Marco Polo

When I wrote about the green version of this a while back, I was surprised to find I hadn’t written a note on the black version. I know I’ve had this before, but somehow never wrote about it.

I intend to try this at different temperatures and steeping times given the variety others have used. Starting with boiling for 3:30.

In the tin, I smell cocoa and berries. In the steeped tea, I smell berries and vanilla bean.
The berries I smell are red, rather than black or blue, but as between strawberry and raspberry, I get a bit of a mash up. There’s a sweetness that is very strawberry like, but it’s almost like it’s at a distance, which is very raspberry like.

The tea is a clear, medium-dark amber. I wouldn’t describe it as smooth in the sip, but it doesn’t have a bite, either. The aftertaste is quite smooth, though, with a somewhat silky mouthfeel. It’s got a magical French thing going on with the flavors, which are very like the aroma with the added bonus that they integrate and balance seamlessly with the tea base, which has a depth that gives the tea a lot of character.

It’s got to be one of the best I’ve had from Mariage Freres, so it’s no surprise it’s their signature tea. It’s not the best tea I’ve ever had, but it’s awesome and something I’ll want to keep around.

Marco! (waving my arms around in a pool trying to find a direction but no idea where I’m going)
I was hesitant to try this after reading all the supposed similarities between this and Harney Paris. I don’t like Paris.

Polo! (oh. I hear you……..whaaa? which direction? not sure)
I had this in tea bag form (a whole box of ‘em) and decided to brew one up because why not. I mean, it’s tea, right? So it’s probably okay. The worst that can happen is that I don’t like it.

Marco! (OK, I think you’re on my right. flailing arms a little less)
Hmm. Smells good. Not artificially weird. and I still smell the tea. Let’s take the teabag out. Oh! okay color…….smells fruity but in a good way, not in a bath and body works way.

Polo! (ah ha. you’re close. I can tell.)
take a sip……oo. Pleasant. caramelized currant. And no headache! The tea is flavorful and there! Very fall-like. Could use a touch of milk but this is just great how it is. I should ice this someday.

Marco! (HA! FOUND YOU!)
Okay, now I get it. No fear anymore. I see the potential to draw similarities between this and Paris. I know Paris has its fans……..I get that everyone has different things that they like and don’t like. I didn’t like Paris because it tasted too artificial to me. Does Marco Polo have artificial notes? I’m sure the ingredients are not 100 perfect natural….but they TASTE like they’re supposed to and don’t trigger a chemical headache for me. It’s like buying a pair of jeans at Target vs. buying a pair of jeans at a Boutique. You’re going to pay more, but the fit is going to be better, and you’re more likely to wear them often…..and in the end, what’s the point in having tea if you’re not going to drink it?

Marco Polo FTW.

The aroma from the can was shocking, in my opinion. It had a great scent of chocolate, a smell I did not particularly connect to tea. The color was of an amber brown, quite warm-nature. The taste was quite different from the leaves’ aroma, instead of a chocolate taste it had more of a vanilla taste. Overall, the tea was not bad, nothing to overpowering, smooth and slightly sweet.

This tea is so delightful to smell, it should be made into a candle. Its incredibly sweet chocolate and fruity scent overwhelms the nose, but is light on the tongue. It is somewhat bitter, and takes several minutes to fully steep and extract any flavor.

Well-rounded, full-bodied black tea with fruit and vanilla notes.

It’s my birthday today. In a tradition of exploration and fun, a birthday trip has allowed me to spend a few hours in San Francisco yesterday doing only tea related expeditions. Usually our visits to the city don’t allow enough time for this kind of scavenger hunt. Everything is spread out and just finding parking at each stop in enough of a challenge to deter. But add determined and you will get there.
We started at Lupicia and the lovely girls there made every sample requested. So sweet. I came away with some of the golden honey dew rooibos. It was exactly what I hoped for. Really delicious.
Next stop was Tevana, just for comparison purposes, and just really to confirm what I already knew about them. Yup. no one there had any ‘real’ knowledge. Its a koolaid shop. But I bought some Earl Grey cream, just to, again, compare. Sure enough, the sales girl did the ‘over measure’ to see if I would be fine with more than I asked for.

After a non tea related visit to Anthropologie, just across the street, we headed to the Crown and Crumpet in Japan Town. A cute Tea salon/café. All the little tea sandwiches were good, but late in the day, the selection was limited. The Tea we had with the meal was a white and black combination with rose.

Finally, the treat I have wanted to try for so long was the last stop. Chantal Guillon for Mariage Frere Tea. and Marco Polo.

I could have bought this tea on line long ago. But it just didn’t seem right. With a name like Marco Polo and not being easy to get, why not have it be an adventure to obtain, as it is just as elusive to pin down as well as to decipher the flavors within the cup.

The flavor does live up to the wonderful aroma. It is a treat just breathing in the scent. It is the kind of tea to give you a different experience each time you brew a new cup. It truly relates to the quote I have on my site, “Steam rises from a cup of tea and we are wrapped in history, inhaling ancient times and lands, comfort of ages in our hands.”

that’s Marco Polo.

http://www.parisfornia.co/food/where-to-buy-mariage-freres-teas-and-french-macarons/

Sipping and nibbling a salted caramel macaron, I am writing this from a Bed and Breakfast in Napa. La Belle Epoch. One of the nicest B&B stays ever!!!

What a perfect Tea for a birthday adventure.

So expensive. But so refined.

Berries and flowers. Sophisticated like every MF tea that I’ve tried. However, I think favourite black tea with a berry note will always be Paris by Harney & Sons.

Would steep no longer than 3 minutes if having this straight. At 4.5 minutes like I did just now, it’s going bitter. Perfect if you’re adding milk though.

Fruity

The aroma and taste are wonderful.

Another sample from Cameron B. This one reminds me a lot of MF’s Macaron, which is a favorite of mine. It’s sweet and bursting with berry flavor, with a hint of what I think is apple in the background—not authentic apple, though; more like a really good green apple-flavored hard candy (specifically, like these tiny Italian candies they used to sell at Trader Joe’s). This one I probably will stock up on at some point.