THE FRENCH ART OF TEA:
THE 300-YEAR LEGACY OF MARIAGE FRÈRES
For over three centuries, the name Mariage Frères has been synonymous with the "French Art of Tea," a concept that blends royal history with a wine-inspired approach to tasting. The name itself tells part of the story. Mariage is the name of the family who founded the company and Frères–French for brothers–refers to two descendants of the original purveyor. But let’s back up a bit and take a look at the journey that makes Mariage Freres tea so special.
a royal beginning on the high seas
The Mariage family's connection to tea began in the 17th century when King Louis XIV and the French East India Company dispatched Nicholas Mariage to sign trade agreements with the Shah of Persia. (Incidentally, the family name itself is rooted in their maritime heritage, as it is derived from the French verb maréier, meaning "to run the seas.") While tea was a common staple in England, in France it remained a prized luxury of the aristocracy.
Descendants of Nicholas were still importing tea 150 years later in the northern French town of Lille. Then, in early 1854, Aimé and Auguste Mariage officially founded Auguste Mariage & Compagnie in Paris as a tea and vanilla import business. Later that same year, Aimé’s sons Henri and Edouard Mariage expanded the business when they established the now renowned Mariage Frères tea shop at 30 rue du Bourg-Tibourg in Paris, a location that remains in operation today!
WHAT IS THE FRENCH
ART OF TEA?
When Bueno and Sangmanee began their study and travels in pursuit of tea, they were struck by the lack of attention to describing various aspects of tea, pairing fine foods with tea, and using tea as an ingredient. They set about to change that. Using the wine industry as their model, they began to study and teach about the importance of growing conditions, water, and tea preparation. They pioneered using wine tasting vocabulary in their tea tastings and elevating tea as a delightful experience. Teaware became another focus, and they began searching for high quality teapots and emphasizing the importance of the right pot for the right tea. Tea preparation became an obsession. All of these pursuits became incorporated into the tea shop, and their ideas and methods began to spread in France. As the Mariage Freres book, The French Art of Tea states:
Full attention is required to appreciate and recognize the distinct personality of various teas, selecting and preparing each one in just the right way, not only releasing its unique flavour but also choosing the right moment to appreciate it.
Just like French wine, combining tea with various dishes is a high art.
Visiting a Mariage Frères tea salon is described as a "grand voyage." The Paris locations are famous for their "old world" decor and extensive menus where tea is even used as a culinary ingredient in quiches, salads, and sweets. Interestingly, historical correspondence from the era of Louis XIV suggests that France may have been the first place where milk was added to tea, further cementing the country's unique influence on global tea culture.
Bueno and Sangmanee also expanded their elegant teas globally. Today they have a presence not only in France, but also in London, and Japan, including a massive five-story flagship tea shop and salon that opened in Ginza, Tokyo, in 1990.
As Mariage Freres looks forward, it also looks back. Inside the venerable original location is a tea museum which the company calls “an homage to the majesty of tea.”
Resource: theculturedcup.com and mariagefreres.com