As I mentioned in a prior post, one of the places we visited last weekend in Paris was Mariage Freres. (translation = Mariage brothers). As the name suggests, Mariage Freres is a tea company that was founded in1854 by two Parisian brothers: Henri and Edouard Mariage. The Mariage brothers' connection to tea, however, dates back much further: to the time of Louis XIV, when around 1660, their ancestors Nicolas and Pierre Mariage worked for the French East India Company, traveling to Persia, the East Indies, the Mogul empire and Madagascar. So by the time the Henri and Edouard founded Mariage Freres, their family had been in the tea business for 4 generations. (How do I know all this? I am reading it in a book I purchased at the store: "The French Art of Tea"). The place we visited this past weekend was the Mariage Brothers' original tea shop from the 1850's, which has since been expanded to also include a restaurant.
First the restaurant, which is an experience unto itself. Every item on the menu has been prepared with tea in some form or another. The salmon that Raphael and Francine had was poached in tea, and was eaten with a sauce made of avocados and tea. The Duck that I had was dressed with a vinaigrette made of sesame and tea. The foie gras that Annie and Robert had also was served with a "caramel du soja" (a type of soy sauce, I think?) made of tea. Now, do not be so naive as to think that each dish was prepared with a simple English Breakfast tea or something equally usual. Mariage Freres has over 600 blends of tea. So for instance, the sauce accompanying Raphael and Francine's salmon was made with "Tea Tamaryokucha", while the tea in Annie and Robert's dish was "Green Tea Hojicha", and the tea used with my duck was "Tea Genghis Khan." The heavenly desserts and pastries were also all made with tea- the cheesecake I ate was citrus tea flavored, while the macaroons and madeleines that Raphael and Annie had were flavored with many different varieties of tea (when I say macaroons, I don't mean the coconut variety, but these), and the mille feuille that Robert took featured a green tea creme center. (thanks to Francine who "borrowed" the menu for me!). After this absolutely amazing culinary experience, I am convinced that all food should be cooked with tea. (I also purchased a cookbook for cooking with tea!) Finally, as you have probably already guessed, each food on the menu is paired with a different tea to drink. Essentially, tea is elevated to wine-like status at Mariage Brothers (a fact emphasized by the descriptions of the teas, excerpted below).
Now the shop: as I mentioned, the shop dates back to the 1850's, and stepping into it, one feels immediately transported to another time. The tall dark brown shelves lining all the walls are stacked to the ceiling with large black canisters of tea (remember they have over 600 varieties). The men who measure the tea are all wearing off-white colored suits with matching bow ties. They scoop the tea with large silver-colored scoops like these, and measure the tea using an old fashioned balance scale, with a little brassy weight on one side, and your burgeoning bag of tea on the other. They scoop and pack the tea so neatly and expertly- they are truly professionals in what they do.
Here is a link to an article I found online entitled "Mariage Freres- The Best Tea in the World." (my sentiments exactly). I highly recommend this link, if only to see the pictures of the store and the tea to get an idea what I'm talking about.
Here is a link to our pictures from Mariage Freres. Oh, and in the pictures, Henry is wearing a sweater that his grandma Annie made for him, complete with a little "H".
Finally, this post wouldn't be complete if I didn't share with you the descriptions of some of the teas, found in the book I mentioned, "The French Art of Tea." Mind you, there are hundreds of descriptions like this in the book, each as poetic and flowery. Words such as "glorious," "enchanting," "sunny," and "precious" are used to describe the teas, and that is just on one page that I randomly opened to. Here are a few descriptions to give you an idea of the Mariage Freres approach to tea. As Raphael aptly said, these descriptions give wine connoisseurs a run for their money:
Festin D'Or: Created in the spirit of Oriental magnificence, this 'Golden Feast' features a blend of green tea with marigolds and Moroccan mint. The heady fragrance of fresh mint and floral scents evoke the sumptuous feasts of A Thousand and One Nights. To be enjoyed hot or cold - the pleasure of a lost paradise.
Pharon: A magnificent alliance of green Indian tea and essence of fruit from the Nile delta. Most civilzed.
Tea Des Impressionistes: In the wild, rocky, maritime region of Provence in southern France, nature's shimmering colours create rare and intense harmonies that delighted Impressionist artists. This green tea, scented with mild spices and white flowers, is also dotted with mauve flowers as a visual echo of the dazzling and powerful fragrance that fills the mouth. A colorful tea.
I could go on and on, and tell you about all the little details of this place that I am completely in love with-- how they have many varieties of candles and jams scented like different teas, and they sell little silver scoops made especially to scoop your tea into your teapot, how they let you smell the teas, or about the many varieties of glass teapots that they sell, each more elegant than the last-- but I don't want to bore you. As for me, I have found a new passion, or perhaps more aptly described, a new cult... one that feels so sophisticated and also peaceful. And better yet, there is so much to explore within this world. As Francine expertly declared, each thing we tasted was like an awakening of the taste buds.
Here is a link to the Mariage Freres website. It is somewhat difficult to navigate, but will show you more of what I am talking about.
Finally, I cannot end this post without acknowledging that something in this old world tea fetish reeks of Colonialism (perhaps the fact that Mariage Freres dates back to the French East India Company.... you think?). Nonetheless, I can't help but love the experience of Mariage Freres as it exists today.
