From the first evening of December, some teas take their place on the table like a box of sweets. Christmas Party is one of them: a sweet black tea blended by Mariage Frères for the festive season, whose aroma recalls what we nibble at Christmas: almond, candied fruit, chocolate, hazelnut.

The base is a velvety black tea, sprinkled with rose petals and flavoured with an aroma; the full composition is printed on the flacon and on this sheet. On opening, the praline and candied fruit rise first, then a more muted chocolate note. In the cup, the liquor is round and gentle, without heaviness, and the black tea keeps enough structure so that the indulgence never tips into confectionery.

Mariage Frères presents it in a collector's flacon of 80 g, cheerfully coloured and scattered with white dots that suggest a fall of snowflakes. The container can be kept, refilled, and makes a gift that stands on its own.

Serve it in the afternoon, during the festive season, with spiced shortbread, a Yule log or simply mendiants. It is best drunk plain; fans of milky tea may try it that way, as the roundness of the blend lends itself to it, but it is in the plain version that the notes of almond and candied fruit remain clearest.

For preparation, allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and 5 minutes of steeping. The blend may contain traces of nuts. Christmas Party is offered by La Boutique du Thé, official stockist of Mariage Frères since 1999, in Bordeaux and Nice; keep the flacon closed, away from light and heat.