Mariage Frères

Paris, 1854: brothers Henri and Édouard Mariage open a tea house that still bears their name. Its collection now runs to more than 1,000 teas.

About Mariage Frères

Based in
Paris, France
Founded
1854
Known for
French tea house with a collection of over 1,000 teas

Henri and Édouard Mariage founded their tea house in Paris on June 1, 1854. The family name was already tied to trade: earlier Mariages had sailed to Persia, the East Indies, India and Madagascar, and their father Aimé had founded a trading company with his brother Auguste while living on the rue du Bourg-Tibourg.

For generations the firm supplied fine food shops, tearooms and hotels rather than the public. It opened to retail customers in 1984, and today it keeps a collection of more than 1,000 teas. The house says it codified a French Art of Tea, from blending to service.

Mariage Frères questions

How should black tea be brewed?

Black tea, generally the strongest-tasting style of tea, is usually brewed in water just below boiling, about 90 to 98°C (194 to 208°F), for 3 to 5 minutes. Lift the leaves out when the time is up, because black tea left to steep longer turns bitter. Mariage Frères gives its own temperature and steeping time for each of its teas.

What is the French Art of Tea?

It is Mariage Frères' name for its way with tea, which the house says it codified over its long history. In practice it covers blending its own compositions from fine teas, making its own teapots, tea services and accessories, and cooking with tea in its restaurant, where tea goes into many dishes and pastries. The house also negotiates harvests directly with tea planters.

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