Thé de Pâques

I figured something out while sipping on this tea: Mariage Freres and Kusmi have very similar tea styles. (Is this a big ole ‘duh’ to everyone but me?) Both have flavorings typically on the more subtle end and that flavor tends to hit most in the smell and then the endnote of each sip. But I think there are two main differences between them for me: Kusmi flavorings, while more subtle than a lot of flavored teas out there, do seem to be a bit stronger than most Mariage Freres teas. And the tea taste that hits towards the front of each sip (where the flavoring is tasted least) is milder and not as decadent feeling in Mariage Freres as they are in the Kusmi teas.

The smell of this tea is lovely – sweet and creamy with a little caramelized something to it. The tasting notes say crème brûlée and I’m not sure I would have gone there on my own, but yeah, I can see that, though there seems to be an additional note of candy-like sweetness in the smell that keeps me from saying “But of course it is!”. Perhaps it because I knew this tea was called “Easter”, but that sweet sugary smell/taste made me think a bit of Easter candies (in a good way). The taste is much milder with the flavors really only coming through in the end. They are quite nice but I think I would have liked it to be slightly more intense. Or for the tea taste to be richer as it felt just a hair thin and not quite as smooth as the tea taste in Troika yesterday. All in all a tasty tea but one that I want to just turn up the volume on just a hair.

ETA: For the second steep I really increased the time – 6 minutes – and added a tiny splash of half & half. Now I’m getting a nice level of flavor. It’s very sweet and Easter-candy-like with lots of vanilla. The tea flavor isn’t as silky as Kusmi seems to be but it doesn’t feel as thin as before. I’m adjusting my rating because I quite like this now. I just have to remember to go for the long steep time.

Well, yes and while I have had it before it does taste better on Easter day.

Happy Easter to all.

The tea itself is very MF, very refined. A hint of bergamot, almond ( the longer you steep it the strongest the note is), something floral, something spicy. Very lovely tea to share a pot on a spring holiday.

I was a little worried seeing the ratings of this tea but really wanted to try by myself too.
This is clearly a mild tea base, but not weak. Inversely, the aromas are strong and especially on citrus. There is a kind of je ne sais quoi really joyful with the citrus here.
The vanilla adds something very interesting to the blend.
Saying that where is the crème brûlée promised by MF ? in the air I would say, like a spirit, an inspiration : there but not really too…

I really like Thé de Pâques and I’m happy to have bought 100g today.
It smells like a mystery blend to me…blended by the Easter rabbit ? arrived with Rome’s bells ? I just surrender to the fantastic aromas especially due to the fantastic way the citrus come with vanilla.

This tea is good. It’s soothing. Yet it does not “pop” in my mouth with the excitement that a Mariage Freres tea typically manages.

According to the web site,
“Easter bells are ringing in a gourmet treat: the flavour of a black tea scented with fruits and citrus, spiked with notes of noble spices and sweet overtones for a heavenly delight.”

I had a good, but fundamentally generic experience with this tea. No bells rang. I could not pick up on the citrus and spice. There was neither nobility nor heavenly delight. I wonder if the sample I have is past its expiry date? I got it in a swap and I don’t know when it was packaged. Could it be from the Easter of 2004? Or maybe from when Charles De Gaulle was around?

I expect a superb experience from Mariage Frères and I would give this tea a second chance. I may try to find it new and see if it gives me that Blair-Waldorf-on-“Gossip Girl” sense of privilege.

I hope to lay hands on some more of this tea and return to give a revised report.

Got a sample of this from the fabulous Lena, and was really excited about it, since it was a Mariage Freres tea. I like Marco Polo, and wanted to give more of their teas a try.

I didn’t get quite the flavor hit out of this tea that I did Marco Polo. I tried it with and without a milk additive, and it just didn’t do it for me. It was a good flavor, and a nice tea, but not something I’d seek out, or spend money on.

And another cup from the Traveling Tea Box. An “Easter tea” for Easter morning!

Again, I didn’t know what to expect, but I really like Mariage Freres, so I had gotten a sample. And it was fabulous! This actually reminded me a lot of Mighty Leaf’s Orange Dulce, but instead of the tea being overpowered by the flavoring, the tea stood alone and the flavor was much more subtle. Very good tea!

This doesn’t have a rare or unusual smell to set it aside from other black teas and it’s not an over powering black tasting tea…but it it good and a great afternoon pick-me-up!

This is the star of my collection just now… aside from Violet. The aroma from the can is enticing and when brewed even better. There is a wonderful orange flavor seduced with vanilla that makes the liquor heavenly. Love love love it with milk and honey but it’s probably perfect sipped en seulement.

Great smell but the taste fell down on me a little. At first the taste was not there, at least compared to the smell, then I started to notice it, particularly at the end of the sip.

It’s mild, but strangely addicting. It sort of reminds me of rice pudding.

This tea was highly recommended as it is the signature tea for a noted chef’s restaurant in Dallas. There must be something wrong with my tastebuds – it reminded me of soap. I have tried it hot and iced and have brewed it several times, always with the same result.