gorge, but what we have in common is that the bike is the most practical, plausible and downright fun mode of transport available.
The 'tourist' part comes into play at the weekends when his 220Km round trips to Laos in search of ever more unique teas puts our regular cross border Italian forays somewhat in the (rain forest) shade.
Olivier’s passion and enthusiasm for tea is scarily infectious and, when given the chance, it was impossible for us not to take advantage of his extraordinary expertise. He's compiled a selection of six speciality teas for us that offer an exclusive alternative to the traditional cycling café experience. The first on the road is Fraicheur: A white bud tea picked from trees whose leaves are unusually not actually suitable for brewing.
Hand picked by members of the Lahu community in the high altitude Nan Mei valley, the key is a drying process that has been refined over hundreds of years and takes place in the village far below.
It's a process which is crucial to the tea's final quality as any errors can result in the buds taking on a yellow or purple tinge which taints both taste and texture. Done correctly however and the results speak for themselves, the buds producing a pure, smooth white tea with delicate flavours and a fresh lemon aroma.
Our own white bud ‘Fraicheur’ was harvested in 2015 and offers light, citrous and pine flavours along with a a healthy dose of slightly smug satisfacton. You can taste this and the five other specialities at Café du Cycliste, 16 Quai des Docks, 06300.