Mariage Freres, 150 years of the Best Tea in the World

Padding down a rain slicked cobble stone street one dreary afternoon in Paris, the drizzle suddenly becomes a torrent and you find yourself sans umbrella, newspaper or tarp. Massive rain drops assault you like soaking wet little bombs, the air raid siren in your head goes off. Shelter, you must find shelter! You push open the first inviting door you find and let out a slightly damp sigh of relief.

But look around and notice what good fortune you had. You’re standing in a small square room on an old wood floor that sags slightly under your weight. Three walls of the room, from floor to ceiling, are lined with large black lacquer urns, meticulously labeled with gold paint. Busy, beautiful, milling Parisians dressed in black linen mandarin collar jackets and loose pants work behind the counter gathering orders, pulling urns off the wall, darting to and fro. Taking a deep breath, the smell of vanilla and rose and bergamot shimmies its way happily up your nose. Is this some exotic perfumery? Nope, it’s Mariage Freres, the best tea shop in France (and, some say, the best tea in the world).

Perhaps you’ve seen the tea for sale at some ridiculously over priced specialty shop. The outside looks like a Louis Vuitton purse, the inside is lined with gold. This shop is where that tea is born. Nicolas Mariage began importing tea in 1660 (he provided it to such finicky sippers as King Louis XIV, not too shabby). His family continued the business and opened the shop you have just entered in 1854. Surrounding you are 500 tea varieties that the Mariage Family have perfected in that time. You can visit their Musee du The for more of the history of both the family and tea but, before you do, there’s a Salon du The to be visited.

The Salon is just a few steps away from the room you first entered but you feel like you’re miles away. Light wood, white linens, streaming warm light (from where, no one knows since it’s still raining outside), and banana palms welcome you. It feels like a colonial mansion in 1920’s Africa or India. The menu offers light, delicious, sublimely prepared food all of which is paired with (what else?) tea that is carefully selected by the tea sommelier who is more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Allow yourself to be transported sip by sip, bite by bite and recognize just how good something can be when you take over 150 years to perfect it.

Mariage Freres

30 r du Bourg-Tibourg, 4eme
Paris (France)
01 42 72 28 11

www.mariagefreres.com