Black Léopard from Mariage Frères

Black Léopard

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Dates, Floral, Fruity, Malt, Roasted, Smoke, Smooth, Vanilla, Bittersweet, Guava, Tobacco, Woody
Sold in
Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Average preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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5 Tasting Notes View all

From Mariage Frères

Mariage Frères invites you on a sensory journey to Southern Africa.

Tucked away at 1,150m in altitude lies a family plantation known for the quality of its teas for the past three generations.

Southern Africa is a territory with nearly infinite natural resources and a climate structured by the rainy season between November and March. Local tea bushes have adapted to this unique Terroir and produce artisanal harvests rich in flavour. The young,… Read more

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5 Tasting Notes

82
Recommended
1 tasting note

Although I’ve never traveled to southern Africa, I have a fascination & infatuation with the place after reading the ‘The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’ series by Alexander McCall Smith. If you know, you know, and you would be right in guessing that I drink A LOT of red bush tea. So, naturally it was impossible for me to skip over this tin.
I would describe this as a ‘light’ black; if I had tested blind I would have guessed it to be an oolong. It doesn’t taste fully oxidated to me and it has those soft, cooked fruit flavors, low tannin and heavier body that I associate with oolong. I personally don’t notice much smoke, and I am sensitive to smoke to the point of avoiding any food cooked on a grill. To me this is a plus as I cannot enjoy smoky tea often, but this one is easily a once-a-week sipper.
I love the flowering-fruit tree aromas and I also get some intriguing chicory coffee notes on the finish. I like this enough to repurchase if Mariage Freres keeps it in stock.
Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 2 min, 30 sec
0 comments

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1783 tasting notes

Advent Day 22

I’m thrilled to be trying another black tea! This one smells smoky. I was drinking it while eating breakfast and my food totally drowned out the flavor of the tea. When I was able to taste it again it didn’t seem as smoky, but had a smooth flavor. I had to dash off for the day and am now retuning to the last few sips left all day in my cup. There is a light fruitiness to it with just a hint of smoke. It’s still smooth and doesn’t have a hint of bitterness. It’s very nice and I’d like to drink it again someday.
Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec
6 comments
Show 4 previous comments...
Crowkettle 4 years ago

How does this one compare to Smoky Nara? MF name drops tonka bean notes for both of these and I still haven’t tried tonka :)

Dustin 3 years ago

The Smoky Nara is MUCH heavier on the smoke with a leathery taste and slight umami, almost seaweed like in miso soup. I was sad to realize the tonka was notes and not actual flavoring in the tea, but I can pick out the notes. I like Nara way better than this tea. It’s so much more flavorful and complex.

Crowkettle 3 years ago

Interesting! I don’t always like leather or heavy smoke notes, but definitely want to see something “punchier” from MF after this advent.

Dustin 3 years ago

This advent was not the impression I expected to have from MF. They have teas with more solid flavors, but only a couple seemed to make it into this selection which showed more of their newer blends, not the tried and true classics. Casablanca is a really nice Moroccan mint that is excellent cold steeped on a hot day. They have a very good jasmine mandarin tea. French Breakfast was good, their French EG is pretty solid which I unexpectedly went through rapidly. It took a while for me to warm up to Black Orchid, but once I did no other vanilla tea compared.

Crowkettle 3 years ago

I felt similarly about the bold and well-balanced flavouring of Thé de Lune, the one tea I purchased alongside the advent. I wish I’d taken a chance and bought others, since the advent didn’t deliver, but I wrongly assumed quintessential teas like Thé de Lune or Chandernagor would be included anyways. :|

Dustin 3 years ago

It’s so hard to take a chance with MF when their minimum is 100g. You could have ended up with several 100g bags of tea like the peaflower line and that would have been a huge disappointment!

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1997 tasting notes

Advent Day 22

A perfectly nice smoky black tea. Another welcome break from the fruity blue blends.
1 comment
Crowkettle 4 years ago

May the fruity blue-dyed oolong teas not return for the remaining few days D:

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84
1445 tasting notes

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 22

Mmm… this is a fine smoked tea. Besides the delicious smoky malt flavours, it also contains some caramelized fruit and vanilla-esque notes. Dates is an accurate descriptor. I wonder if I added milk if this would taste like a smoked date milkshake (out of every kind of milk atm, so it’s not happening). So tasty. I’d be tempted to get more of this.

My tea bag tag says this is “gently smoked over guava leaves.” Interesting.

My mom can’t drink this one; smoked teas are her “nope”. More for me!

Flavors: Dates, Floral, Fruity, Malt, Roasted, Smoke, Smooth, Vanilla

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 30 sec
3 comments
Show 1 previous comments...
Dustin 4 years ago

What a peculiar thing for them to decide to smoke this tea with!

Crowkettle 3 years ago

Yeah, it’s neat! I’m glad they included this one :)

Evol Ving Ness 3 years ago

Ah yes, my Thyolo Malawi tea from Tea Rebellion is also smoked over guava leaves. Quite delicious. This sounds good too.

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