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Mariage Frères and I have not had the best of relationships, so I’m not really sure what compelled me to pick up a 100g tin of this one at a café in Pittsburgh. Perhaps the lure of almond and rose, and perhaps because I remembered Ysaurella’s notes on this one. Although they don’t always agree, our tastes tend to be fairly similar in many cases, so if she liked this one, I wanted to try it.

I have to say that I didn’t realize that this was spiced as well, and initially it was a little disconcerting because the dry leaf almost smelled like Christmas (clove, cinnamon), and I have had little success with teas spiced this way (from any company). However, I should not have worried. This is without a doubt the smoothest, sweetest tea I’ve ever had from MF. And so almondy! That’s what really won me over. The almond is strong and rich, in a slightly marzipan-y way (and not just nutty). The vanilla is creamy and sweet, and combined with the spices it really reminds me of a spiced almond cookie. The spices themselves don’t overtake the rest of the blend (like they so often do). And here we have found a base tea that I truly enjoy (wish I knew what it was, haha!). Smooth, with good body and nicely balanced.

Very glad that I picked this one up (and apparently got it for a steal at $24 when it retails for 25€ on their website).

ETA: I meant to mention that I don’t really get a distinct rose flavor here, which is a little disappointing but the rest of it is so delicious that it doesn’t bother me. I still have Fauchon’s La Naissance for when I want an almond-rose blend.