Aurélie Bessière

Teaches at Palais des Thés

Aurélie recalls tasting Le Palais des Thés’ Tibetan-inspired “Thé des Moines” (Tea of the Monks) as a girl and being hooked on this secret blend ever since. Having been initiated into the world of tea by her uncle, the internationally recognized tea expert and founder of Palais des Thés, François-Xavier Delmas, at a young age, Aurélie continued to further her training through Palais des Thes' Tea School (Paris) and personal tastings. For Aurélie, tea is an amazingly tasteful, rich, and interesting beverage that has changed her life. She now educates consumers, retailers, chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary students about such topics as tea varieties, tea selection, tea preparation, tea tasting techniques, and pairing tea with food. Her greatest joys are introducing people to the range of flavors available in the tea universe (which they believe are even more varied than the flavors of fine wine) and inspiring people to embrace and enjoy the healthy “time out” that tea offers. She travels annually to visit tea plantations in Asia, participating in the selection of new teas, further building her knowledge of the tea production process, and continually developing the company’s long-term, mutually-respectful relationships with growers. Passionate about sharing all aspects of tea and its culture, Aurélie Bessière also leads the development of Palais des Thés in the United States. Aurélie’s uncle, recruited her to launch the company’s North American subsidiary in 2010. She moved to Manhattan from Paris and launched Palais des Thés’ U.S. online boutique in 2011 and the company’s first two wholly owned U.S. boutiques in New York City in late 2012 and early 2013: 194 Columbus Avenue in the Upper West Side and 156 Prince Street in SoHo.

(9 Reviews)

Introduction to Tea & Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Selvia T. on 11/9/2017

It is very informative class, The instructur was very knowledgeable and wasn't rushed answering my questions. We went over 1 hour for the class, and it didn't seem to bother her. Recommended for beginner tea introduction.
Introduction to Tea & Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Karen Miller on 5/28/2014
Introduction to Tea & Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Antje Simon on 5/23/2014
Introduction to Tea & Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Emma Weinstein on 5/21/2014

extremely informative
Introduction to Tea & Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Alexandra Shalom on 5/21/2014
Introduction to Tea & Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Marella on 4/9/2014

I loved this class! I am just beginning to take tea seriously, and this course was the perfect blend (pardon the pun) of verbal instruction combined with tasting. The location was great – Palais des Thes on Prince St is a beautiful little store; the instructor was fabulous, she is a true connoisseur who conveyed information in a passionate, enthusiastic and absolutely understandable fashion, punctuated with frequent sniffs of different teas to illustrate a point. What I learned has already influenced how I am tasting and buying tea. I’m going back for the next level class.
Introduction to Tea & Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Alice Vezzaro on 4/2/2014

This 90-min introductory tea tasting class is great for someone that wishes to learn the basics of tea production, infusion and tasting. The teacher, Aurélie, is extremely knowledgeable about teas and she's also involved in the family business. A very good experience overall.
Green Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Justin Varney on 3/30/2014

A great experience, we tried four different types of green tea and learnt a lot about preparing tea and tasting. We also learnt about where we'd been going wrong in the past! Definitely worth doing if you're interested in tea and want to know a bit more. The trainer really knew her stuff and is clearly passionate about tea.
Introduction to Tea & Tea Tasting

Reviewed by Jodi EIchelberger on 1/8/2014

We had a great time, very intimate. The instructor's uncle is the buyer and has personal relationships with the plantations. She had also visited some of these plantations and had a lot of knowledge. We had a great time tasting four categories of tea and smelling many both dry leaves and wet.