mariage freres: 2 posts

Happy May Day!

Every year in celebration of May Day (May 1st), French tea importer Mariage Frères presents its limited edition Lily Muguet tea.  It’s offered once again this year for a limited time. The lily of the valley flavor is available in black, green, and white teas.

“After an early-morning stroll through the vernal forests of France, Mariage Frères came back with the novel idea for a blend in which tea encounters the clean, bright fragrance of freshly picked Lily of the Valley, whose delicate aroma – vivid, sensual – enchants with the grace of magnificent legends. The flower, with its dewy sun-kissed petals, airy and tender with a satiny sheen, bestows its smooth, sweet bouquet on a green tea.–from Mariage Frères website.”

Lily Muguet is packaged in colorful lacquered tins. 100g tin/23-25€, depending on the variety. Available at Mariage Frères boutiques and mariagefreres.com.

In Arabic, instead of the standard “good morning,” you can wish someone a morning of light, sabah al noor, morning of cream, sabah al ashta as well as morning of sleep, sabah al noum. My favorite greeting remains a morning of roses, sabah al ward. When I say it out loud—the thorny Arabic ‘h’ softly scratching my throat — I imagine a shower of red petals and their voluptuous honeyed fragrance. The only thing that can awaken me though is the annoying beeping of my alarm clock, so I’ve resolved to creating mornings of roses by other means.

One of my favorite ways to start a day is a strong cup of tea. I love the smell of coffee, but I save the boost of caffeine for those days when I absolutely need it. On most days, a cup of tea is enough to make me feel energized and uplifted. Some people are tea purists, but I don’t mind experimenting with flavored teas from time to time. As long as the flavor is not too strong or artificial, it can be an interesting foil to the tannic richness of tea.

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