I requested a sample of Iskandar during my previous visit in a Mariage Frères shop.And hopefully.
I have already drank it in the past but never purchased it. In my memory it was a nice tea but is it good enough to me to purchase it ?
The answer is NO.
I can taste some astringency, tolerable. The point is tolerable is not a synonymous of enjoyable for me.
The first sip is incredible, so strong , so powerful : flowers flowers and flowers. Mainly violet but not only even if I am not able to say which other flowers have been used here.
There is a hint of mint as well.
It’s a lovely cup but too much “parfumey” for me. I don’t know if you see what I mean but sometimes the flavours seem more like perfume rather than aromas and this is the case here. Alas this is something I have difficulties with.
I can recognize this is a very lovely and well blended tea but not for me.
It can probably be a beautiful ice tea because while cooling the astringency is diminishing.
EDIT : almost cold, there is almost none astringency and the perfumey taste totally disappeared – I really prefer it like this
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They do sell it as a tea to make iced, in thise fabulous glass cannisters (it makes me go tut-tut at the tea being exposed to light, but they are sooo beautiful).
Black glass though! I know this wouldn’t be a tea I’d like and I know I wouldn’t spend that much on a glass jar, but oh Teresa, you’re sooo right. I shouldn’t have looked but couldn’t stop myself. :)
they are doing their macarons with this tea as well…and they are just delicious :)
I got a couple of the french “summer teas” in regular packages, thé sur le nil and casablanca and admittedly they are fabulous teas. But 40 euros for 160 grams, yikes. But I keep fantasizing about those cannisters – a local store has a few of them, they are smaller than I expected but still I keep feeling the pull for it. but 40 euros!!
Hallie, the cannisters for thé sur le nil
and casablanca
http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/UK/ft+casablanca-french-summer-tea-glass-jar+TFG908.html
are just as pretty and I think you might like those…. And I think I am going to try to cold brew rouge sahara, just to see if that works.
They ARE just as pretty! Why, Teresa? Why would you show these to me?? No, just kidding! I always want to see the beautiful tea wares.
Ouch, sorry. A word of advice though, don´t ever check out their teaware (bastards). The prices are unbelievable, but then again it´s also unbelievably fabulous (though they are IMO pretty obsessed with glass cups for tea, which is not my favorite, though I guess most of their client base might not be european)
MF is very popular in Japan, that’s right Teresa.
You also can get the teas without the jars…;)
personnaly I prefer these jars…http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/FR/ft+the-a-l-opera-fruit-tea-infusion-de-fruits+TFBF952.html
I know Hallie….I’m an horrible person :)
Heh, had seen those already when looking for the Iskandar, so no worries, Ysaurella! They are gorgeous too.
They do sell it as a tea to make iced, in thise fabulous glass cannisters (it makes me go tut-tut at the tea being exposed to light, but they are sooo beautiful).
Black glass though! I know this wouldn’t be a tea I’d like and I know I wouldn’t spend that much on a glass jar, but oh Teresa, you’re sooo right. I shouldn’t have looked but couldn’t stop myself. :)
they are doing their macarons with this tea as well…and they are just delicious :)
I got a couple of the french “summer teas” in regular packages, thé sur le nil and casablanca and admittedly they are fabulous teas. But 40 euros for 160 grams, yikes. But I keep fantasizing about those cannisters – a local store has a few of them, they are smaller than I expected but still I keep feeling the pull for it. but 40 euros!!
Hallie, the cannisters for thé sur le nil
http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/UK/ft+the-sur-le-nil-french-iced-tea-in-black-glass-jar+TFG955.html
and casablanca
http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/UK/ft+casablanca-french-summer-tea-glass-jar+TFG908.html
are just as pretty and I think you might like those…. And I think I am going to try to cold brew rouge sahara, just to see if that works.
They ARE just as pretty! Why, Teresa? Why would you show these to me?? No, just kidding! I always want to see the beautiful tea wares.
Ouch, sorry. A word of advice though, don´t ever check out their teaware (bastards). The prices are unbelievable, but then again it´s also unbelievably fabulous (though they are IMO pretty obsessed with glass cups for tea, which is not my favorite, though I guess most of their client base might not be european)
MF is very popular in Japan, that’s right Teresa.
You also can get the teas without the jars…;)
personnaly I prefer these jars…http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/FR/ft+the-a-l-opera-fruit-tea-infusion-de-fruits+TFBF952.html
I know Hallie….I’m an horrible person :)
Heh, had seen those already when looking for the Iskandar, so no worries, Ysaurella! They are gorgeous too.