Sometimes high expectations and a lot of publicity can lead to disappointment. I have felt that way at several movies and plays and a few restaurants. When I first moved to Paris I visited the tea shop of Mariage Freres and loved the interior, the lovely fragrance of teas in the air so I expected a visit to the tea room that they have there to be a really great experience. I was disappointed.
The first time I tried it, it was packed with people on a cold winter day. It was an athletic workout to try and make your way to a table with a winter coat on and packages because the tables are so closely packed together. It was hard to get seated with other chairs filled with people and getting your coat off was very difficult. The desserts there at Mariage Freres are, I have to say, really good especially the Creme Brulee. The best I’ve ever had I think. But the tea doesn’t taste good to me. I don’t know why that is. I love the tea that I make at home using their mixes, especially Tea Noel and Marco Polo Rouge. It just doesn’t do it for me when I’m drinking their tea in the tea room.


I always love their windows. This window was foggy inside and I liked the things inside glowing in the light.

So, I was in the area with a friend and we decided to give it a try one more time. When we came in to the tea room we were informed that there was some sort of electrical malfunction with their water container and that it would be a few minutes before we could get our tea. It turned out to be thirty minutes. They brought in a big pot of boiling water which I guess they heated up in the kitchen. I wondered if they had a microwave. Surely that would be faster. We finally got our tea-we didn’t order anything sweet to go with it-and, darn, if it didn’t taste good to me again. It was then that I decided that I wouldn’t try their tea room again. I’ll have to try a couple of others and see how I like the taste. Maybe it’s just me.