From the Thé des Signes series at Mariage Frères, Tigre: "Inspired by the royal and courageous sign of the Tiger, MARIAGE FRÈRES created this black tea sprinkled with golden tips and accentuated with a magical fragrance of cedar and pine needle balm as well as a bewitching hint of sunny bergamot. Goji berries, the signature of the THÉ DES SIGNES collection, bring a full and energizing fruity note to the composition." €26 for 100g at Mariage Frères.
A lemming for Teapot Tuesday: Summer Fizz from Palais des Thés, to drink plain, iced, or use as a cocktail mixer. "For the summer season, Palais des Thés is offering a new limited edition format, ideal for preparing iced tea: le Berlingot. This tonic green tea combines lime, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon. This tea is grown organically and certified by USDA Organic...this format allows you to prepare 50cl of hot or iced tea!" 4 XL tea bags are $12 at Palais des Thés. (Summer Fizz is also available in a 100g pouch of loose tea, $19.)
From the Thé des Signes series at Mariage Frères, the Year of the Ox tea: "Inspired by the heroic and protective Ox, MARIAGE FRÈRES has imagined an intense black tea, its roundness sublimated by the luscious notes of sun kissed fruits. Goji berries, the signature ingredient in the THÉ DES SIGNES collection, accentuate the composition with beneficial vitamins. This YEAR OF THE OX tea’s pagoda-shaped tin dazzles with a magnetic colour of Java plum. An enveloping and gourmet cup for a year of serenity and well-being." $45 at ZGO Perfumery in San Francisco.
Hallelujah, one of Mariage Frères' holiday teas for 2020: "Mariage Frères enriches its collection of black gourmand teas with this heavenly fruity and festive creation. Citrus and fruit notes, embellished with vanilla, mingle with the vivid and sensuous flavours of black tea. The cup is velvety, generous, festive and joyful." €26 at Mariage Frères.
The scent of black tea makes me smile; it can reset my mood from blah to cheerful. Any flavored version of black tea I enjoy tasting, I enjoy smelling, too, even in perfumes. Black tea mixes well with citrus (bergamot, orange, grapefruit, the “classic” lemon), spices, flowers (jasmine, rose), fruits (plum, apricot, peach, berries). Black tea can be sweet, bitter, fresh, or rich and smoky. In Eau Parfumée Au Thé Noir, Bvlgari mixes a black tea accord with bergamot, rose, leather, oud, patchouli and vanilla.
Though I’ve tried Bvlgari’s other Eau Parfumée perfumes — Eau Parfumée Au Thé Vert, Eau Parfumée Au Thé Blanc, Eau Parfumée Au Thé Rouge, Eau Parfumée Au Thé Bleu — until recently, Eau Parfumée Au Thé Noir was a stranger. I’m glad I discovered it…