Cultural activity, entertaining, authentic, accessible to children.
In the other article ‘ Discovery the tea of Mauritius Island, we enjoyed helping and participating in the tea picking at Domaine de Bois Chéri. After this outing discovering one of the jewels of the Mauritian heritage and, above all, to try harvesting tea with professional pickers, it is time to leave because we have been invited to visit the factory to understand the rest of the tea making process.
On arrival at the factory we are welcomed by Christelle who will be our guide for this visit. We will have the opportunity to witness all the stages of tea making process, starting with wilting, which consists of hydrating the leaf to soften it and render it malleable, then oxidizing, blackening the leaves with oxygen, (the more you oxidize the leaf, the darker the tea will be) and finally the tea leaves are dried in the open air, in an atmosphere as humid as possible and at room temperature. Then it will be the bagging and boxing.
The children, and adults too, were all delighted to be able to discover this wonderful tea factory in Bois-Chéri with its beautiful colours, and to smell the pleasant smell of the leaves at the various stages of production. As the visit is not too long, the children stayed focused until the end.
I was delighted to finally understand why green tea is bitter than black tea. This is due to the fact that in black tea all the small stems of the leaves are removed during production, while in green tea, the small stems are not removed. I also learned that white tea is made with only the first leaf that starts to grow and is still almost closed.
The visit to the tea museum is very interesting, I would even say essential. A visit to do at any price, because, afterwards, you will be better able to appreciate the tea you are served every day. Christelle was an excellent guide, answering all our questions. The museum is particularly suitable for family visits as both young and old take full advantage of it. It is the opportunity of an educational family visit that allows us to discover a facet of the Mauritian heritage.
Meeting with the tamed deer of the Domaine de Bois-Chéri, Mauritius
On the way to the Bois-Chéri restaurant, we stopped for a moment to admire tamed deer. The boys jumped out of the car to give them bread and pet them. Deer roam freely in the plains surrounding the restaurant. Take this opportunity to approach and caress them, they are very docile.
Infusion tasting and lunch at Domaine de Bois-Chéri
After spending some time with the deer, we were invited to an infusion tasting. We were not able to taste everything, given the large quantity of infusions available. We took a different infusion each and turned the cups. I preferred the citronnelle, Laurent the ginger and the children preferred the vanilla black tea with sugar and milk. The infusions are served with milk, sugar and tea-based cupcakes: a delight! In addition, the restaurant, located high up, offers an absolutely sublime panorama where all the nuances of greens blend… An essential activity during your holidays in Mauritius!
I recommend that you have lunch on site, before or after the tasting. The setting is magnificent with a panoramic view of the lake on one side and the sea on the other. The Domaine de Bois-Chéri restaurant overlooks a huge garden where deer walk in peace.
I particularly recommend the palm kernel, pineapple and marlin salad as a starter: a real delight! We also loved vanilla chicken, a restaurant specialty.
Another tasty discovery: The green tea tapenade, which can only be found on the Domaine de Bois-Chéri and in its shop; guaranteed success with your friends on holiday in Mauritius.
The menu gives pride of place to Mauritian dishes, excellently prepared, often seasoned with tea, and we can only welcome the excellent quality/price ratio. The portions are generous and we really enjoyed the famous vanilla and green tea chicken, which I recommend. Special mention to the Chef of the Domaine de Bois-Chéri restaurant and the staff, welcoming and attentive, as Mauritians generally are. It is really a must in your tour of the good restaurants of Mauritius and above all, a gourmet stopover that will be welcome after a day of family activities.
It is without hesitation that we recommend this outing to our friends and those on holiday in Mauritius! Cultural activity, entertaining, authentic, accessible to children. A very good mention to the Domaine de Bois-Chéri, its tea museum and especially to all those tea pickers who offered us a beautiful moment of sharing during this activity that we carried out in family!
