A tea flavored ‘macaron’ Gerard Mulot Paris – Paris Breakfasts

Text by Sally Peabody, Your Great Days in Paris

Paris abounds in splendid tea salons and tea shops. For those who love to brew, Paris is the tea capital of the world as a result of the high quality and the diversity of fine tea served and sold here. But the tea itself is just the beginning, since the city’s masterpatissiers, chocolatiers, and tea salons offer up numerous diverting edible options.  Here is my favorite short list of where to go to enjoy fine tea out of the pot and delicacies on the plate!

Sadaharu Aoki is a remarkable patissier, bringing his Asian sensibility to inform classic French patisserie. His tiny shop on the rue de Vaugirard is, of course, drop dead gorgeous and the patisserie selection is in equal parts intriguing and delicious.  The green tea éclairs will stop you in your tracks with their brilliant matcha-infused icing and delicate cream inside. A worthy stop indeed for a first go at “eating your tea.”  Aoki has seating where you can order a pot of tea to accompany the éclairs or other patisserie, but it is also near the Luxembourg Gardens if you prefer an alfresco snack. (35 rue de Vaugirard, Paris 6 or 56 Boulevard de Port Royal, Paris 5).

What is it about the Left Bank? After hitting Aoki, your quest for teatime treats should lead down the rue de Seine (away from Luxembourg towards Boulevard St. Germain). First, the incomparable patisserie of Gerard Mulot (76 rue de Seine) is your place to taste either green tea or tea and mango macarons. Just a block further on the opposite side of the street, Pierre Marcolini, master chocolatier makes Earl Grey-infused dark chocolates that are very, very good (89 rue de Seine).

Green Tea Brioche from Chajin. Photo: Chajin

On the Right Bank, Chajin (24 rue Pasquier, Paris 8eme) offers superb first flush Japanese green teas and serves selected Japanese tea-infused dishes at lunchtime.  My favorite tea-on-the-plate option at Chajin is the white chocolate bar infused with matcha. The bar is a lovely subtle green color and the flavor is simply delicious with that luscious texture on the tongue that quality white chocolate can provide.  These are made by a chocolatier in the Marais using Chajin’s tea.  These make perfect gifts for others (or for yourself!) Angelina (226 rue de Rivoli) is more famous for its sinful hot chocolate than it is for its tea, but its Belle Époque decor and sumptuous desserts make it a good stop on your tea tour. (It’s an ideal place to take kids for brunch or an afternoon treat).

Finally, Mariage Frères tea salons offer a mind-spinning array of pure and flavored teas, but they also excel at tea-infused cookies and pastries including green tea madeleines or financiers, or fruit tartes with tea-infused pastry cream.  Lunch or brunch menus at Mariage Frères include various main course or salad options that incorporate teas in artful ways. You can also purchase various jams, sugars and salts infused with tea. The Mariage Frères salons with patisserie and food are located in the Marais at 30 rue de Bourg Tibourg, in St. Germain des Prés at 13 rue des Grands Augustins, and, near Ternes at 260 rue de Faubourg St. Honoré.

Bottom line, Paris is the place to drink your tea and to eat it too!

Angelina, rue de Rivoli. Photo: Paris Deconstructed

Sally Peabody’s company, Your Great Days in Paris, is dedicated to helping travelers make the most of their time in Paris. Her blog is all about enjoying Paris–on and off the Beaten Path: http://peabodysparis.blogspot.com

Edited by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Courtesy of Paris Breakfasts

by Sally Peabody, Your Great Days in Paris

We all know that Paris is famed for its alluring wines, rich dark chocolates, redolent cheese and buttery croissants… but fine tea? Who knew?

In fact, Paris’ numerous tea salons and tea shops offer the widest and best selection of top quality teas from growers around the world, carefully selected, served and sold with savoir-vivre. Choose from salons and shops that offer elegant second-empire style gilded decor, sleek contemporary spaces, or cozy stone-walled nooks. Tea-drinkers have their pick of memorable spots to stop and sample delicious teas from around the world. The Paris tea scene abounds with fascinating artisans who are dedicated to their chosen métier— and to offering the best-of-the-best to those who share their passion.

The Dammann Freres tea shop. Photo: parisiensalon.com

What distinguishes the French Art of Tea from the British or Asian traditions? Simple. It’s all about style, attitude and attention to quality. There is the tea and the setting of course. But Paris’ tea salons are also uniquely social spaces, as central to quotidian Parisian life as cafés, wine bars, and bistros. Patisserie and food (if served) is reliably top-notch. Tables are generally well spaced. The ambiance encourages conversation and relaxation. And you can enjoy incredible pure and blended teas sourced from all over the tea-growing world.

These salons provide the perfect place to relax and enjoy a light lunch or an afternoon tea-and-patisserie. Some are sophisticated, while others are funky, friendly spots. After a long morning of site-seeing, families with travel-weary children would be wise to stop into a salon for some reviving tea or rich chocolat chaud.

Photo: flickr.com

Whether it’s Mariage Frères, the venerable Parisian tea purveyor with shops and salons in the Marais and St. Germain; Mme. Tseng’s serene La Maison des Trois Thés near Place Monge, offering well over 500 of the finest Chinese and Taiwanese teas (including some of the rarest and priciest in the world); Carol Neigar of Chajin, who serves and sells only revelatory first-flush Japanese green teas in an intimate shop just steps away from the Place de la Madeleine; or Kusmi on rue de Seine in the 6th, with their historic thés russes— these are artisans whose work is to be experienced and enjoyed!

So remember, there’s more to Paris than cheese and wine. Next time you’re in town, set aside some time to take a memorable and delectable tour de thé.

Sally Peabody is a Paris Specialist. Her company, Your Great Days in Paris, is dedicated to helping travelers make the most of their time in Paris. Her blog is all about enjoying Paris–on and off the Beaten Path: http://peabodysparis.blogspot.com

Edited by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.