Mariage Frères

400ml of water at 195F
1 heaping tablespoon of tea
Steep for 2 minutes
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar

Darjeelings are extremely temperamental. Over extend one or more parameters (tea leave volume, water temperature, steeping time) and the tea becomes mediocre. Darjeeling also has the disadvantage of only offering one good steep and if manage to get a second or third steep, it does not compare to the flavor and taste of the first.

This year’s Castleton, by Mariage Freres, surprised me. The recommended steeping time for the 2011 FF was 5 minutes. The recommended steeping time for this year’s Castleton is 2 minutes. Same estate, same flush, same grade, different year and the time changes considerably. Could this be correct? Based on my memory, it took a full 5 minutes to bring out the full complex flavor of the 2011 FF Castleton. It only takes two for this year. Steep the 2012 for a longer time and the astringency will assert itself often masking the other delicate flavors exhibited in this tea.

So how is the taste of the 2012 First Flush Castleton? Excellent. A complex mixture of floral notes, full body with the classic “muscatel” taste, and little to no stringency. This flagship Darjeeling tea from Mariage is always good. Consistent in high quality, full flavor and great taste year after year after year. I asked the question of why the Darjeelings from Mariage are so different in taste from other retailers and their answer is this: “most of our Darjeeling premium flushes are exclusively grown and kept for us by the owners of the gardens from one flush to the other. That also is the reason why we can on some very rare occasions refuse a whole flush from one garden due the incapacity to meet our standards.”

This is more of a (temporary) farewell than a tasting note. I have two full pots of tea beside me to help me get through this fifteen page paper. Yuzu Temple is one of them. Honestly, I don’t think this one is going to get done on time but I can only keep working!

The citrus is strong with this one and at times it has salty and peppery notes. It has that sticky, cleaning, invigorating quality that you may notice in fruits of the same variety. It can be somewhat overwhelming like a perfume if you don’t keep it in check. I accidentally poured some into my cup that had previously been filled with English Rose and they surprisingly weren’t as oppositional as you would think. Hope the sweet and floral perfume overload doesn’t make me feel faint. It can do that sometimes. Need. TO. Be. Awake!

Anyways, I’m already excited to resume reading everyone’s tasting notes on the 16th! No sooner because I don’t want to see any spoilers for the twelve days of tea from 52teas. I don’t get to open mine up until I’m back on the mainland for the holidays. Happy tea drinking, everyone! :)

Yuzu is my catnip.. I’m not exaggerating. whenever I get a whiff of it on anything I go a tad crazy. Unsurprisingly, I was very ecstatic to hear of the existence of this tea and that a friend was able to bring me back some.

Taking off the lid, my expectations are fulfilled. Sour and sweet, abrasive, tart Yuzu. I would hold the leaves up under my nose all day except in fear that they would lose their powerful scent. Nevermind me looking insane.

Steeped, the tea tastes like.. yuzu (surprise)! It’s taken down a notch from the smell of the dry leaves but this isn’t a mystery tea- it has one agenda, much to my delight. It’s almost as tart as a grapefruit but it’s sweeter, and yes, there is a slight peppery note. Another great citrus flavoured green for me.

It will be a very sad day when I run out. Luckily, a small serving offers multiple steeps; I’m going to stretch this one out for all it’s worth.

caramel et vanilla flavors. it makes you give over 70scores at least..if you’re just normal person who loves sweets, sugar, caramel etc.. add a dash of sugar, it create illusion that you’re drinking real caramel drink..

I went to a Mariage Freres shop a few months ago and asked them if they had anything that might encompass all the flavours of Christmas. The shop assistant was lovely and offered two blends – Esprit de Noel and, after hesitating a bit, Chandernagor. I smelled both and went for Esprit de Noel, which has orange and is smoother than Chandernagor. I didn’t end up buying Chandernagor but I found the smell impossible to forget even long after. Fast forward to now. I wanted a tea that wasn’t an indulgence for once, a tea that would wake me up in the morning and make me instantly alert and ready to face the day. That’s when I remembered Chandernagor.

It’s a very peppery blend, by which I mean that it will tickle your taste buds and focus your mind. You can’t ignore this tea. You can’t take sips while working or thinking about your next meal. It draws you in. Chandernagor tastes as good as it smells, which is strong and interesting. I taste cloves (so divine, wow), black pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom, in that order. It’s a rich tea that I prefer to drink really hot, the very nature of it just calls for a high temperature – I suspect it’ll burn you in iced form anyway.

4 minutes with milk and stevia works best for me.

400ml of water at 195F
1 heaping tablespoon of tea
Steep for 3 minutes
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar

If you don’t like the grassy green taste of Darjeeling teas, then you may want to skip this one. The grassy taste is very pronounced in this tea, and it is immediately evident at the first sip. It is not astringent though and I happen to like the taste of this tea and year after year, it’s been a perennial favorite. The very small amount of sugar I add, takes the edge off the green taste.

If you can get over the initial taste, you may realize this tea is full of body and character. It stays smooth to the last drop. There is a slightly minty(?) note to this tea which is reminiscent of a light clove taste.

What I like about Spring Darjeelings from Mariage Freres are the different flavors each one has to offer. Some are nuetral, some are complex, some are light, and this Margaret’s Hope has a strong grassy flavor.

I don’t agree with others tasting notes on this one, it’s not flat or mediocre, I think it’s quite good, actually.
Marinyn is a strong black tea, in the line of ceylon or assam, maybe something between those. It’s not as remarkable as Darjeeling or Yunnan Gold, for example, but Marinyn has it’s own personality.

Having this one tonight but I am not in the mood for it apparently.
I brew it the right way and time but get a slight astringency, very very very little BUT present…
This is what I dislike with green teas, this sourness, this almost hidden sourness, on the aftertaste…spoiling your tea joy…
Green teas can be perverse…
Sourness here is the Phantom of my Thé à l’Opéra…

I’m not in a good mood for tea tonight : Hugs from France for America tonight – We are crying with you tonight.

From the beginning, Thé à l’opéra is a shock.

First an olfactive shock with dry leaves : candy berry flavour is so present that we have the impression to open a bottle of perfume rather than a tin of tea.

Drinking it, the taste is not so violent.
The vanilla is really creamy and is a perfect base for the sweet taste of strawberry. Vanilla & Berry’s balance is perfect to me.

The green tea is absolutely not astringent and not bitter (this is always my fear with green teas so it was great news for me)

I always wonder how the tea names are chosen…I have an idea for this one : the red colour is haunting this tea…red like the incredible strawberry’s scent of the dry leaves. Red like the violent shock of this fragance. Red as the beautiful and heavy curtains of the Opera’s stage.

And maybe a little blue like the fantastic ceiling paintings of the Opéra Garnier in Paris…thanks Mr Chagall

Sorry to contradict Melissa (see her review above) but this blend can be bought both with a black tea base and a rooibos base. I went for the rooibos version as I could tell this would be an afternoon tea for me and the less cafeine after noon, the better in my case.
It smells wonderful – it’s very sweet. I was disappointed with the taste as I think it’s lacking in complexity. Once you’ve hit the vanilla and the ‘candied’ part of ‘candied chestnut’, it’s all over. Needless to say the chestnut is lost in this sweet fest. It’s a shame, I was really expecting a lot from this blend but I’m guessing I’d get about the same taste with a mixture of vanilla, sugar and a touch of caramel. I’m finishing this but I won’t be repurchasing.

5 minutes with milk works best for me.

Sipdown !
Definitively not a tea for me but I know it is BECAUSE I am not very green tea.
However it may come from the tea base too.
I know this tea is a best seller of the Brand and people who loves greens really enjoy it.
The citrus flavours are really uncommon and unique, really nice.

I won’t rebuy it but I can understand why it is one of my best friends preferred teas.

I am very Citrus teas…this one had a wonderful perfume that’s the reason why I decide to buy it when I was visiting the Mariage shop rue des grands Augustins.

The point is I am not very green teas because I often find them a little bit bitter.I hope this will change with time as green teas are so often mentionned as very good for health.

Le thé des légendes is a little too much bitter for me – even if I tried several times to steep it less time – even if I added some sugar in my mug.

I have no doubt this is really a great tea but it’s unfortunatelly not done for me

Sadly it is a sipdown. I finished my canister and as this tea is only available (alas !) in canister, at 22 €, I am afraid I won’t repurchase it until a while. I propably will use the tin to put Pleine Lune tea.

I sent some of Full Moon Party to several people and unfortunately no one reviewed it until now. This is one of the mystery blend.

I especially like the mix almond and rose here. this is so sweet, so mellow.

Bye bye sweetie…

This note is for the black tea. But Full Moon Party exists in a green tea version.
These 2 teas are only available in the canister, this means it is a little bit expensive to taste.
If you love the Thé Pleine Lune of Mariage and his wonderful taste of almonds and vanilla you’ll probably enjoy this tea.
The difference is thin to be honnest but the Full Moon Party is maybe a little bit sweeter and you can feel the taste of delighted roses.
I think I won’t buy it again (In paris it costs 22 € for 100 gr – box included of course) and continue to buy my adored Pleine Lune tea.

Prince Igor is a Borodine’s Opera and a fantastic tea.
As it is a mixed black and green tea, don’t steep it too much (5 minutes are enough)
you’ll taste a fantastic and sweet taste of vanilla, agrums, red fruits and light sunflowers.

Personnaly I drink this tea in the morning but it may be a better afternoon tea as it is very perfumed and soft.

I’ve always been surprised this tea wasn’t very well known in the Mariage & Frères fabulous card.

I’d love to get your american views about it !

Another excellent sampling from Amanda this has been on my shopping list and will remain there now that I finally got to try it it is worth the purchase! Creamy vanilla black tea – what more needs be said other than it is a VERY GOOD vanilla!

what a beautiful taste. its like perfume for the mouth. it has a great smooth, floral, aromatic taste that is to be savored.

400ml of water at 195F
1 heaping tablespoon of tea
Steep for 3 minutes
1/4 teaspoon of highly refined sugar

Teapot warmed and rinsed with hot water. Tea leaves placed into the teapot and left standing for 30+ seconds to build up the aroma.

The Spring Flush Jungpana never disappoints. The leaves are very green with silver tips interspersed throughout the tea. The steeped tea is a light orange/red in color. Out of the premium Darjeelings, the price is on the lower side (for Mariage). A very smooth tea with a bold taste, with a slight bit of astringency which compliments the body and flavor of the tea. It does have the grassy/green taste associated with Darjeeling teas. Yet there is no one overpowering characteristics and everything blends together extremely well. Always one of the favorites out of the Mariage FF Darjeeling line of teas

‘Elegant’ is my best descriptor for this tea. It isn’t hearty like Irish breakfast tea: to me it’s more of an afternoon tea, to be lingered over. I have been drinking it for a couple of years and still not figured out what the subtle tastes are — perhaps it’s malt, as the blurb says. It doesn’t need to “go with” any kind of food. It’s interesting all by itself.

THIS IS DELICIOUS (but lacked in steeping instructions).
Sweet like sugared flowers, or more like flowers made of sugar.

Conversely, the smell reminds me of cherry losanges and I was bummed with the quantity in the tin. But don’t let this put you off from a solid Bai Mu Dan with an addicting flavor.

This is unlike other sakura teas I’ve tasted. In fact, I don’t know what I’m tasting, but it is pleasant. The texture is thick, the taste is fruity. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. Me gusta.

First of all, this is primarily a black tea. Not a rooibos.
Secondly, well, that was good! I’m not usually a black tea person, I don’t like them, I don’t buy them… I can’t appreciate them for ‘’what they are’’. Failed romance much?

Candied marrons, with a spicy aftertaste, making it automnal, changed my mind. It’s very round, but tolerable. Reminds me of David’s Pumpkin Chai, which is also my sort of thing. Someday I will understand…

Alexander the great smells like violets.
Sweet, bold, aromatic, flowery.
Fit for a king, great hot or cold.

I have always loved Mariage Freres teas, until this one. It is deeply disappointing. The aroma is close to cheap caramel. I do get some vanilla notes in the flavor.