The best Mariage Frères teas, according to our tea advisers
By the LBDT Sommelier · published on · updated on · 4 min read
Reviewed and approved by the La Boutique du Thé team
If you were to taste only one Mariage Frères tea, choose Marco Polo: it is the house's best-known tea, and the one our advisers suggest for a first time. To go further, here are the fifteen teas our advisers in Bordeaux and Nice recommend most often, arranged by mood, with the price per 100 g and how to prepare them.
How this selection was made
La Boutique du Thé has been a Mariage Frères stockist since 1999, in its shops in Bordeaux and Nice. This list is not a reproduction of the brand's own ranking: it covers every tea family, with teas in stock in Nice. Every tea mentioned is sold on this site, as loose leaf from 50 g, with a 5 g sample so you can try before you buy.
A guide to reading the prices: 100 g of loose leaf is the reference format, and prices drop by 5% from 500 g and by 10% from 1 kg of the same tea.
Where to start
| Tea | Type | For whom | 100 g loose leaf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Polo | Flavoured black tea, fruits and flowers | The tea to start with | €13.00 |
| Marco Polo Noir Sublime | Flavoured black tea, Haute Couture version | Those who already love Marco Polo and want a finer leaf and a deeper liquor | €19.00 |
| Earl Grey French Blue | Black tea, bergamot and cornflower | The everyday Earl Grey, rounded and floral | €14.00 |
| Earl Grey Impérial | Spring Darjeeling with bergamot | Earl Grey lovers who prefer finesse to strength | €20.00 |
| Casablanca | Green and black teas, mint and bergamot | Mint tea drinkers, hot, or iced in summer | €12.00 |
| Boléro | Black tea, white peach, apricot, fig | Sweet-toothed palates, in the late afternoon | €12.00 |
All six teas are prepared the same way: 2.5 g per 200 ml, water at 95 °C, 5 minutes. This is the Mariage Frères rule for flavoured black teas, and it suits Casablanca too.
Green teas and teas from Japan
Sakura (€12.00) is a great classic among the house's flavoured green teas: a green tea scented with cherry blossom, 3 minutes at 95 °C. Thé Vert Marco Polo (€13.00) brings the house fragrance to a green base, lower in caffeine.
For a pure green tea, two Japanese teas stand out. Sencha Uji (€50.00) is a sencha from the Uji region, lively and vegetal, to be steeped for 2 minutes in water at just 70 °C. Gyokuro Kyoto (€60.00 per 50 g) is a shade-grown tea, silky, with deep umami, at 50 °C for 3 minutes: it is the tea we recommend to anyone who wants to understand what “umami” means. Our guide to Japanese green teas explains these preparations in detail.
Pure Grands Crus
Darjeeling Orange Valley FTGFOP1 (€17.00) is a Darjeeling from the Bloomfield estate, rich in buds, with muscatel notes, 3 minutes at 90 °C. Yin Zhen (€88.00) is China's most prestigious white tea, made solely of silver buds, 15 minutes at 85 °C: a tea for contemplation rather than for the morning. Pu-Erh d’Or (€58.00) is a dark tea from Yunnan with golden buds, woody and deep.
Evening teas, naturally caffeine-free
Marco Polo Rouge (€13.00) brings the Marco Polo fragrance to a South African rooibos, naturally caffeine-free, 5 minutes at 95 °C. Its Rouge Sublime version (€19.00) is fruitier. For spices, Chaïwallah Rouge (€29.00 for the 100 g tin) combines cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove on rooibos.
Gourmand and original teas
Milky Blue (€18.00) is an oolong with a milky fragrance, rounded and soft, which often wins over those who do not like tea. Thé des Mandarins Jasmin (€45.00) lays jasmine flowers on silver needles. And in December, Esprit de Noël (€13.00), a black tea with gentle spices, is the classic of the season.
How to choose between all these teas
- You want a flavoured tea for the afternoon: Marco Polo, Boléro, Earl Grey French Blue.
- You drink tea in the morning: Earl Grey Impérial or a Darjeeling; black teas have moderate caffeine, green and white teas low caffeine.
- You want a tea for the evening: one of the house rooibos, naturally caffeine-free.
- You do not like tea: try Milky Blue or Sakura, two gentle flavoured teas.
- You cannot decide: order 5 g samples, sold by weight like the rest of our loose leaf, or ask for advice in our shops in Bordeaux or Nice.
The sommelier's selection
Frequently asked questions
What is Mariage Frères' best-known tea?
Marco Polo, a black tea with fruits and flowers, whose fragrance comes on five different bases. The Earl Greys and, in December, Esprit de Noël are the house's other great classics.
What is the difference between Marco Polo and Marco Polo Noir Sublime?
The flavour is the same. Le Sublime uses a larger, finer leaf, gives a deeper liquor and costs €19 per 100 g compared with €13.
Can I taste before buying?
There is no tasting in our shops, but every loose leaf tea is available as a 5 g sample, sold by weight, so you can try it at home before buying 100 g.
Are the Mariage Frères teas on this site the same as in Mariage Frères shops?
Yes. La Boutique du Thé has been an official stockist since 1999 and sells the house's teas, packed to order, under the same references.
To go further
Written by the LBDT Sommelier, La Boutique du Thé, official Mariage Frères stockist in Bordeaux and Nice since 1999. Published on 15 October 2026. Prices as observed on the date of publication; the price shown on the product page prevails.
More guides from the house
- Where to buy Mariage Frères tea, and on what termsOfficial stockist since 1999: over 400 loose leaf teas, delivery from €4.50, free from €50, free Click & Collect in 2 hours in Bordeaux and Nice.Read the guide →
- Mariage Frères Earl Grey: 18 versions compared, from Earl Grey Impérial to Rouge Earl GreyMariage Frères Earl Grey: tea base, flavouring, caffeine and settings for 18 versions in stock, to choose yours according to the moment and milk.Read the guide →
- Marco Polo: the versions compared, to choose yoursBlack, Sublime, green, white, blue, caffeine-free red, cotton muslins, jelly, gift sets: the 16 Marco Polo products compared, with prices and preparation.Read the guide →