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Porte Rouge in Chicago sells their tea as well. It is quite something.

I have a friend who is nuts about this tea. It's incredible the lengths she'll go for it! Strangely enough I thought I was the tea fanatic, but then again, I've never been to France to try this tea (and the friend lives too far away to sip alongside her.)

i received earl grey as a gift - it's delicious.

missed it when we were in Paris a couple of weeks ago -- rain and 2 crabby young kids are enough to persuade this tea fanatic that next time I'll make it over there... sigh...

my favorite. truly wonderful.

Love it. Marco Polo is in my cup right now. It's an indulgence, but so worth it.

I bought the The Rouge Bourbon (pictured above!) at Algabar in Los Angeles. It's a gorgeous store and they brought us tea and nuts while we shopped, posh! Both the red tea and the green that they offered were amazing. I think it makes a great hostess gift, I believe the tin was around $22?

I LOVE the Paris store and the wacky tea museum upstairs. Bought all kinds of odd flavors. Gave it as gifts right and left. Discovered I'm in a distinct minority on this one. Glad to find some fellow fans!

My bergamot-hating friend received some Earl Grey tea as a gift and quickly passed it on to me. Fabulous.

I drink tea every morning, and I've tried many kinds of Mariage Freres tea. I've tried to be less snobby about my tea, but nothing truly compares, even other expensive teas. Porte Rouge in Chicago does carry it, I also have seen it at the gift store at Gethsemane Garden center in the past and prefer to buy it there. Porte Rouge does have loose tea, but they have trouble keeping it in stock.

My favorite flavor is the Birthday Tea, but I have to beg a friend to bring it from Paris as it's uncommon to find it here (same with the apple, which is my husband's favorite). I also like Earl Grey Imperial (NOT the regular earl grey or the blue Earl Grey), which, again, is not typically carried at stores in the states. You can usually find Marco Polo or Plein Lune, both of which are nice. Their red teas are also really good.... I drank a lot of Sahara and Bourbon (red tea with vanilla) when I was pregnant.

In terms of the Paris store, they are incredibly rude. I am a veteran of many Paris vacations, but the rudeness factor at Mariage Freres is above and beyond. I have to BEG my French friends to score some tea for me there, even. It doesn't matter if you speak French, it doesn't matter if you try to win them over by flirting, it doesn't matter if you actualyl do know about tea. They are mean, mean, mean. Actually, the waiters in the cafe are nice, they're just horrible in the shop.

Wow, "bergamot-hating friend"....that's the best part of tea! Anyway, lucky you!

Go to the Mariage Freres website
Please note: The English language site is still under construction. You must enter and order through the French site.

You can find Mariage Freres teas in stores in the US.

WILLIAMS SONOMA
BARNEYS NY
BERGDORF GOODMAN
New York
DEAN & DELUCA
BALDUCCI'S
AEDES DE VENUSTAS

Brooklyn
GARDEN OF EDEN GOURMET MARKET

Chicago
FRENCH LOOK INTERNATIONAL

Berkeley
THE PASTA SHOP

San Francisco
SUE FISHER KING

North Dallas
THE CULTURED CUP

Ketchum, ID
DAVIS

weren't we going to do a tea week??? i'm still into it!

the interesting thing about mariage freres is that the company as we know it really is not that old. it was founded in more recent years (i think in the mid-80s) by two thai/french brothers, who have marketed their product extremely well. if you read the history of the company on the website, you'l see it's carefully worded. my company has worked with theirs in the past.

it is similar to the moleskine notebook story: also a fairly new company, and not the actual brand notebooks that hemingway and contemporaries used!

at any rate, still really fabulous tea, however it's marketed. the tea-perfumed candles are amazing, also. i like thé rouge. i think they sell at diptyque stores (at least in sf).

I used to buy it when I worked for Williams-Sonoma many moons ago. My favorite was the "Marco Polo" and "Vanille des Iles".

Yes Joan in SB! I have been hinting hard every time a tea-topic comes up. Seems to me, there is plenty of interest and topics for a bona-fide tea week :)

smilla653: I had a totally different experience at the Paris store recently. The employees were formal, but not rude, and quite helpful. After I paid, I was directed to the counter to collect my purchases. There, the employee went through my items with me, and without my even asking (I would not have known how to ask as I don't speak French), gift wrapped each one that I intended to give to someone else. Maybe I just lucked out, or I'd already used up my rude French person karma on a particular department store sales lady who was *the* sourest person I've ever encountered!

marco polo is my absolute favourite. I usually get it from williams sonoma. I agree that other high end teas, do not come close.

My absolute favorite tea! I've tried many different brands but Mariage Freres is the best. Their English website has been under construction for many years. :( I've been getting mine from Williams Sonoma but I'd like to branch out and try some of the others. Does anyone know which retailer carries them in Portland, OR?