Mariage Frères

Mariage Frères Advent Calendar – Day 24

It wouldn’t be a proper Christmas Eve without a blue oolong that tastes like biscuits, brioche, nut butter, cream, berries, and assorted fruits – including melon. This tea tastes like a million things (ok, maybe only 13 things); I can’t pick out all (or any) of the notes for sure, but it is tasty. Just a bit of a mind game with that blue colour.

Steep Count: 3

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 24

I knew it was coming, but does that lessen the impact?

Citrus hazelnut is an odd thing to put on a oolong that steeps blue-green, but here it is. It’s not bad but still quite gentle; it’s not as fruity as other advent days and I count that as a silver lining (I like fruity but I also like variation). I can also taste the smooth, almost creamy, vegetal base here and wish the oolong they use had a bit more “oompf” to it. I’d score it higher than most of the other “IN LOVE” series though. Not a bad Christmas Eve tea!

Have a good evening, everyone! :)

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 23

It’s flippin’ blue! Again! (arrrrrrrrrrrrgg….)

We’ve reached at least this level of blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KK6sMo8NBY

The only flavour in this blend is the ghosts of citruses past. Ok, maybe I get the afterimage of grapefruit ginger over time. It’s faint. Very faint. Doesn’t the fantome de l’opera have a killer voice? The tea isn’t offensive but it’s not as dynamic or bright as I’d like either. DF has lush citrus flavouring and I’m sadly comparing.

Advent Day 23

What a dirty rotten trick! Took this tea out and noticed the name didn’t contain any “In Love” in it, it’s labeled as a green and smelled slightly savory. Not a black, but at least it isn’t ANOTHER peaflower tea. Joke is on me! It steeped up blue! It’s peaflower in disguise! Is that what the name was about? Masking and hiding it’s true nature?
This tea is really light on the flavors. It tastes like a green tea with old ginger and orange peel. Like preserved orange peel, not a bright bold vibrant orange. Same with the ginger… or maybe it’s ginseng? I can’t tell. The blue teas reflect my mood about this advent all together, it leaves me feeling blue. It’s almost comical how blue tea heavy this advent is!

Advent Day 22

I’m thrilled to be trying another black tea! This one smells smoky. I was drinking it while eating breakfast and my food totally drowned out the flavor of the tea. When I was able to taste it again it didn’t seem as smoky, but had a smooth flavor. I had to dash off for the day and am now retuning to the last few sips left all day in my cup. There is a light fruitiness to it with just a hint of smoke. It’s still smooth and doesn’t have a hint of bitterness. It’s very nice and I’d like to drink it again someday.

Advent Day 22

A perfectly nice smoky black tea. Another welcome break from the fruity blue blends.

Sipdown!

I’m going to miss this because it’s an awesome, full-bodied smoky tea that I’m particularly drawn to on cold, dark mornings. Added bonus is it resteeps well, up to 3-4 times. Black Leopard has your typical smoked wood profile – with hints of florals. Also present are fruity notes, like jammy dates and guava – but they’re very subtle.

This may be a re-order down the road (and in a tin if they have it)! Lapsang Souchong and similar styled teas are an easy staple for me – and not one that I’m particularly picky about – but this one has something that pops compared to the few others I’ve tried.

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 22

Mmm… this is a fine smoked tea. Besides the delicious smoky malt flavours, it also contains some caramelized fruit and vanilla-esque notes. Dates is an accurate descriptor. I wonder if I added milk if this would taste like a smoked date milkshake (out of every kind of milk atm, so it’s not happening). So tasty. I’d be tempted to get more of this.

My tea bag tag says this is “gently smoked over guava leaves.” Interesting.

My mom can’t drink this one; smoked teas are her “nope”. More for me!

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 21

Happy Solstice!!

I thought I smelled a Milk Oolong in here (yes, I sniffed my advent to try to “sneak peak” what it included)! So, this is the only oolong I want to see from MF at this point of the calendar. Its established, classic taste is one I never fail to enjoy – regardless of quality. I opened up the sachet and it contains some broken leaf but that’s par for the course with tea baggies. No big whoop. Still tasty.

Silky, buttery, vegetal, mineral, and vaguely sweet in a way that could be partially accounted for by MF fruit flavouring cross contamination – this cup satisfies in a way the other oolong teas in this advent did not. Happy to see such a tea!

Steep Count: 2

Advent Day 21

Was also slightly annoyed when I saw blue in the name, but was pleasantly surprised to see no blue upon steeping. This is just a flavored milk oolong, with the milk flavoring very present and intense. I enjoy milk oolongs, so this was a welcome break from the fruity blue blends.

Advent Day 21

I saw “blue” in the name of this tea and nearly groaned after the onslaught of blue peaflower teas in this advent. Luckily for me it’s an oolong devoid of peaflower. I’m not usually a fan of oolongs, but this one is really nice. Slightly floral at the start of the sip, creamy smooth with an almost sweet caramel sensation that lasts long into the finish. It’s very lovely. If I didn’t already have a favorite french oolong (Theodor’s JE Oolong Milky) then I’d seriously consider having this on hand. To me this tea is a great example of MF’s capabilities of producing a great tea with balanced and interesting flavors. I was really hoping that this advent would be exploring more of those teas instead of two collections specifically. Still, I’d consider getting this advent again another year in the hopes that they mix things up a little and go with their classics.

Advent day 20

This smells like a light EG. It is supposed to be white, but when I opened the bag the tea looks chopped up and green like a mate. It steeps up really pink which made me think hibiscus, but it doesn’t have that hib tang that I so despise. It think it has beet instead. It just tastes like a very light barely recognizable EG that has a minerally taste when it cools down.

Mariage Frères Advent Calendar – Day 22

I still don’t like this one so much. It’s the hibiscus.

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 20

Uh… at least this Rhapsody is on the website and not something that makes me question my sanity.

This also marks this advent’s second “Earl Grey” without a black tea base (oolong, and now white base). It’s enjoyable because the bergamot (and whatever flavouring is going on here) closely parrots the experience of an earl grey with milk (even though I added no milk). The milk note comes from a smooth sweet taste that I associate with lactose sugar. So, it’s not bad but I’m a little over the “RHAPSODY” and “IN LOVE” series. I wanted to try Bolero.

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 19

A blue oolong?! Nooo way…

At least this one has festive spices and almond flavouring. I think I pick up some super light cloves and cinnamon among the “sweet spices” – possibly some ginger (MF does spice blending well; it’s a good level of sweet and hot and it’s hard to discern the different spices). There’s something almost salty and marzipan-lite going on here too. It’s probably the first tea in this advent that feels winter festive! The base just isn’t doing anything for it though, beyond adding smooth oolong vegetal vagueness.

I wouldn’t buy it for myself but I’d definitely drink more if it was around, especially as a seasonal thing.

My mom rates this a 10/10. Love you, Mom.

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 18

After so much fancy blue oolong froufrou, a simple black tea with a squeeze of lemon-like citrus is a lovely addition. Although, MF manages to touch upon the art of perfume even with this blend. I’ve no clue why this is “Russian” though. Not an iota.

Enjoyed this with milk, like a breakfast tea, this morning – but it’s light enough to be had without.

Advent Day 19

I see that after a hearty breakfast tea yesterday we are back to our regularly scheduled blue teas. MF is really pushing those in this advent. I opened the bag and spotted cinnamon and clove bits along with the tea and pea flower. It steeped into what looks like a deep inky indigo color when peering down into my mug. The flavors are so light and delicate. I can pick out the baked cinnamon flavor and other spices. The clove isn’t prominent enough to stand out on it’s own. I don’t taste the pea flower thankfully or the tea base. All these blue teas are so ethereal and light in flavor. There isn’t much for me to grab onto and love. I do like this one much more that the others, but I wouldn’t buy it.

Advent Day 17

I remember I drank this. I remember nothing about it. It wasn’t bad, I’m just so over these “In love” blends.

Advent Day 15

I am quite behind of my MF advent blends. I ended up giving this to my boyfriend after having a few sips and he quite enjoyed it. I’m just…kind of done with this same flavor profile over and over.

Advent Day 18

A black tea!!!! If only this was strong enough to knock me out of being so cranky and irritable with my household! It felt like everyone needed something from me before I had gotten breakfast or tea in me.
My cup has cooled now that I’ve tended to all the things. I noticed it was brisk when gulping some of it down with breakfast. It doesn’t quite have that smokiness that I have come to associate with teas with “Russian” in the name. There is a citrus flavor in the depths that comes out more when it cools. Took a few sips to get over or past how strong this is. I bet it would be great with cream and sugar, but I can’t be bothered at this point in my cup or take the risk that I’d ruin what is left. I get wood and tannins in this as well. I’m liking how heavy this tea is, but I don’t love it enough to open my cupboard doors to it and invite it in, especially when French Breakfast lives there.

Advent Day 17

How are we at Dec 17th already?!
My spirits sank a little this morning when I pulled out ANOTHER __________ In Love tea. No black tea for me today. I was in a rush to get out the door this morning and poured my cup into a glass travel mug. I’m glad I did because this is a lovely blue with a hint of grey tea. It’s cold now that I’m home and able to take notes. It has a light minty flavor that left me wanting more mint. I’m pleased to say I don’t pick up on any pea flower taste. There is almost a light rose flavor in the finish. The color of this tea is so pretty that I want to be really excited about the tea and drink it again, but the flavor doesn’t match the visual.

Mariage Frères Advent Calendar – Day 4

Still meh on this minty oolong.

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 17

Oof! Here’s the tea that likely contaminated the adjacent advent teas with mint.

Besides minty (primary), it’s also extremely floral from the lavender and light rose(?); I can taste the green oolong too for a change, which is nice; it actually tastes a little roasted. My one big complaint is the blue pea flower (a gimmick I’m so over). Mint + blue colour = Listerine. It’s not bad but I just really, really wish it wasn’t blue.

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 16

Today’s base is a twig tea: Kukicha. Can’t say this tea type has ever provided much excitement in my life; twigs are bland (positive framing tells me to use the word “mild”). It’s a vaguely sweet, nutty, and creamy base that plays well with the floral but citric yuzu. It’s a simple, minimalistic concept but a smart one. There’s also a perfumey flavour which I associate with MF teas; I quite like it but wonder if it’s a natural component of the tea or contamination. Nice rich touch, either way, but also a bit much post food-poisoning (I think I’m over it and then this happens lol).

I’m enjoying this far more than I did my long ago MF tin of Yuzu Temple. Not enough to buy but enough to wish I had more. Much more. This tea surprised me!

Mom rates this tea 10/10 and asks where I can buy it. This was then quickly followed up with a “don’t buy it until March” and some tangent about budgets. OK, then (adding it to the list for Mom).