Urtica dioica has a bad reputation in gardens: its stinging hairs prick at the slightest brush. Dried and then infused, its leaves lose that sting and become a cup plant with a surprisingly gentle taste. Feuilles d’Ortie Piquante Bio keeps the adjective in its name as a nod, but the teapot does not sting.

The leaves, grown organically, are offered alone, with no other ingredient. They come from Ukraine, Slovakia, Bulgaria and France. Nettle has a long culinary tradition in Europe: the spring nettle soup is the best known example, and it also turns up in stuffings and savoury tarts.

Dry, the leaves smell of green hay and earth after a storm. The infusion gives a deep green liquor with a frank vegetal taste, recalling mild spinach and certain green teas, but without their caffeine. The finish leaves a singular mineral impression, specific to this plant.

Naturally caffeine-free, it can be drunk at any time of the day. About ten minutes in boiling water (100 °C) is enough, using 12 to 15 grams of leaves per litre, or 2.4 g to 3 g per cup. It is drunk on its own, or paired with a mint leaf, a strip of lemon zest or a slice of fresh ginger, as the mood takes you.

It also serves as a base for blends you compose yourself. We weigh it to the quantity you require, from 15 g to several kilos, in sachets designed to preserve its taste qualities; then store it in an airtight box, away from sunlight.