Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 4
I like Earl Grey. I like green oolong. But together?! Also Blue Pea Flowers again. Hmm…
I once again freed the oolong from the satchet. Steeped up, “Earl Love” has a much more vivid aroma than Apollon . The flavours and notes, while smooth, are also fuller. One again MF finds the perfect level of sweet (possibly peppery) rose, as well as a finely balanced (light) floral-citrus bergamot. The base is a little tough to make out but it gives me the impression of more floral complexity, and even some butter/milk smoothness (yeah, this one deserves to be called velvety). There are bursts of tangy jam-like sweetness to the finish (along with soft bergamot), which could be from the oolong, ingredients, or both.
Because of it’s blueish hue, odd sweetness, and floral-citrus profile, I’m vividly reminded of Curaçao – particularly a creamy take on a Blue Hawaiian cocktail. There’s no coconut, but there is a hint of pineapple note.
So, surprise! “Against my better judgment,” I like this one a lot and would love to try it in loose leaf form, where the tea leaf would hopefully be better quality (unfortunately, they seem to only do satchets for this one). I guess I’ll try for a second steep later too.
Steep Count: 2 ( No.2 at 5min. Blue hue is gone but the flavour is still pleasantly floral, creamy, and mildly sweet while hot. It’s also a tad drying).
On a side note, Mariage Frères hasn’t had a black or herbal tea yet this advent cycle, so I think we are due for one. Total so far: 1 green, 2 oolong (wow, my life), 1 white.
Flavors: Bergamot, Butter, Citrus, Cream, Floral, Grass, Honey, Jam, Orange Blossom, Pepper, Rose, Tangy
