Mariage Frères
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Ohhhh Myyyy – This is absolutely delicious!
It’s like tLeafTea’s China Rose and 52Tea’s Earl Grey Cheesecake had a love-child .. Actually with a name like Eros it was more likely a threesome, because the tail end of the swallow is a little reminiscent of Harney & Son’s smoooooth Vanilla Comoro ..
This was very expensive and probably not something I’ll get the chance to buy again, but I’m beyond thrilled I took a chance and imported a tin! I also want to mention that this would make a wonderful gift as Mariage Freres know how to pack a treat .. From tissue paper to tins, menu’s and free postcards, this was a true delight to unwrap!
What more can I add other than simply sensational tea .. I seriously ♥ Eros, and am only taking points off due to the high cost ..
Now I must go make another pot because 2 cups wasn’t enough :D
Preparation
Wow! I will have to check Southern Season to see if they have this one, but I don’t recall ever seeing it there.
Yes you must try it!
I had four cups of this yesterday and was tempted to make another pot of it this morning, but wanted to give the Marco Polo a try .. Well it’s now morning tea time and I’ve got Eros steeping once more :D
I had to check if this one was on my list for my upcoming visit to Mariage Freres in Paris, and it’s not, only because it’s available in bulk in the states from Porte Rouge (http://www.porterouge.biz) (not that it necessarily helps you Serendipitea, but for others who are interested)… I’m trying to limit the teas I pick up to things I can’t get anywhere but Paris!
Dinosara – See if you can try Coquelicot Gourmand by Dammann Freres while you are there! I got some in a swap once and it was soooooo good. I haven’t been able to find any way to get it but to order it from Paris!
Yes! Southern Season has it! I may get to try it after all. The description sounds really good. If you want more, you can possibly save a bit on shipping by ordering it from them. They are in Chapel Hill, NC.
Thanks for the rec, ashmanra! So many of their teas sound amazing, it’s going to be really difficult to decide which ones to get!
Well first off I have to thank cteresa for sending me this tea in the hoppitea exchange. This tea is delicious…it smells of strawberries when you first open it up and a hint of creaminess. After the brew I was not sure I loved the smell… it was almost to sweet but I figured I had to try it. The tea was pretty amber color a bit lighter than I thought it would be for a black tea.
I took the suggestions on here about a bit of sweeter and cream and wow what a wonderful sip. It really tastes like strawberry shortcake! The end taste is a hint of tartness and juiciness this is just divine. I can really see myself drinking this a lot at home! Thanks so much cteresa!
Preparation
I had a cuppa this today and it did not disappoint. I hope it stays around forever and ever. Also, I’m ever so grateful that every once in awhile I find it in a tea shop instead of the usual blah bagged option!!
What?! Big thank you to my friend across the pond!!! Seriously. I had forgotten how good this one tastes when fresh. My cup was absolutely deeeeevine. and apparently the Balzacs I had a cuppa at last time carries old tea cuz it was nothing like this. Oh man I think I need another cuppa :P
Oh wow this is just as good as I remember. So yum.
Good to know that while my sample from ages ago is long gone… there is a cafe downtown that offers this for sale, a two minute walk from the main subway station in Toronto (yonge and bloor), AND attached to the Reference Library. Score!
Without any sugar or milk, it was sweet, fruity, and just the right amount of astringency. Also, it came in it’s own little bubble tea pot!
The only down side is that the steeping vessel… was a loosely woven cloth tea bag. Neat because I’d never seen that before but also a slight disappointment being that I’m silly like that heh.
ahhhhh now THIS is what I remember! my terrible marco polo experience from last time has now been banished from memory and replaced by this delicious tea sensation.
Fruity, floral, black tea. Mmmmm.
My only regret is that I played with the steep time and cut it down to 4 min. In contradiction to my tea-loving past, I like the flavours to come out strong. I like it best just before it starts to get bitter which can be a little difficult to time.
There was a day when I loved “weak” tea. Funny, I never thought I would see the day where I would evolve to enjoy it so!
whew, what a relief! thanks QG :)
We need to find a place to buy this in Toronto!
I know!!!
Apparently the distillery district has some Mariage Freres, but I’m not sure about which flavours exactly.
Do you have a Williams-Sonoma there? They carry it in the US.
yes we do! I shall check it out, thanks for the tip!
This is the cafe that sells MF in Toronto (two locations): http://www.balzacscoffee.com/. I was told they don’t order stock frequently so what they have’ll depend on when you go, but they seem pretty helpful and if you call ahead they’d be able to tell you what’s in stock. They have Marco Polo and the vanilla rooibos as well as a few others to go, so I assume those would be the options to buy.
ahhhh thx Jessie :)
Now I know where to go in the DD! Too bad it’s such a pain to get there… ah well, it’s so worth the walk!!
I was at Sherway Gardens today and checked out their Williams-Sonoma. They did indeed have this tea…for $32. I promptly put it back on the shelf XD. They also had some Harney & Sons (English Breakfast and Paris) but they were marked up considerably as well. The Blue Banana in Kensington has a bigger selection of H&S teas for better prices.
OH MY! Did you that Harney sachet tins are only 10.95 at Barnes and Noble but are $16.95 at Williams-Sonoma for the SAME TIN? I have only purchased Mariages Freres at Southern Season so I have no idea how much it costs at WS in the USA.
Yeah, that’s the general feeling I get from W-S. “Oh, hey, our stuff might look a bit nicer than the stuff from Wal-Mart or Sears, it works the same, but we’re gonna jack up the price anyway.” Designer kitchen stores make me sad…thank goodness I live five minutes away from IKEA!
Just curious, how much does it cost at Southern Season?
I am pretty sure we paid about $22 for a tin of their Vanille des Iles, which is why we switched to Harney and Sons Vanilla Black! Much cheaper, and tastes as good to me! I think I paid about the same for Marco Polo.
Yowza. Of course, I’ve paid that for tins of DT, but MF’s tins seem so small! Harney’s too, for that matter. I guess it really just depends on how much that tea is worth to you.
The MF tins are 3 1/2 oz or 100 grams, so that is a bit pricey! I think we pay about $24 for one pound of Harney Vanilla Black, so it is quite a savings! But there are one or two special teas I don’t mind paying a bit for, especially if they resteep well.
Yeah, I paid $22 for a tin of Whisky White today, but it’s so very worth it to me. Still made my heart stop at the price, though. I need to find a good Vanilla black, vanilla is my one true love.
the price we pay for tea… and yet I will never have enough. Still, $22 for whisky white! I hope they keep that one around :)
XD Have you see my cupboard lately? I so feel your pain. So far it’s still only around for Father’s Day, but hopefully it has staying power.
I think enough people like it that they will keep it. Fingers crossed! SO much better than buttered rum, IMO :)
ugh, so I made the fatal error of eating an apple just prior to having this tea! Note to self: Apple and tea do NOT go well together. I really should have known better. What was I thinking?!?
This was an interesting experience, but not one I’d like to repeat, and not by any fault of the tea!
The apple was somewhat sour, but it must have been sweeter than I had considered because the tea was just off. I think I didn’t make it strong enough either, because it tasted a bit watery. and flowery! The first time I had this one, it was more fruity and sweet, but this time it was all floral with a slight minty spice in the finish. The thing is, I had to add sugar, and more than I prefer under regular circumstances so it muddled the taste.
Dang, this one is all my fault to. I’m not changing the rating, I’d like to remember this tea the way it was the first time i tried it.
QuiltGuppy it looks like we’ve both had some puzzling tea-scapades today! thanks again for sending me this one :)
Positively lovely!
I know it says there are supposed to be flowers in here… but I’m getting cherries?? Dry, it smells floral, but when steeping, I smelled something akin to amaretto.
It’s naturally sweet on it’s own to, which I love. I had half a cup bare, and half with milk and sugar. Both are fantastic!
Bare, it is ever so slightly bitter, but more floral/cherry than bitter. It’s not very astringent, just a hint maybe.
It has a depth to it that reminds me of my childhood somehow. I can’t quite put my finger on why… something about the way it smells when really hot- not so much as it cools.
With milk and a dash of sugar, the sweetness really comes out. There is a mild toasted flavour as well. Similar to the budla, only floral and milder but with more depth.
This is intensely satisfying. Thanks again to QuiltGuppy, or as some might say… TeaGoddess :)
Preparation
The lovely, wonderful QuiltGuppy included this in a package she sent, and it is delicious! First of all, I adore the tin. I’m shallow like that. But the taste…mmm. I definitely need to revisit the black teas in my cupboard. This one is nice and dark with a lighter fruit flavor that just puts it over the top for me. As long as I keep my eye on the brew time, it doesn’t get bitter, and it’s just smooth and delicious.
