Mariage Frères
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I’ve fallen behind on my swap teas, so if you’ve sent something and I haven’t mentioned it here yet I promise I’m working through them! This one was a gift from Dustin and one I’ve been wanting to try for a while. It has a strong vanilla flavor and a sort of nuttiness to it. James said it tasted like vanilla but then pickles (??), so I’m pretty glad I’m not picking up on that particular flavor. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite vanilla black, but it’s certainly enjoyable. Thank you, Dustin!
Flavors: Nutty, Vanilla
Preparation
I murdered my first cup of this. Forgot I was steeping it for a while and it went super bitter. Dumped it and started fresh and got a very interesting cup. It’s predominantly smoky with light jasmine notes underneath peeking out mostly in the finish. There is something malty in there, which is nice and a little bit of tannins. It’s alright and I hope to get better cups out of it in the future.
Preparation
Mariage Freres says to steep this for 5 minutes! Seemed a little excessive, but I did it anyways and I think I’d like to dial back the time on the next cup. This is very smoky. I like smoky, but I was expecting something more subtle that allowed the bergamot flavor to come through. It was all smoke until a third or half the way through the cup, then the berg started showing a little. There is a nice malty base that I could taste through the smoke. This cup wasn’t terrible, but I feel like I could get a much better cup by adjusting the steeping parameters.
Preparation
From a bakery in Tiburon called Sweet Things. Brewed with entirely way too hot water, ouch!
The tea, once cooled enough to sip, was perfect for the day. The jasmine was natural and allowed the flavor of the tea to come through – fruity, buttery and soft. There was a little bitterness due to the near-boiling water used. The tea was not at all diluted with one sachet to a 12oz paper cup.
I realized I’m missing a jasmine tea from my cupboard. This won’t be the one that finds it way in, but it is a good tea to have when out and about.
Thank you for that Mill Valley snippet. It totally took me into another quite different space as I lie here under a faux fur throw warming my icicle toes.
I forget about jasmine teas and then I have one and am reminded how good a good one can be. Yes, I love them, both green and black.
What a beautiful snapshot! Thank you!
Thank you for the mini vacation!
Advent Day 5
Last day/tea to catch up on. I keep reading the description and try to taste the intended pomegranate and pineapple, but I mostly get plum. It’s surprisingly nice and flavorful after all the other plain teas in the advent. It’s gotten a little tangy in the finish in that oversteeped green sort of way now that it has cooled, something I didn’t notice while it was hot. It’s very smooth on the sip with the fruit flavor though. I can smell pineapple now that it cooled and I almost think I can taste it before my brain flips back to plum. It’s a nice tea, not something I’d seek out again though.
Preparation
Advent Day 12
I missed two days in this advent and am catching up now. Of course one of the missed days was a blue tea! I finally took MF’s advice and steeped this for a full 5 minutes. This tastes like perfumy cherry blossoms. Very delicate, light and airy. There is a slight sweet feeling to it that is almost taste with a light fruitiness behind it. At the end of the finish there is a flash of savory. Or maybe that’s my breakfast sausage lingering? Who knows! I like this one better than most of the other blue teas, but I’m really over the entire blue tea with ethereal flavors thing.
Preparation
I don’t think there’s much tea leaf in the tea bag, and it’s weirdly light (ethereal!) even for an oolong, so I started doing this near the end too!
I think the peaflowers take up a bit of space in the bags. The Milky Blue Absolu leaves unfurled significantly when released from the bag, but it didn’t have a bunch of other ingredients like the peaflowers in it.
Yeah, the Milky Blue was alright! Also, another reason to be resentful of the peaflowers..
Advent Day 25
I always panic when a tea steeps up bright pink. Lucky for me it’s more beetroot and not hibiscus. I don’t understand these steeping parameters that MF gives. 5 minutes for a white tea? I don’t doubt that they are tea masters, but it’s hard for me to take that leap of faith and steep a white for so long. I did a 3m steep instead. At first this tea was a muddle of mineraly flavors. I walked away from the cup to witness the festivities of the tiny roommates opening Xmas gifts and came back to a cold cup. I think I like it better this way! The mineraly flavors have diluted into a fruity flavor. The finish is almost fruity candy like, but I couldn’t say what fruit. I’d have preferred a good hearty black to get me through the holiday, but I’m grateful that this tea isn’t blue! LOL!
Preparation
Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 25
Merry Christmas! I may have slightly oversteeped this one, because it’s somewhat dry and bitter to start (bitterness dissipated as it cooled). It does taste like sweet crumbly bread (brioche), with a dash of that MF fruit perfume, and I think it’s pretty tasty, if an odd choice for Noël. Who looks at white tea and says “I’m going to make you taste like sweet buns”? Mariage Frères does. This is also the second time this year an advent tea’s made me crave Maxim’s Bakery; want is turning into a dire need.
Steep Count: 2 – Now it tastes convincingly like a sweet hot cross bun to my palate (I swear there’s even a touch of cinnamon and the suggestion of butter, thanks brain), with distinctive fruity bits. The nose is raspberry/red berry jam, which is a favourite. Finally, a Rhapsody I like! (My mom only gets “fruity white tea” so the hot cross bun is probably me being special again.. but I’m happy so not questioning it lol).
Final Advent Tea Tally!
5 White (4 “Rhapsody”); 6 Green; 8 Oolong (5 “In Love”); 6 Black.
Last thoughts: Yes, I wish the teas were more diverse (ie – less “bleu gimmick”), and with loose leaf – but, despite all my complaints and teasing, I had a lot of fun overall. It showcased many teas I’d never pick out myself (and will continue to never pick out). I’m going to miss that distinctive Mariage Frères aroma too. My favourite category turned out to be the green teas, which is not what I’d have predicted. There’s about three teas I’d consider “spending more time with” too.
Flavors: Berries, Bread, Candy, Fruity, Raspberry, Red Fruits, Smooth, Spices, Sweet
Preparation
Merry Christmas! Now I’m thinking I really should’ve put my thoughts on each advent in my day 24 notes as well… Oops!
Wow. This green tea reveal is rather shocking.
@Cameron B. I only felt compelled to do it for MF lol. Although I still have one straggler for DF I need to get caught up on.. XD
Merry Christmas!
Yeah, it surprised me too! I’m pretty sure the oolong base was the same for the most part, and I didn’t love it even when I enjoyed the flavouring. The White tea was a mixed bag (I know I like MF’s rose now though). So there went my usual favourite categories. The black tea included a coffee tea, which automatically disqualifies it from my consideration (it was an interesting spread though) :P
Although a lot of the green tea was paired with fruit, the fruits were usually different enough (Yuzu, Pineapple, MF Berry), and so were the base styles (Kukicha, Colombian green, “gabacha”). I already know I like “Marco Polo”, and “vert” was same. Ditto with “Buddha Bleu” (which isn’t blue at all, thankfully). The only one that was super disappointing was “fantome”..
Hmm, the green assortment sounds tempting. I hope they do something with rest to make it more appealing.
I am unlikely to splurge on the over the top delivery fees unless the calendar is more of a sure thing, like at least 75% delightful and interesting.
How would you rate the Df calendar?
It’s also that niggling knowledge that MF has some neat black teas that aren’t fully on display here. The teas they went for seem to be for a “softer” palate (like the tea equivalent to baby mush). I don’t know if I’d do their calendar next year, but I’d be tempted to take a plunge on some random 100g once I run out of Thé de Lune.
DF – while I don’t typically prefer “Christmas blends,” I thought a lot of them were well done, or at least interesting. DF had stronger flavouring than MF’s by a long shot, and I think they were also more generous with their tea bag leafing. I wish THEY had included more of their oolong blends though; otherwise the selection was relatively varied. :P
I felt DF made up for the lack of festive “punchy” teas in MF, and MF made sure I always had a caffeinated option.
Thanks for your perspective on this. All in all, it seems that MF could do better. And DF could pick up the case with the caffeine.
Merry Christmas :)
Advent Day 24
No. NO! No, Noel! I do not consent to more blue tea! I feel blue up to my eyeballs like I’m in Dune or something. This doesn’t even have the spice to be interesting. I can taste a hint of mint with a muddled tea base with a bitter bit in the finish. It’s supposed to be hazelnut, citrus and candied fruit, but I get none of that. These blue teas all taste the same to me, a confusion of muddled indistinct flavors. I don’t even know how many days in this advent have been blue teas, but I’m tempted to open the last day right now so I don’t have to dread the very last day being blue or not.
Grumbles in blue *Preparation
(Cackles insanely in blue)
I didn’t get hazelnut or anything until my second cup from the pot and then it was like oh, that’s what the flavouring’s supposed to be. It was weird. my brain wants to lump all the blue together at this point.
I’m also willing to gamble that tomorrow is “Noel Rhapsody.” the other guest that outstayed their welcome. I hope I’m wrong but…
aw man, what a weird advent. I’m sorry it was so disappointing for you.
It WAS really weird! It was still fun, but I definitely didn’t expect it to be so blue heavy! I hope they do one next year with all their classics.
Mariage Frères Advent Calendar – Day 24
It wouldn’t be a proper Christmas Eve without a blue oolong that tastes like biscuits, brioche, nut butter, cream, berries, and assorted fruits – including melon. This tea tastes like a million things (ok, maybe only 13 things); I can’t pick out all (or any) of the notes for sure, but it is tasty. Just a bit of a mind game with that blue colour.
Steep Count: 3
Flavors: Almond, Berries, Biscuit, Bread, Candied Fruit, Citrus, Creamy, Floral, Fruity, Hazelnut, Jam, Melon, Mineral, Nuts, Red Fruits, Sweet, Vegetal
Preparation
Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 24
I knew it was coming, but does that lessen the impact?
Citrus hazelnut is an odd thing to put on a oolong that steeps blue-green, but here it is. It’s not bad but still quite gentle; it’s not as fruity as other advent days and I count that as a silver lining (I like fruity but I also like variation). I can also taste the smooth, almost creamy, vegetal base here and wish the oolong they use had a bit more “oompf” to it. I’d score it higher than most of the other “IN LOVE” series though. Not a bad Christmas Eve tea!
Have a good evening, everyone! :)
Flavors: Citrus, Cream, Hazelnut, Smooth, Vegetal
Preparation
Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 23
It’s flippin’ blue! Again! (arrrrrrrrrrrrgg….)
We’ve reached at least this level of blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KK6sMo8NBY
The only flavour in this blend is the ghosts of citruses past. Ok, maybe I get the afterimage of grapefruit ginger over time. It’s faint. Very faint. Doesn’t the fantome de l’opera have a killer voice? The tea isn’t offensive but it’s not as dynamic or bright as I’d like either. DF has lush citrus flavouring and I’m sadly comparing.
Flavors: Citrus, Ginger, Grapefruit, Smooth
Preparation
I have been expecting this level of blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ugkg9RePc
I almost included that song too. It’s also mood perfect :P
Hahaha, Martin, that is exactly what first came to my mind, too!
Can you just imagine if the worst parts of the advents got together to make one extremely groan-worthy tea? I’m imagining one of these French green base butterfly pea flower blue teas covered in the gold luster dust… shudders
Nooooooo!!!! That’s the worst. Falls under the category “it’s so bad it’s good again.”
I feel like you guys got more blue teas than I did doing this advent last year. I remember soooo many of the blue ones were oolong teas and feeling like someone in their R&D department must have though they were so clever for making ‘blue tea’ (another name for oolong tea) that actually steeped blue. Bad tea puns.
Right?! Someone thought they were punny and got carried away. It is a neat effect. In moderation.
Advent Day 23
What a dirty rotten trick! Took this tea out and noticed the name didn’t contain any “In Love” in it, it’s labeled as a green and smelled slightly savory. Not a black, but at least it isn’t ANOTHER peaflower tea. Joke is on me! It steeped up blue! It’s peaflower in disguise! Is that what the name was about? Masking and hiding it’s true nature?
This tea is really light on the flavors. It tastes like a green tea with old ginger and orange peel. Like preserved orange peel, not a bright bold vibrant orange. Same with the ginger… or maybe it’s ginseng? I can’t tell. The blue teas reflect my mood about this advent all together, it leaves me feeling blue. It’s almost comical how blue tea heavy this advent is!
Preparation
Fantome de L’Opera is actually a novel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_of_the_Opera
My friend have seen a theatre play and says it is awesome, but that’s all I know about it.
They could’ve thrown in some glitter for a change.
lol, glittery Fantome.. It would be a twist on the tried and true ending at this point..
Your reaction to the blue mirrors my reaction when I saw my steeped cup. Whhhhhyyy.
I’ve never read the novel, but I did see the play and didn’t enjoy or get it at all… much like this tea!
Blue glitter perhaps? It could be like a fancy bathbomb turning the water blue and glittery.
And who wants to drink that? Gah.
Maybe if the tea is called Rainbow Dash & Twilight Sparkle’s Fun Bash Tea… I’d drink (once)! :P
I only ever heard the musical soundtrack. The book’s on my longlist.
My mind steers towards the name “Magic Pony Vomit” for a tea like that which makes me think of the time a tiny roommate of mine got car sick after eating a red and blue shaved ice! All we needed was glitter to make the disaster complete!
Oh, man… lol. “Magic Pony Vomit” is such a great name though. There was a tisane from David’sTea we nicknamed “Unicorn Vomit” (ie – Unicorn Dreams); I think it steeped purple-pink but don’t remember if it sparkled.. The concept exists!
Advent Day 22
I’m thrilled to be trying another black tea! This one smells smoky. I was drinking it while eating breakfast and my food totally drowned out the flavor of the tea. When I was able to taste it again it didn’t seem as smoky, but had a smooth flavor. I had to dash off for the day and am now retuning to the last few sips left all day in my cup. There is a light fruitiness to it with just a hint of smoke. It’s still smooth and doesn’t have a hint of bitterness. It’s very nice and I’d like to drink it again someday.
Preparation
How does this one compare to Smoky Nara? MF name drops tonka bean notes for both of these and I still haven’t tried tonka :)
The Smoky Nara is MUCH heavier on the smoke with a leathery taste and slight umami, almost seaweed like in miso soup. I was sad to realize the tonka was notes and not actual flavoring in the tea, but I can pick out the notes. I like Nara way better than this tea. It’s so much more flavorful and complex.
Interesting! I don’t always like leather or heavy smoke notes, but definitely want to see something “punchier” from MF after this advent.
This advent was not the impression I expected to have from MF. They have teas with more solid flavors, but only a couple seemed to make it into this selection which showed more of their newer blends, not the tried and true classics. Casablanca is a really nice Moroccan mint that is excellent cold steeped on a hot day. They have a very good jasmine mandarin tea. French Breakfast was good, their French EG is pretty solid which I unexpectedly went through rapidly. It took a while for me to warm up to Black Orchid, but once I did no other vanilla tea compared.
I felt similarly about the bold and well-balanced flavouring of Thé de Lune, the one tea I purchased alongside the advent. I wish I’d taken a chance and bought others, since the advent didn’t deliver, but I wrongly assumed quintessential teas like Thé de Lune or Chandernagor would be included anyways. :|
It’s so hard to take a chance with MF when their minimum is 100g. You could have ended up with several 100g bags of tea like the peaflower line and that would have been a huge disappointment!
Sipdown!
I’m going to miss this because it’s an awesome, full-bodied smoky tea that I’m particularly drawn to on cold, dark mornings. Added bonus is it resteeps well, up to 3-4 times. Black Leopard has your typical smoked wood profile – with hints of florals. Also present are fruity notes, like jammy dates and guava – but they’re very subtle.
This may be a re-order down the road (and in a tin if they have it)! Lapsang Souchong and similar styled teas are an easy staple for me – and not one that I’m particularly picky about – but this one has something that pops compared to the few others I’ve tried.
Flavors: Bittersweet, Dates, Floral, Fruity, Guava, Malt, Smoke, Smooth, Tobacco, Vanilla, Woody
It seems they have it in the tin :) Interesting, but honestly not sure if I would be able to drink 80 g (or more!) of it in timely manner.
I’d share this if I ordered more (probably in the fall) and anyone is interested. Although, sending it out in flimsy plastic bags is tricky because it has such a contaminating aroma lol
Sometimes, smokey teas last for years in my cupboard (I have a ok one from A&D circa 2013…), but this I still polished off relatively quickly, despite attempts at rationing. It’s not different enough to win over the smoke-adverse among us though (my mom is such and she hated when I made this tea in her presence :P).
