By the title of this article, you might have already guessed that I am an avid tea drinker. Black, green, blue, white, yellow, red (not a joke) – I have tried them all. Drinking a can of tea is part of my morning ritual.
Thus, it has also become somewhat of an important step to start my day. More of a ritual than a chore. If you’re familiar with my blog, you know that I enjoy nice things.
I value quality over quantity and would almost always be willing to spend more on something that I enjoy incorporating into my day. Ultimately, that translates to my teas as well.
Therefore, I would like to introduce you to Maraige Frères Thé, in my opinion, one of the best tea brands on the market.
The Brand Mariage Frères Thé
My first encounter with Mariage Frères happened about six years ago in Thailand, of all places. I was travelling to Bangkok with my family, and we stopped to look at the famous Mandarin Oriental hotel right by the Chao Phraya River.
The hotel has, of course, changed in recent years, but what remains is a little shop close to a small exit to the outside. All those years ago there, they sold a limited edition tea called the Oriental Mariage Frères Thé. Its description mentioned the tea having been made especially for this location of the chain.
Funnily enough, the Mandarin Oriental has now paired up with TWG, another high-quality tea brand. But six years ago it introduced me to Mariage Frères.
The brand has recently revamped its website (luckily – before finding any information was rather challenging), including publishing a short about section. The first official Mariage Frères tea house was founded in June 1854. Though, the history of the founding’s family connection to tea dates back to the year 1660.
Their initial business lay in the trade of teas with remote places in, for example, China. Trade with faraway countries seems normal to us now, but in 1854, it included far more challenging travels and routes of communication.
Retail stores were officially opened in 1984 in Paris, including a selection of related products such as teapots and glassware. From there on, Mariage Frères began to expand retail operations to countries such as Japan and the UK. Their focus has been and will continue to be quality over quantity, offering the finest selection of teas in a variety of unique creations.
My Favorite Mariage Frères Teas Throughout the Day
Generally, what counts for all the teas mentioned below, I am usually able to get steep about 2L without losing any taste. Thus, in my opinion, somewhat justifying the higher price tag.
A Tea to Wake Up With
Probably a bit obvious, but I love a cup of black tea to wake up in the mornings. Due to the higher oxidization of the leaves, black tea generally contains more caffeine than, for example, green or white tea.
My absolute favourite morning black tea by Mariage Frères has been “I Have a Dream“. This variety is described by the brand as a “gourmet black tea with sparkling citrus notes”. Additional to its intense flavour, it comes in beautiful rainbow coloured packaging.
When opening you immediately smell its citrusy – flavours. lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, mandarine, yuzu…
I feel with a lot of teas you might smell these notes, but once tasted, it seems rather bland. That’s what love about Mariage Frères. Not only do you smell the intense flavours, you will also be able to taste them.
The “I Have a Dream” tea is an example of Mariage Frères premium collection labeled with “Jardin Premier”. This label proves exceptional purity, meeting the highest quality standards (EC) No. 848/2018 – a regulation ensuring organic production of the entire product.
When brewing, make sure to avoid boiling the water to not burn the leaves. Instead, get the water to about 95°C and steep for 5 minutes.
Afternoon Choice of Blue or White
Milky Blue Absolu is one of the brands best sellers when it comes to blue teas. Unfortunately, this tea does not turn blue in the glass (like some of their other teas – try the Phantom the L’Opera!), but instead a beautiful shade of yellow gold.
I don’t know about you, but I was not aware of the existence of blue tea before I first entered a Mariage Frères store. Basically, blue tea falls somewhere between black and green tea. Usually, it is referred to as an Oolong.
What I love about Milky Blue Absolu is how incredibly smooth it feels when drinking, matching the description on the label: Silky blue tea, lush milky notes. It is a bit sweeter than other tea choices, being described as containing notes of dulce de leche.
- Temperature: 95°C
- Steep: 5 minutes
Blanc & Rose is a smooth and (as the name suggests) rose-flavoured white tea. This type of tea is not as processed as others and contains a high amount of antioxidants. Thus, being considered a very healthy form of tea.
Generally, white tea is steamed for longer than green or black tea and can be brewed multiple times. With about 1 1/2 teaspoons, I am usually able to make three cans of tea – amounting to about three litres.
Blanc & Rose is definitely a more flowery tea, stemming from the Oriental rosebuds. It leaves a quite unique velvety feeling in your mouth – I am not sure everyone would enjoy this but I have been liking it quite a bit.
- Temperature: 85°C
- Steep: 7 minutes
Make Your Own Afternoon Chai or Matcha Latte
I discovered one of my favourite Chai latte variations during my time in Canada. Suddenly, the menu offered a London Fog. Intrigued, I asked what it referred to – an Earl Grey tea with milk of your choice.
Thus, when back in the store, I immediately noticed Mariage Frères Earl Grey Chai and knew I had to try making a London Fog myself.
Here is a quick rundown of how it’s made – take one-half frosted milk of your choice. Mix the milk with one-half Earl Grey Chai tea. Voilà! You have made your very own London Fog.
- Temperature: 95°C
- Steep: 5 minutes
Coming to the Matcha – I was actually surprised I would want to include this, as I always believed I did not particularly like matcha. Though, having tried making it using the Chai Matchai yesterday, proved me otherwise.
Instead of having to go though the full matcha ceremony of whisking the powder, Matchai is a ready to be steeped matcha tea. It can either be enjoyed with milk or on its own. If wanting to make a matcha latte, follow the same steps as for the London Fog, only choosing tea steeped for 3 minutes with Matchai.
Beware, the colour of this matcha tea is not the usual intense green you might be used to. Instead, it is lighter, with softer matcha taste notes.
- Temperature: 85°C
- Steep: 3 minutes
The Perfect Evening Tea
When choosing a day for the evening, it is important to pick one with low levels of caffeine. While green tea generally has less caffeine than black tea, I have still had my fair share of green teas that did not let me sleep.
In this section, I will recommend my favourite evening teas. Surprisingly, this one is for my black tea lovers – a decaffeinated Earl Grey. I even noticed the tea leaves very little residue in my tea cups, stemming from the lack of theine.
This theine-free tea tastes pretty much exactly like a regular Earl Grey, with the benefit of allowing you to sleep easily after. It is described as a Ceylon tea with notes of bergamot.
- Temperature: 95°C
- Steep: 5 minutes
Choosing to opt for such high-quality tea also requires you to be willing to invest time in making it the right way. This refers especially to the temperature of the water. If the tea leaves are steeped in water that is too hot, they will burn and you will not be able to enjoy their real flavour.
At home, I have chosen to invest in Kitchen Aid kettle I can wholeheartedly recommend. It allows you to select the exact temperature you would like your water boiled at.
If you are not willing to spend any money on a new kettle, you can also make sure to turn it off before the water starts boiling. This works best for black and blue tea, can be more challenging for green and white teas though.
The post If I Had One Drink in my Life, It´d Be Mariage Frères Tea appeared first on That Girl Finds.
