A flambéed pancake, a zested bergamot, a black tea: Mariage Frères has composed the Crêpe Earl Grey within its Héritage Gourmand collection, that of childhood memories passed through the tea filter. The house presents it in an ultraviolet collector’s tin with silvery reflections, which holds 100 g of scented black tea.

The ingredients are black tea, cornflower, mallow and a flavouring; the blend may contain traces of nuts. The blue and violet petals enliven the dark leaf, and the dry aroma immediately combines the freshness of bergamot with a sweet, buttery note.

The liquor, amber and round, develops in two stages. The bergamot opens, lively, zesty and smooth, as in a classic Earl Grey; then comes a round, vanilla and flambéed note, which evokes a pancake just taken from the pan, with its sugar and butter. The black tea holds the structure and keeps the indulgence from spreading. The whole remains an Earl Grey, but an Earl Grey that has had its afternoon tea.

It is drunk in the afternoon, plain or with a cloud of milk, and naturally accompanies a pancake, but also a waffle, French toast or a simple buttered slice of bread. Earl Grey lovers who sometimes find it too dry will find here a softer version.

Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and five minutes of steeping. The collector’s metal tin closes airtight and protects the bergamot scent, the most volatile, from light and air.