Mariage Freres Marco Polo Teabags

Macro Polo Tea – In Star Wars, Alex Guiness, as Obiwan Kenobi, remarks to a young Luke Skywalker: "You've taken your first step into a larger world." He might've been referring to Luke's realisation of the Force, or perhaps he'd just brewed a pot of Mariage Freres' Marco Polo tea. In Luke's case it was the Force; in mine, it's the tea. A cup of tea as a youngster… Read more

in Australia during the 60s and 70s meant a teabag scalded to death, an infusion of at least fifty percent milk to remove the taste of bitter tannin, and enough sugar to give the spoon buoyancy. This often made the final product a sweet, milky beverage with a hint of tea. I'm sure the adults of the time made it better, but tea always seemed to be the weaker milky cousin brew to coffee. But as I grew older, I discovered the subtle flavours of Earl Grey and other teas, particularly from Fortnum and Mason, or Harrods. These were fine teas and I found myself relishing them. I thought I'd reached the pinnacle of tea enjoyment, but in reality I'd only reached the first ledge. Tea Base Camp One, so to speak. The summit went higher... much higher. Enter a French specialty tea maker, Mariage Freres, and their signature blend Macro Polo. I discovered this brand last year and I, like Luke Skywalker, took a step into a larger world. This tea uses a fine black tea that's infused with Chinese and Tibetan spices. The result is a dark brew, drunk without milk, with a floral nose, although not sweet. There is a slight, although not overpowering, palate of tannin followed by a lingering, albeit pleasant, finish. It is in the finish where the floral elements re-emerge. I bought both canisters and teabags which, themselves, are quite extraordinary. The teabags are not paper, but are in a box of 30 cotton hessian tea bags. Each hessian bag is tied by string, and the end result allows the full flavour to come through. This tea can be bought in Australia from Peters of Kensington or La Belle Miette online. It is not a cheap tea, even compared to Fortnum and Mason or Harrods, but it is an exquisite one. I expect tea nerds will smile knowingly -- why, he discovered Marco Polo only last year? But for those who, like myself, want a next tier tea without paying an authentic Da Hong Pao price, then I recommend Mariage Freres' Marco Polo.