Le Cercle de l'Ombelle · Moon 3 out of 12
March — The awakening
Spring · 14 references pickeds this moon · the tea plant's first buds
First movement
The harvest
The essentials at a glance
The awakening · Spring
14 references pickeds this moon, of which 5 contain caffeine.
The tea plant's first buds.
March is a double moon, straddling two hemispheres. In the south, the rooibos harvest draws to a close in the last of the heat; in the north, the sap rises and the tea plant emerges from its winter dormancy. Its very first buds of the year, what the gardens of Asia call the first flush, the spring harvest, are the most concentrated and the most sought after: the shrub spends in one go everything it has stored up over the winter. The bud and its two young leaves are then picked by hand, early in the morning. This is the moon when two worlds meet in the same cup: the red needle of the Cederberg finishing its journey, and the green spring leaf beginning its own. March awakens the entire herbarium; after it, each week will bring its new harvest, right up to the great baskets of autumn.
At the equinox, day and night are in balance, and the whole northern hemisphere awakens: the sap rises, the buds of the tea bush swell. Almanacs have always advised sowing under a waxing moon whatever grows towards the sky, leaves and stems, and waiting for the waning moon for whatever lives underground. The first flush, however, waits for no one: a few weeks, and the finest harvest of the year has passed.
Second movement
The moon lesson
This moon harvests 3 plants ; here are their botanical profiles and their rituals.
Tea plant
Camellia sinensis · Theaceae
It is the only plant in this entire herbarium that gives tea in the strict sense: rooibos, herbal infusions and infusions are not tea, since they do not come from it. The tea plant is an evergreen shrub of the Theaceae family, of which two main varieties are cultivated: the Chinese sinensis, fine and delicate, and the Indian assamica, more robust. In spring, its first shoot, a bud crowned with two young leaves, concentrates everything the shrub has stored up over the winter: this is the first flush, the most prized by the gardens. Depending on whether this same leaf is withered, oxidised or roasted, one obtains a white, green, oolong or black tea. A single species, a thousand faces, shaped entirely by human hands after picking.
Pai Mu Tan
Camellia sinensis · Theaceae
Pai Mu Tan, literally “white peony”, is a white tea from China made of the bud and its first two leaves, the same fine picking that the gardens reserve for spring. It is the most minimal processing there is: the leaf is simply withered in the air, then dried. No rolling, no controlled oxidation, no roasting; the leaf is left to become itself. It thus keeps the silvery down that covers the young buds, the fine white cotton that earns it its nickname of white eyebrows. The liquor retains a pale, almost floral clarity, with a softness free of bitterness. Pai Mu Tan shows what a spring leaf becomes when human hands choose, precisely, to do almost nothing.
Assamica
Camellia sinensis var. assamica · Theaceae
The tea plant does not have just one face: the assamica variety, discovered in the humid plains of Assam in 1823, is the other great lineage of tea. Broader leaves, a more vigorous tree, a fuller-bodied liquor: it gives the great malty black teas of India. Its first harvest follows the same spring awakening as its Chinese cousin, the March first flush. A full-bodied Assam forms the backbone of this moon's Chai Impérial, powerful enough to carry the spices.
Third movement
Tasting at home
The Moon Basket of March
Tea plant
Réveil Rooibos & Thé Vert Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 15-20 g/L
This organic morning blend brings the two hemispheres together: rooibos and honeybush from the Cape, Sencha green tea and maté from further afield, with mint and lemongrass leading the way. The dry blend, copper and green, smells of honey and fresh grass; the amber liquor opens honeyed, rises into grassy freshness and ends minty, with liquorice binding it all together. Caffeinated by the sencha and the maté, it is a gentle awakening, the ideal transition into the day.
⚠ Precautions: Contient de la réglisse. Déconseillé en cas d'hypertension artérielle, de maladie rénale ou cardiaque, et pendant la grossesse. Éviter une consommation élevée ou prolongée.
Élan des Femmes Rooibos Ortie Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 15-20 g/L
Behind its spirited name lies a complete blend: rooibos, nettle and rosehip, ginger and fennel, brightened by a jasmine green tea and a hint of Pu-erh. The dry blend, copper and dark green, smells of earth and flowers; the amber liquor pairs the rounded woodiness of rooibos with the minerality of nettle, the jasmine blossoms and the Pu-erh lays down its earthy base. Containing caffeine, it is the cup of calm morning energy.
Pai Mu Tan
Éveil de l'Esprit Thé Blanc Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 12-15 g/L
Pai Mu Tan white tea and Chun Mee green tea form the heart of this organic awakening blend, brightened with lemon and orange peel, mint and lavender. The dry blend, silvery and green, is extremely elegant; the very pale golden liquor unfolds the downy delicacy of the white tea, the fine greenness of the Chun Mee, the zest in clarity, then that barely-there lavender which signs the cup. Gently caffeinated, subtle and airy, it is the morning for delicate palates, those who find breakfast too loud.
Torrent d'Agrumes & Maté Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 12-15 g/L
A well-named torrent: lemongrass and orange peel cascading over rooibos, green maté, sencha and Pai Mu Tan white tea. The dry blend, copper and zesty, smells of morning citrus; the bright gold liquor unfolds a continuous zest, the grassy vigour of maté, and the downy delicacy that only white tea can bring to the finish. Caffeinated, it is a great rush of fresh air for the morning and throughout the day.
Around Assam
Chai Impérial Thé Noir Assam Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 15-20 g/L
This organic chai combines a full-bodied Assam black tea, the main component of the blend, with the whole spices of the Indian recipe: cinnamon sticks, ginger, fennel, anise, clove and cardamom, all from organic farming. The dry blend is fragrant with warm spice and malt; the liquor, coppery and dense, opens on the power of black tea before the cinnamon and ginger assert their warmth, softened by a hint of anise. Containing caffeine, it suits the morning cup as well as a chai latte with frothed milk.
Chai Rooibos Sans Théine Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 15-20 g/L
This rooibos chai replaces black tea with the red needle of southern Africa, naturally caffeine-free, blended with the whole spices of tradition: cinnamon, ginger, fennel, anise, clove and cardamom, all certified organic. The dry blend recalls gingerbread; the amber liquor unfolds the rounded, woody character of rooibos, warmed by cinnamon and lifted by a lively ginger note that stretches into a gentle liquorice sweetness. The chai for the end of a meal and for evenings, on its own or as a latte, without depriving anyone of sleep.
A source of pleasure, not a medicine. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, undergoing medical treatment or have a medical condition, seek the advice of a healthcare professional.
The moon's ephemeral
A limited series, available for the duration of the harvest of march. When the moon passes, the ephemeral goes with it.
The Twelve Moons subscription
Every moon, twelve times a year, the harvest basket arrives at your door: 6 references, two per type, making 72 references over the year, the story of the picking and the ritual.
Subscribe to the Twelve MoonsFourth movement
All the moon harvests
The other references picked this moon, to record in your tasting notebook.
Rooibos Veillée de Noël Orange Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 15-20 g/L
This organic Christmas rooibos blends the red needle of the Cape with apple and orange peel, cinnamon sticks and clove, under a natural orange flavouring. The dry blend smells of the clove-studded orange once hung from the beams; the mahogany liquor, rounded and caffeine-free, unfolds the woody sweetness of rooibos, candied orange and the warmth of cinnamon, through to a gingerbread finish. The cup for December evenings by the fire, to be enjoyed well into the night as it keeps no one awake.
Rooibos Bergamote & Cannelle Étoilé Bio
Rooibos Cannelle Gingembre Braise Bio
Rooibos Colada Coco Ananas Bio
Mélodie de Vie Rooibos Mélisse Bio
Rooibos Brise de Menthe Bio
Rooibos Plume de Menthe Poivrée Bio
Rooibos Fleur de Cerisier Bio