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April 24, 2005

saturday afternoon green tea


We had a lovely weather in this Saturday afternoon here in Tokyo, and I was at a Mariage Frères tea room in Ginza, having a pot of tea called Thé vert Marco Polo, or "Marco Polo" green tea. The sweet, floral scent of their renown Marco Polo black tea happens to be a bit too much to my taste (my regular choice of Mariage Frères tea is Grand Bois Chéri), but when paired with green tea, it gets more subtle, sweet but lighter. Very nice.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

your blog has officaly become my most fav blog to check on because of the fabolous food !! 

Posted by cheryl

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a delightful tea to drink, but what is this "Marco Polo" part of the tea? In the green tea, is it just a similar fragrance and taste of the Marco Polo black tea, thus calling it "Marco Polo Green tea"? 

Posted by Tea

Anonymous said...

Hi chika,

I read in your earlier entry that you actually prepared your own ginger stems. I'm really impressed! How long did it take? was it worth it?

I love ginger, and it's hard to get candied ginger or any other prepared form other than the fresh/raw form here. I've been wondering if I should actually do that.. thought it sounds like a lot of work...
 

Posted by Ling

Anonymous said...

it has been so long since i've had marco polo! that's the one with chinese fruits and flowers, i think? i didn't know there was a green tea version--i'll have to look for that one day :-) 

Posted by santos.

Anonymous said...

Hie chika,

The tea looks interesting. I am a big tea drinker myself, but I usually go for commercial teas such as English Breakfast and Earl Grey :) Oh, you don't have to call the shop to ask if they had tsujiri-no-sato in Tokyo, I don't wanna trouble you. Thanks for your help though!
PS: Your ginger and saffron cheesecake looks lovely, even though I don't quite fancy ginger ;) 

Posted by Chris

Anonymous said...

Just had to say that tho i don't know anything about food (save that i like very much to eat it, when it's good) i cherish the descriptions and even more so the photos on your blog, and keep coming back again and again.

... That cup of tea...

So, thank you. 

Posted by billy

Anonymous said...

I so could use a cup of tea right now. I feel like drinking some green or white tea.

 

Posted by Trisha

Anonymous said...

Hi Chika!

The Mariage Frères looks like a wonderful place to have a cup of tea. With the warm spring/summer days coming up, coffee will for the most part replace tea as far as my daily routine goes - apart from the fact that there aren't too many nice tea rooms/places in Munich that would compare. Or we haven't found them yet... ;-) 

Posted by Oliver

Anonymous said...

Hi,

cheryl - thank you :)

Tea - Mariage Frere's regular Marco Polo tea is scented with some Chinese and Tibetan flowers and fruits (I don't exactly know exactly what they are) and smells really sweet. And its green tea is, yes, green tea mixed with the same line of flavors I suppose.

Ling - I don't think I was very successful in making ginger stems, unfortunately. I got syrup that was a bit like ginger stem syrup in a jar, but the ginger part wasn't anywhere really close to the real stuff. But crystalized ginger shouldn't be very hard to make - a google search will find you a recipe or two I guess.

santos - they also have Rooibos tea-based Marco Polo, too! :)

Chris - I love both English Breakfast and Earl Gray teas, too :) maybe thise cheese cake would have been just right for you, as it didn't taste much of ginger :P

billy - thank you so much!

Trisha - ooo I love white tea too!

Oliver - oh sure you can make your home/office the nicest place to have a cup of tea then! :) 

Posted by chika

Anonymous said...

this is my first timeon your web site. i came across your site looking for marco polo french black tea. can't find it anywhere. i've exausted everysouce. if a store carries it, their out of stock. i live on long island, new york . do you know who has it? thanks from a tea lover.  

Posted by mary

Anonymous said...

Mary,

Dean & DeLuca carries some of Mariage Frères Marco Polo, but you might have to keep checking from time to time because they have little supply for each month. Actually, I'm heading there to get some more tea for my coming Sunday afternoon tea with few good friends.


Chika,

You have done a great job with your blog! 

Posted by Bee