So this is the last ‘new’ tea that I have in my tea cabinet. I never thought I’d get to this stage, but I guess after this, it’s time to focusing on finishing what I have (so that I can buy more tea).

Marco Polo is the second tea in the set of two that I was given. The first was an Earl Grey which sadly had a bit too much bergamot for me. There’s quite a lot of tea in the tin so it may be the perfect excuse to try making some earl grey cookies pannacotta. But back to the tea at hand; I was trying to find out more about the Marco Polo on the Mariage Frères website and found many different variants. It seems like it’s one of their famous blends, so I was really excited to try it. The description for Marco Polo is:

“A velvety black tea discretely scented with fruits and flowers from China and Tibet, an ode to extraordinary journeys to mythical distant lands.”

And the description for the Marco Polo Sublime, which had a picture of the same tin (I assume same tin + same name = same tea?) is:

“Mariage Frères’ most legendary tea now available in a Haute Couture version

Sublime like the natural fruity and flowery aromas in this legendary blend
Unique like the smooth sweetness that envelopes the palate
Beautiful like the ebony leaves of this organic black tea*
Luminous like the amber reflections of its delightful liquor
Iconic like this world famous composition
Magical like each sip of this gourmet pleasure
Enchanting like the indescribable aroma of this heavenly masterpiece

A fascinating invitation to discovery”

I don’t think I was driven to those heights, but it was a pretty pleasant tea. The dry leaves smelled sweet and fruity, which left a good first impression on me.

When brewed, the tea liquor was a dark brown tea and its fragrance reminded me a lot of Mlesna’s French Cake tea. The tea tasted very much like it smelled – sweet and fruity. I was reminded not just of Mlesna’s French Cake, but also the Happy Birthday tea that I had at the Fullerton.

This is a very easy tea to drink. It reminds me of the teas that first got me addicted to camellia sinensis, and for that alone, I’d happily drink the rest of the tin.