Year of the Dog tea from Mariage Frères: "...a wonderful organic imperial white tea made of beautiful silver needles perfectly married to the precious notes of organic citrus. Goji berries, signature of the collection THÉ DES SIGNES, bring their fruity notes and revitalizing effects to this gourmand blend. Lime green in colour, a beautiful pagoda shaped tin houses this adorable THÉ DES SIGNES – YEAR OF THE DOG." 30g for €26.
Mariage Frères Tea Jelly, in Earl Grey Impérial: "Created by the Mariage family in the 19th century, these collection of tea jellies, manufactured in the traditional way in copper pans, are a wonderful accompaniment to toast, brioches and scones. The fruit of this ancestral knowledge, this tea jelly, flavoured with the greatest bergamot, combines its subtlety with the splendour of the best Darjeeling teas." €8.50 for 240g.
Recently, reader Galbanumgal very kindly posted about a Mariage Frères sale at Cultured Cup. I promptly ordered four teas, and sadly did not like a single one of them. Now Mariage Frères is trolling me with the Earl Grey Haute Couture collection ("A collection of grand crus harvested from organic gardens sprinkled with fragrant morsels of noble bergamot peel from Calabria"). Limerance is black tea, Charisma is green tea, Magique is Yin Zhen silver needle (white tea), Majesty is blue tea (oolong) and Rhapsody is white tea. €26 - 29 each. Luckily these do not appear to be available in the US.
My memories of India are of mornings filled with mystery and anticipation. The haunting sound of the first call to prayer from the muezzin swirling in through an open window with the pre-dawn mist, waking the peacocks who add their plaintive cry. Chants from the Sikh gurdwara follow soon, as do tendrils of rosy sweet dhoop (incense) that meld with the dung-fire smoke from the villages, as early morning puja begins. By the time morning has settled in, the mists have burned away, and the koyal birds have begun their sweet song that will continue through the rest of a day bursting with sunshine, as the green parrots in the trees resume their daily gossip and the vendors begin to make their rounds, crying out their offerings of fresh orange juice, vegetables and shoe repair. Cows come grazing along the street, sometimes stopping to inquire mildly into the goings-on of the households they pass…
Whenever I want to escape from daily routine, I light my Mariage Frères Thé Rouge candle and watch as its dark red wax melts slowly, releasing rich fragrance into the air. Tart red plum, lusciously sweet apricot and spicy gingerbread shimmer against the backdrop of a rich tea note. The interplay of bitter and spicy, sweet and elegant is what makes the scent both seductive and comforting. It is a perfect choice for the evening or whenever one desires to daydream.
Mariage Frères is the oldest tea importer in France, having started tea trading in the 1660s. While it is primarily well-known for tea…