Mariage Frères Thé Vert Marco Polo® Iced Green Tea
A refreshing, summery iced green tea
Like most coffee drinkers, those who love hot tea enjoy it year-round regardless of weather and outdoor temperatures, but since it is mid-July I thought it a good idea to see if I could find the best green tea to use when making iced green tea for a cool and refreshing drink during the summer months. Finding the right tea is of utmost importance in making an iced version of green tea that will be enjoyable to people accustomed to the more commonly consumed iced black tea or hot green tea.
I used Mariage Frères Green Marco Polo tea (Thé Vert Marco Polo®) for the sole reason that I LOVE the black tea version of Mariage Frères Marco Polo and just intuitively knew it would be the perfect one for a good cup of iced green tea due to its floral and fruity profile.
I experimented with cold brewing the green tea by allowing the tea leaves to infuse for 60 minutes in a pitcher of water in the refrigerator, and also by brewing the tea with hot water (175F water, steep for 5 minutes) and then pouring over ice. I found that it is much better when cold brewed in the refrigerator than when using hot water which added a little more astringency than ideal in an iced green tea.
This really is a very good iced green tea and extremely simple to make. The first time I made it I added an orange-mint simple syrup and a splash of lemon juice, but it only distracted from and interfered with the already full and complex fruit and floral flavors in the tea leaves. Mariage Frères Thé Vert Marco Polo simply does not need any additions as an iced green tea other than possibly a small amount of sugar if you prefer a little more sweet in your tea.
Taste
This tea is described by Mariage Frères as “a green tea specially selected for its sweet, natural flavor” which also contains “the secrets of perfume fruits and flowers from China and Tibet”.
It is indeed a bright and aromatic floral tea (pretty purple flower petals are visible in the tea tin) with a mild amount of inherent sweetness.
The tea leaves alone have a prominent fragrance of sweet flowers and dried fruit– fragrances which produce the invigorating soul and fresh character of this super refreshing iced green tea.
How to make
The best way to make this is as a “green tea cold brew.” Add about 2 tablespoons (10g) of tea leaves to an infuser and place it into about a liter (34 oz) of water.
Place in the refrigerator for about 60 minutes, then remove the tea leaves from the water and serve over ice. If you prefer sweetener, add your desired amount of sugar dissolved in a small amount of water since it won’t dissolve well when adding it straight to iced tea.
Other uses
This is a great tea to use for your favorite homemade green tea ice cream recipe, green tea popsicles (simply freeze your tea) and also can be made as a cup of hot tea.
If you find that pouring this tea over ice dilutes your tea flavor too much as the ice melts, simply make an extra pitcher of this tea and freeze into ice cubes and use those instead of regular ice.