Funnily enough, many of the traditional Valentine’s gifts really don’t work for me — by which, I mean they don’t work with champagne. Take strawberry or chocolate for example. Strawberry is highly acidic and so is champagne, so that is an acid bomb of a pairing. Chocolate can work, but you’ll need a very, very pure chocolate paired with a very, very dry and older champagne. You see?

So, the idea of having tea on Valentine’s Day (while not traditional) hit a cord with me. It can satiate my savory tooth, for I love tea sandwiches. And, while I’m not a big chocolate fan, I do enjoy very pure dark chocolates, with which tea would snuggle up nicely.

The Palais du Thés limited edition Thés des Amants ($44 for a set of two) is a spicy and playful way to be merry and silly together. The two-tea set (black tea for him and green tea for her) is spicy and exotic. The spices are the same for both teas: dried apple, almond, cinnamon, vanilla and a hint of ginger — all notes befitting this wintry season. The only difference is the tea: his tea makes a stronger and darker brew while hers is softer and coy in the cup.

I really enjoy the texture and sweetness of adding the dried apples back into the finished tea.