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I like sorting through the varieties of “chai” themed teas out there – this one centers the flavors more around the ginger and pepper side of the spectrum than the cinnamon and nutmeg. This is a good one to brew strongly and mix with milk and sugar.

Simple: good quality black tea with rose petals – beautiful bouquet and nice flavor too. But you have to like roses to enjoy this one to its fullest, as it is quite a strongly perfumed tea.

I like smoky teas, and this is a good one, though not as great as their Lapsang Souchong. Here I find that the tea leaves themselves do not have as robust a flavor as I’d like to stand up to the smoke – they appear to be Oolong. I’ve learned to be careful with the steeping time and temperature on this one: slightly lower temperature and slightly longer steeping time than I usually employ. This is one I always drink without milk or sugar.

Mariage Freres features a number of different Earl Grey blends, and I find this one to be their best. The bergamot is present without being overwhelming, the black tea base is rich and flavorful, and the blue blossoms, though they may not add any discernible flavor, do make it a beautiful tea to “watch”. Great with milk and sugar too.

Almond is the dominant flavor here, which I have to be in the mood for – otherwise it will taste too sweet, almost cloying, for my palate. Small bits of almond and blue cornflowers are spread evenly throughout the tea. Good with milk and sugar.

Just had a good pot of this one. I like it because unlike many other Christmas-themed teas, it is not overwhelmed by cinnamon, or orange peel, or some unidentifiable “spice” flavor. It is balanced between the citrus and spice elements and based on good quality black tea. This is another one that does quite well with milk and sugar, and though I haven’t tried it that way, I imagine it would be fine iced as well.

I am a great fan of Mariage Freres teas, and having had the great good fortune to have recently spent two years in Paris gave me many opportunities to sample their wares. If I had to pick one favorite of theirs, this would be it. It’s similar to their Vanille des Iles, but with a deeper and slightly sweeter flavor. It stands up to milk and sugar well and leaves a hauntingly beautiful aftertaste. I’m no longer in Paris but see that it may be available via mail order to those of us in the US – this is very good news. If you like vanilla tea which is rich and tasty, give this a try.