THE FIRST MAISON DE THÉ
MARIAGE FRÈRES
Successors to their father, Aimé and Auguste, already living on the rue du Bourg-Tibourg in Paris, found “Auguste Mariage and Company” and perpetuate the family tradition.
In Paris, on June 1, 1854, Henri and Édouard found the Mariage Frères Tea House after acquiring the ancestral experience through their father Aimé Mariage. The leading French importer of tea would continue trading with the most remote outposts in China and Ceylon.
Leading French importer of tea, Mariage Frères supplies the best houses, the finest delicatessens and tearooms and the most renowned hotels. The excellence of its products and the French Art of Tea that it codified are still recognized and appreciated.
After more than three centuries, Mariage Frères opens up to the retail trade, offering sales over the Counter of several hundred quality teas from all over the world.
Mariage Frères also perpetuates the Art of Tea by creating its very own teapots, tea services and tea accessories.
Maison de Thé Mariage Frères, situated in the Marais in the heart of old Paris, remains the same: vintage tea crates from China, scales, filters, scoops and antique counters are still used, imparting a unique charm to the space. As soon as one enters, one is greeted with the fragrance of teas that have gently perfumed the woodwork and the walls over the decades.
At the time, the Tea Salon was the first of its kind to offer brunch in Paris. It was an immediate success. Globe trotters from the worlds of fashion, cinema, theatre and press rush to get in: “brunch at Mariage Frères“ becomes an essential meeting place.
Here one discovers a unique tea-flavoured cuisine and patisserie where tea occupies an important place as an ingredient in many recipes.
Mariage Frères continues to spread the French Art of Tea throughout the world with its many shops and Tea Rooms in France, Germany, England and Japan. Each house is rich with a collection of more than 1000 teas, blending original compositions with grand cru teas, the fruit of continuous and masterful work in the heart of the plantation. In favouring quality over quantity, each harvest is cultivated with the greatest respect for nature and mankind and negotiated directly with the planter for a fair price.The most beautiful parcels are reserved for Mariage Frères and many teas are conceived and “made to measure“ exclusively for the Maison. Almost all of the teas on offer now have the Jardin Premier label, a guarantee of the purest quality teas.Each creation is inspired by a spirit of discovery and innovation, composing a menu of incomparable richness, unique in the world.Welcome to the extraordinary world of tea!