Esprit de Noël - Noël

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Almond, Apple, Black Tea, Cinnamon, Vanilla
Flavors
Cinnamon, Nutty, Orange Zest, Almond, Brown Sugar, Cardamom, Molasses, Spices, Vanilla, Citrus, Clove, Smooth, Tannin, Apple, Orange, Raisins, Roasted Nuts
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by __Morgana__
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 15 sec 3 g 11 oz / 329 ml

Currently unavailable

We don't know when or if this item will be available.

From Our Community

1 Image

25 Want it Want it

  • +10

33 Own it Own it

  • +18

42 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Another best seller of the Mariage Frères tea house. No suspense for this one : it is one of my favourite even if I don’t drink it very often. I know this tea since I am a child, my mother had it...” Read full tasting note
    93
  • “I keep on messing up this tea. It’s too expensive for me to keep on messing up! :) Steeped it close to 18 minutes today, completely by accident. Therefore, I’m definitely getting some bitterness at...” Read full tasting note
    83
  • “I purposely brewed this one up with that other tea…knowing full well, i would probably really like this tea. Another one from missB and i was right. I really like this. The spices aren’t...” Read full tasting note
    89
  • “No logical reason why I would want Christmas tea on a hot day in August, but there you have it. Drinking it straight, instead of with milk and sugar, for the first time in a long time to see if I...” Read full tasting note
    86

From Mariage Frères

A festive tea blended specially for the occasion. Flavoured with mild Christmas spices, it includes pieces of orange zest and vanilla.

“Thé de la fête. Mélange spécialement créé pour cette occasion, il est parfumé aux épices douces de Noël et agrémenté d’écorces d’orange et de morceaux de vanille bourbon.”

PREPARATION ADVICE FOR 1 CUP :
Amount of tea leaves: 2.5g
Best water temperature: 95 °C
Infusion time: 3-5 min

About Mariage Frères View company

Company description not available.

42 Tasting Notes

93
408 tasting notes

Another best seller of the Mariage Frères tea house.

No suspense for this one : it is one of my favourite even if I don’t drink it very often.

I know this tea since I am a child, my mother had it in a beautiful canister. Sometimes, I was just opening the tin to sniff the incredibly perfumed blend : it’s Christmas Spirit really …candied oranges, cinnamon, Vanilla, almonds and cloves and mandarin.

I can pick up all the ingredients on the dry leaf…and it makes me really sad….
Christmas is a period that always drove me very sad and there is probably the reason why I don’t have this tea very often.

But as a good masochist, I sometimes have it (it is all year long in my cupboard) and I really enjoy it.

The infusion is as perfumed as the dry blend was, no surprise.
Maybe the perfumes are more mixed than on the dry leaf, I am not distinguish them all as I can before steeping.

And here we are : Noël is never as strong as I am expecting each time, year after year. The blend reflects exactly what I am feeling for the period…

Mon cher thé Noël, tu es définitivement l’exact reflet de cet esprit de Noël et pour cela je t’aime autant que je te crains.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Sil

Vous devriez ecrire en francais plus! J’aime bien voire vos messages dans votre premiere langue. :) This is a tea I’ll need to try one of these days for sure!

Ysaurella

en plus ce serait plus facile :)
but it would be unfair for the non French speakers …

Sil

Haha that’s true. But there are days when I miss reading real people writing in French

fleurdelily

ah, that’s what google translate is for….. :D

fleurdelily

c’est ce que google translate pour muahhahahhahahaha!

Sil

Lol too funny fleur

fleurdelily

:D just playin with ya :)

Ysaurella

so Fleurdelily next time you’ll be Fleur de Muguet :)
and I recommand you this tea, lily flavored : http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/FR/ft+lily-muguet-the-vert-au-parfum-de-muguet+TA993.html
it is an amazing tea !

fleurdelily

oh I LOVE that site, it’s seldom that teaware makes me gasp out loud but just LOOK at this ♥ http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/FR/fa+samovar-happy-tzar-corps-et-theiere-4-5-l-plus-1-l+A194150.html ♥ à mourir pour

Ysaurella

yes I have the chance to admire this samovar in the tea shops in Paris…and others beautiful as this one too !
Each time I am in a Mariage shop near the teapot…I am afraid to break something …and regarding the prices it would be a shame

fleurdelily

lily of the valley tea, how interesting. I’ve just tried kusmi violet tea, and was shocked that I like it. I’d be game to try lily of the vally, sure! :) and at the very least, I’d have a gorageous tin, wouldn’t I? wow. To see all those teawares sparkling in person—- sigh. that would be fantastic

fleurdelily

alas, one tin of muguet to my address is $58.13

Steven

J’ai maintenant très hâte à Noël. Mes enfants sont encore jeunes, et c’est tellement beau de voir leur émerveillement lorsqu’ils voient le Père Noël. J’ai également très hâte aux thés à la canne de bonbon.

Ysaurella

@fleurdelily
gosh ! the green one ?
they are just crazy at the Mariage’s Head office :D

Ysaurella

@ Steven
oui quand les enfants croient encore au Père Noël c’est très mignon.
Les sucres d’orge c’est délicieux ! quels thés sont à cette saveur ?

Steven

Chez David’s Tea, probablement à partir de novembre.

Ysaurella

awww Merci Steven (they don’t ship to France …hope they’ll do soon)

Steven

Nous pourrons s’en reparler le mois prochain. Si ça en vaut le coup, je pourrai vous en envoyer par la poste.

Je devais aller à Paris pour affaires à la fin du mois, mais ma femme va donner naissance à mon 3e enfant à ce moment. Je n’ai jamais été à Paris. Ce sera pour une prochaine fois.

Ysaurella

un 3ème bébé vaut bien tous les Paris du monde :)
Merci pour la proposition, on en reparlera certainement.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

83
1500 tasting notes

I keep on messing up this tea. It’s too expensive for me to keep on messing up! :)

Steeped it close to 18 minutes today, completely by accident. Therefore, I’m definitely getting some bitterness at the end of the sip, however the clove shines now, and the orange is more prominent. Still missing anything vanilla, bourbon or custard however… then again, I’m not using milk or sweetener, and there is a slight caramel finish. Still good though, and hopefully next time I can do this right.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
BrewTEAlly Sweet

:D my name:) I must have it!

MissB

It’s relatively expensive. Cost me $24/100g, and I found it at Holt Renfrew, if it helps. I can send you some?

Ysaurella

24$ ? gosh…here in Paris it is 7 or 8 euros for 100g…did you get a tin at least for this price ?

Tuscanteal

French teas = expensive. Good to know it’s at Holt Renfrew. I called there and spoke with a snooty receptionist who said they weren’t carrying Mariages Freres, so thank you MissB for confirming with me :)

MissB

Holt Renfrew most definitely carries it; they probably didn’t realize you were speaking of tea. Mostly sachets though, although this came in a tin. In Vancouver they’re in the mall downtown (Pacific Centre?). Walk to Holt Renfrew from the upstairs walkway from the mall, and as you enter the store they should be all right there, kind of blocking you from getting past them.

Ysaurella, someone will ask you to be a tea mule if you aren’t careful! :) The cost is so high because of availability here and shipping. Cheapest I can find it online is 13.50 euros, and then shipping is 25 euros. The only other place I could find in town that sells MF teas, sells them for $38 CDN a tin.

JustJames

sil has it all broken down: with shipping if you buy 13 blends/100g per it’s 16$ canadian INCLUDING shipping. (she’s got a whole algorithm thing going). costs a lot less if you go for bags versus tins. ysaurella had to bludgeon me a few times before i saw that, lol. pretty tins…..

TeaLady441

Hahah. I’m a sucker for pretty tins. Unless I realize I’m spending $8 for them! :O

OMGsrsly

It’s in the Holiday Gift Shop area of Holt Renfrew, with all the jams and italian boxed cakes and things.

MissB

Ah, thank you OMGsrsly. I’m having computer problems, or else I would’ve posted pretty much exactly that.

I’ll likely buy a whack of DM and The O Dor my next paycheck (so, end of the month), if anyone wants to grab some with me since 100g is just so much… and then save on shipping, too.

OMGsrsly

OMG, MissB! The O Dor! What’s DM, though? My acronym-translator is failing me. :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

89
15006 tasting notes

I purposely brewed this one up with that other tea…knowing full well, i would probably really like this tea. Another one from missB and i was right. I really like this. The spices aren’t overpowering and neither one is the dominant flavour here. Instead this is a pleasantly blended cup of tea that is much like the smell of christmas. I like the added vanilla as well, as i think that it helps take the edge off the clove taste. Not that i mind clove taste but it softens it in a way that i really like.
Thanks so much missb!

MissB

You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.

Courtney

Sounds tasty!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

86
237 tasting notes

No logical reason why I would want Christmas tea on a hot day in August, but there you have it. Drinking it straight, instead of with milk and sugar, for the first time in a long time to see if I notice anything new. Cinnamon, orange, and clove are the main players, but I’m beginning to think there may be a hint of bergamot in there as well. Even with a strong steep, the astringency is not overwhelming, and the aftertaste is warm and delightful. Super yummy tea!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

3294 tasting notes

Sample Sipdown!

This is the final sample from my trade with Ysaurella, which was a wonderful trade for myself, but not so good for her, as the package I sent got stuck in customs…or drank by somebody there?

Tomorrow will mark a week that I sent a 2nd package. Everybody think successful thoughts, please? It seems like everybody else’s packages have made it through. Hopefully mine will as well!

This is a flavorful tea with just the right amounts of almond, vanilla, orange, cinnamon, & cloves. It does have a very celebratory holiday taste. Thank you so much, Ysaurella, for all of the lovely teas that you sent to me! :D

TheTeaFairy

I got hers today, and really hope she gets mine soon, a little worried as I’m reading this!! Bad customs, bad, bad :-(

Sil

My package to ysaurella arrived without a hitch but I think it may have taken a little over a week if I remember right.

Sil

I tend not to worry until things hit the 10 business day mark (in Canada that’s mon-fri only). Also if you sent it ground mail instead of air, I know in Canada, depending on when the boat leaves that means it can take anywhere from 3 weeks to two months….which is insane IMO :)

Terri HarpLady

The post office said 10 days. So I don’t expect it to arrive before the end of the week.
What would be awesome would be if she received both boxes the same day, LOL.
But I’ll be happy if she receives one! Keeping fingers crossed…

TheTeaFairy

Thanks for the info Sil, I did send airways so crossing my fingers she gets it, they said 7 to 10 days…
Terri, getting both your packages + mine on the same day would be like winning some type of tea lottery, right? I hope she wins!

Terri HarpLady

That would be pretty cool! It’s been a few months since I sent the first box :(

Ysaurella

Terri you’re awesome to send me another parcel ! Well I never had any problem before so I expect to receive your second parcel + The Tea fairy’s one :) yes that would be a big lottery day if I get them in the same time.
Generally it always takes longer to receive in France the parcels from North America, all my swaps received their teas before me (one or 2 days) Except with Nicole, we always received our swaps simulteanously.
With Asia this is the opposite, I always received 3 or 4 days before my swap partner.

Terri HarpLady

Ysaurella, I just hope you receive it this time! :)

Ysaurella

yes today or then friday because wednesday and thursday are bank holidays here :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

81
6768 tasting notes

Received another sampling of this in the mail today! YAY! Thanks Melanie J.

Masculine scent – very nice!

The color of the liquid is a little lighter that I remember it but – it’s the taste that counts, eh!?

Still comforting, still a nice cup

IdentiTEA

Goodness! How many cups do you drink in a day?! Haha… I haven’t even had one!

TeaEqualsBliss

Between 8-15 :)

Shanti

:O Please tell me most of that is decaf or herbal!

TeaEqualsBliss

@ Shanti – Nope :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

96
27 tasting notes

This is perfection. I drink this all year round, even in the dog days of summer but it’s got this magical blend of clementine, spices and almond that absolutely embody the holiday season. I adore this. It’s fresh and crisp and the perfect cup to make you wish it were a little colder outside. Gorgeous stuff and one of my favourites teas.

tunes&tea

Not sure about wishing it were colder, that’ll come soon enough for me, but great note anyway.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

80 tasting notes

This is a tea for the holidays! It is heavy in flavor and screams for a dash of milk. I taste orange, cinnamon and perhaps clove… who knows! It possesses many if not all the spices I use as a base in my oatmeal cookies. But it has the familiarity of a cinnamon and spice air spray by Glade and this to some might be quite the turn on. Who knows?

At any rate, after a return from sea and seeking comfort in a cup of tea at home… I should have stuck to the tried and true. However being me, I tried a new path… or tea. I shall try this again when the grumbles of recent travels have calmed and I am sure to provide some insightful remarks.

I can safely say that despite its wild taste of holiday festivus, it is a pleasant tea not bitter or grumpy. Very unlike its taster… I am sure it will forgive me. :)
Until my second cup then…

Ricky

Well, it started off sounding like you enjoyed it. I mean same ingredients you use in your cookies! Welcome back!

Alicia

Thanks! I am glad to be back… but a bit exhausted. It is great when you can just go home every night. And I found out my brother has a new daughter. Happy. But she isn’t doing too well. Sad. But he’s being brave and kind… just great really. I hope she pulls through.

So, sip your tea and send a silent prayer that she pulls through the whatevers the hospitals are trying to identify… that is, if you are into the prayer thing.

Ricky

Your brother having a new daughter calls for congrats, but then I read the next line and that’s so sad =(. I’m sure everything will be alright. Hopes for the best.

Alicia

It’s heart breaking because I want to fix it, whatever it is, but can’t. I want to say the right things and don’t. So I am sending him and his family some tea and sympathy.

Alicia

Thank you for your thoughts

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

61 tasting notes

I picked a little tin of this up in a tea store in Nice this summer and forgot I even had it until yesterday. The dry leaves smell of cinnamon, clove, almond and similar to Pleine Lune except more cinnamon I think. The wet leaves lack the same strongly spicy aroma but the nice tea base is more evident. I don’t smell much vanilla (maybe due to my tea’s age?) even after the tea is brewed but I do pick up some of the orange scent.

Tasting the tea itself the first notes are cinnamon and clove with orange following and almond lingering. It is a happy little cup of Christmastime.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

87
362 tasting notes

Ah, this is lovely. I think Mariage Freres is excellent at perfecting a take on a classical idea and this is a perfect classic christmas tea – cinnamon, candied orange peel (or maybe clementine?) and a hint of cloves, so balanced. The base strong enough but not bitter, a perfect French Christmas tea.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 15 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.