A recently birthday celebration found us at the Salon de The of Mariage Freres in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The Marais boutique, packed floor-to-high-ceiling with the company’s world famous collection of teas, is located downstairs and is bustling with aficionados and tourists alike most days.
Less obvious and a little less well known is the upstairs salon. The atmosphere is whispered elegance. An 8 page menu patiently lists all of MF’s offerings in a small, delicate font: teas countless countries around the world…coupled with mouth-watering desserts being the most dangerous. ‘Dangerous’ as in ‘not getting anything done for the rest of the day.’ The company, founded in 1854, is expert at lowering productivity, I concluded, with my mouth full.
I rarely take pictures of my food before eating it, especially in public places, but this was too good to pass up and not share (and the salon was empty, except for our party). Closest in the photo is a chocolate cake topped with raspberries (I think) and on the other plate, a pie of some sort evil sweet topped with blackberries.
I like the Marco Polo Original tea. I refuse to order or drink anything else. I’m sorry. I’m happy. Leave me alone. Some of MF teas–I’m guessing there are over a hundred–can be ordered online, I believe. You can try them, decide on a favorite, and enjoy on cold Saturday morning this winter. But beware: after Mariage Freres, you’ll never want ordinary tea again.
- BGT