If you're going to Paris and have an obsession for Tea you have no option but heading to the (gay) district of Marais and the Mariage Frères store. For some reason I imagine that the Harry Potter producers must have been there and got some ideas for the stores in Diagon Alley. All sorts of teas are stored in big jars lined up along the wall. They weigh the loose leaf on old style weights, and in the end you pay for your catch to an old style booth. It’s even an (overpriced) café and a tea museum upstairs. Many of teas are not sold as loose leaf, so if you are into Mariage Frères teas you may end up with a too big collection of nice canisters.
It’s hard to do give any recommendations because you can’t really go wrong. Mariage Frères have been around since 1854, so they should know their trade by now. The most popular and deservedly famous scented tea is the “Marco Polo”, which you can get in a black, green, red and white version. You have to fork over 20 Euros for 100 grams of white "Marco Polo", but in the end it is cheaper and 10 times better than any generic white tea you can get in your grocery store. This Christmas I bought the black “Paris-Ginza” which smells delightfully of strawberry. I can’t recommend that one enough.
If your into green tea you should at least smell "Sur le Nil" and "De-Stress" to see if those suit your taste. But in the end part of the fun is to discover teas for yourself without any recommendations. The clerks are always happy to help if you are looking for something special. And if you for some reason can’t find what you are looking for you can just head a little bit “up” rue Vieille du Temple to “Palais du Thés”…
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