Three 100 g tins, lacquered and hand-screen-printed in France, brought together for the first time in a single gift set: the Coffret Garden Party from Mariage Frères brings together three of the house’s best-known scented blends, Marco Polo, Esprit de Noël and Earl Grey Provence. Three black teas, three registers, a gift for every hour of the day.

Marco Polo is the house’s emblematic tea: a black tea with a fruity, floral taste and a secret composition, whose round, velvety liquor suits any time of day. Esprit de Noël is a festive black tea with gentle spices, the tea of winter afternoon teas and almond pastries. Earl Grey Provence, finally, combines black tea and bergamot with lavender blue, for a southern version of the English classic.

The full ingredient lists for each tea are on the packaging and on this page; the three blends may contain traces of nuts, as most of the house’s scented teas do. The gift set is listed in the catalogue under the Jardin Premier label.

For preparation, refer to the instructions on each tin; the house’s scented black teas are generally steeped in water at 95 °C for four to five minutes, with 2.5 g of leaves per 200 ml. All three are drunk plain or with a splash of milk, and in summer make excellent iced teas.

It is a gift for a host, for the end of the year or for an event, to offer someone who loves scented teas or is discovering the house. Three times 100 g is more than a hundred cups in all. Once opened, the tins close again and keep well away from light and odours; they are handsome enough to stay on a kitchen shelf.