The word thé, calligraphed in French on a lacquered tin: France belongs to the Les Calligraphies du Thé collection by Mariage Frères, and the tea it contains, Thé des Lumières, is a tribute to the richness and craftsmanship of French-style tea, that is, to the art of blending.

Blending is precisely what sets it apart. Mariage Frères marries the smooth, enveloping taste of Yunnan Impérial, a black tea from China with golden buds, with the delicate flavours of muscatel and green almond of Darjeeling Himalaya, the great black tea of the Indian foothills. A touch of citrus lifts the whole. The ingredients list includes tea and a flavouring; it appears in full on the tin and on this sheet.

The liquor is amber and round, and the cup unfolds in two stages: the roundness of the Yunnan first, warm and almost cocoa-like, then the liveliness of the Darjeeling, floral and muscatel, which the citrus carries into the finish. A perfect harmony, says the house; in any case it is an elegant black tea, best drunk plain.

It suits the afternoon, with a lightly sweetened pastry, a financier, a pear tart, or on its own. It can also open the day for those who enjoy a round black tea without bitterness. Milk is unnecessary; it would mask the Darjeeling.

It comes in a lacquered, screen-printed metal tin containing 100 g of scented black tea. 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 tree nuts. France, Thé des Lumières, is available at La Boutique du Thé, official stockist of Mariage Frères since 1999, in Bordeaux and Nice; keep the tin closed, away from light and odours.