The best Chinese, Japanese, Indian and English teas, an exceptional tea-drinking experience – from a French company? The story of Mariage Frères
- Founded in 1854, Mariage Frères might have been lost to posterity if a couple of young men hadn’t stepped up in the 1980s and acquired the company
The serious and dapper clerk approached the checkerboard wooden cubicles that line the walls, creaking the floorboards while reaching for a trio of large black tea tins. Removing the lid of one, he gave it a slight shake and, with the tin tipped forward, snapped open a lacy black handheld fan and began to frantically wave the aromas in my direction.
This sort of display is par for the course at the original shop of the Mariage Frères gourmet tea company, nestled on a quiet side street in Paris’ historic Marais neighbourhood, among a mix of art galleries, trendy boutiques and restaurants not far from Hôtel de Ville (city hall).
Filling much of the small space is an L-shaped counter crowded with teapots, beautifully designed tea accoutrements, and brass weights and scales; behind it are deep-set shelves that hold a dazzling array of its celebrated teas.
Choosing is not easy. Mariage Frères offers about 1,000 options from three dozen countries, including lesser-known plantations in Laos, Colombia and New Zealand. Black, green, yellow, white. Blends. Flavoured – there is not much they don’t have, and at €150 (US$168) for 100 grams (3.5 ounces), one of the most expensive is Yin Zhen Suprême, an exceptional silver needle tea from China’s Fujian province that the shop’s catalogue tantalisingly describes as:
Dried leaves: Pearly white and celadon, the buds dazzle with their finesse. The aromatic sweetness of tangerine flower is joined by a mellow, flowery hint of sandalwood and a heady wave of white orchid.
Infused leaves: Jade hemmed with ivory. A fragrant journey, aromas of almond milk and fresh pistachio drift in the wake of noble vanilla and wet peony.
Liquor: Luminous gold. The scent of crumpled wild mulberry leaves blends with the ethereal notes of white flowers. An impalpable fruitiness of mirabelle plum and fresh hazelnut linger over the palate before a harmonious finale of honeyed sugar apple.