A Guide to Our Macaron Flavors

At La Paris, every macaron starts the same way: an almond shell baked until it turns crisp and a little chewy at the edge, wrapped around a soft, almost cloud-like center. What changes is what goes inside — and after months of testing flavors in our Hanoi kitchen, we now have close to thirty of them in rotation. The classics are the ones people come back for. Chocolate, Coffee, Raspberry, Strawberry and Pistachio are the five you will almost always find on the counter — no surprises, just done properly. Then there are the signatures that have quietly become favorites among regulars: Black Sesame, for the toasty, slightly bitter note that balances the sweetness of the shell; Truffle, rich and a little indulgent; Salted Butter Caramel, which we do not oversweeten on purpose; and B52, our take on the classic cocktail's coffee-cream-orange layering. For anyone who prefers tea to coffee, we built a whole line around it: Earl Grey Tea, Jasmine, Oolong Tea, Long Jing Tea and Iron Goddess Tea each carry the actual character of the leaf rather than a vague "tea flavor" — and Houjicha and Matcha round it out for anyone who wants something closer to home. And then the ones that do not fit a category: Bergamot Flower, Hungary Rose, Orange Cinnamon, Lemon Mint, Abricot Ginger, Coconut & Mung Bean, New York Cream Cheese, Blueberry Cheese and Passion Fruit — flavors we made because we wanted to, and kept because people asked for them again. Composing a gift box Most people order a box of 6, 9 or 12 rather than a single flavor, which makes the real question less "which one" and more "which mix." A safe starting point for someone new to macarons: two classics, two teas, two signatures. For a gift, we would lean toward Rose, Raspberry and Pistachio for something that reads as elegant, or Black Sesame, Truffle and Matcha for someone who already knows they like something a little less sweet. Ordering and keeping them Macarons keep best in the fridge and are actually better the day after they are made, once the shell has softened slightly against the filling — take them out about 15 minutes before eating. For an event or a larger gift order, we recommend ordering at least a day ahead so we can bake to the quantity rather than pull from whatever is left on the shelf.