Le Temps Retrouvé

The year 2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Marcel Proust and the centenary of his death, so it is an ideal time to celebrate the work of the author of the novel À la Recherche du Temps perdu (Remembrance of things past). In tribute to the writer, Palais des Thés has created a new blend, Le Temps Retrouvé, a light tea with delicate roasted flavours that is ideal for the afternoon.

We considered a number of questions as we were creating this new tea, such as, what did Marcel Proust drink? Which tea would best accompany a madeleine?

These reflections inspired us to create a blend of Chinese black tea and Japanese roasted green tea. The combination of flavours takes us back in time through history, both Proust’s and ours, made up of our own memories.

Afternoon tea, a British tradition

Afternoon tea became popular in Britain during the 19th century. The Duchess of Bedford, Queen Victoria’s Lady of the Bedchamber, asked to be served tea and a light meal between lunch and dinner to satisfy her appetite during the afternoon. The food was chosen to complement the tea, both visually and in terms of taste. The Duchess invited companions to join her for conversation around the table as they sipped and ate. Within a few decades, afternoon tea had become a popular ritual. Today, in France and elsewhere, we like to invite friends or simply take a break for ourselves to enjoy tea in the afternoon.

Savouring the afternoon

Proust’s Le Temps Retrouvé (Time Regained ) reflects this tradition. In the book, tea provides a break, a journey, a gustatory pleasure, and a doorway to the edifice of memory.

Moreover, the trigger in the famous “madeleine” passage is tea: it is when taking a sip, mixed with a piece of cake, that

Proust is immediately transported into his past. “No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin.”1

Palais des Thés’ new tea, Le Temps Retrouvé, is a tribute to this taste of memory. A subtle blend of low-caffeine teas from China and Japan, it gives off simple, sweet and enveloping impressions. The honeyed and floral notes, robed in a sweet veil, are a comforting source of fulfilment. This is an ideal blend to serve with a light bite to take you through late afternoon. And of course it goes perfectly with a delicious madeleine, a pairing that allows you to experience the famous literary moment to the full…

Tea and a madeleine

The pleasure of food plays a central role in Proust’s novel. In fact Proust described himself as a gourmand rather than a gourmet as he was an insatiable eater. We might call him a “gourmand of memory”: he probes and questions the taste of his memory, as with the madeleine, a personal taste that awakens a form of involuntary recollection. Tasting our tea, Le Temps Retrouvé, is a way to reconnect with the lost taste of childhood through its honeyed scents. The tea goes beautifully with a moreish madeleine. This “little scallop-shell of pastry, so richly sensual under its severe, devout folds,”2 comes from Commercy in the Lorraine region of France. It is a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar and butter, usually flavoured with lemon. The story goes that it is named after a certain Madeleine who gave pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela a sponge cake moulded in a scallop shell, the emblem of the pilgrimage. It is a sweet morsel to enjoy in the late afternoon, accompanied by memories and a delicious cup of tea. •

1. Du côté de chez Swann, (Swann’s Way), Marcel Proust.

2. Ibid