Laughter, conversation, and in the air the scents of rose, orchard fruit and red berries: Mariage Frères set out to capture in the cup the light, convivial atmosphere of a party under a summer sky. Garden Party is a festive oolong tea, which the house calls “of joy”, with a fruity and floral scent.

Oolong, or blue tea, is a semi-oxidised leaf, midway between green and black tea, whose velvety liquor and discreet tannins welcome the aromas with a natural roundness. The declared composition combines tea, beetroot, flavouring and rose; the blend may contain traces of nuts. The beetroot is not there for the taste: it gives the cup its rosy colour, which is part of the staging.

The liquor, rosy, gives off pastry notes that caress the palate. The rose opens softly, slightly powdery; the orchard fruits bring their roundness, the red berries a fine acidity, and the oolong keeps the whole velvety and light through to a gourmand finish, more pastry than sweet. A tea that pleases at once, and that can be served to a table with varied tastes.

It is an afternoon tea, for the garden and fine weather, to drink plain with shortbread, a strawberry tart, a red berry charlotte or macarons. Infused then cooled, served in a large glass with a few raspberries, it becomes the iced tea of a summer party.

Allow 3 g of leaves for 200 ml of water at 95 °C, or one cotton muslin tea sachet, and five minutes of infusion. Garden Party is available in a box of 30 round cotton muslin tea sachets made in France, 75 g net, and in a black metal tin, airtight and with a re-sealable lid, of 100 g, presented in its gift box, in our shops in Bordeaux and Nice. Keep it closed, away from light, to preserve the freshness of the rose and the fruit.