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“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...” Read full tasting note
“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...” Read full tasting note
“Advent Day 22 A perfectly nice smoky black tea. Another welcome break from the fruity blue blends.” Read full tasting note
“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...” Read full tasting note
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, freshly hand-picked leaves are quickly sent to the atelier to be crafted into this particular tea which is then delicately smoked with the leaves of guava trees that grow on the plantation.
To enjoy throughout the day, hot or cold.
Dried leaves : The long, obsidian black leaves release unique notes of smoked ebony accentuated by strong, malted aromas.
Infused leaves : The colour of marron glacé, heart notes of tonka bean blend with hints of pink peppercorn.
Liquor : Lucid caramel brown. The smooth, smoky sweetness of the liquor caresses the palate with notes of woody nougat scored with a glaze of creamy date.
Round and flavourful for the afficionados.
Label Jardin Premier
PREPARATION TIPS :
2,5 g / 20 cl – 95°C – 4 min
Characteristics : #Black tea #Africa #New Tea Garden #Smoked tea #Finest Harvest
Presentations : Icône® – Tea in black canister
Company description not available.
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.
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.
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 :)
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.
Interesting! I don’t always like leather or heavy smoke notes, but definitely want to see something “punchier” from MF after this advent.
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.
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. :|
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!
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
