Habibi, in Arabic, means “my darling”, the word one says to those one loves. Mariage Frères has made it a blue tea from its In Love collection, with notes of lychee, tender rose and orange blossom, offered here in a box of 30 traditional round cotton muslins, made in France, 75 g in total, in a case with a pink checkerboard pattern and small golden heart charms.

The ingredients list tea, rose petals and flavourings; the blend may contain traces of tree nuts. It appears in the catalogue under the Jardin Premier label. The caffeine content is low.

Oolong tea, or blue tea, is a semi-oxidised leaf, which naturally gives a round, velvety liquor; it is on this roundness that the three aromas intertwine. The cup is golden. The lychee opens, tender and juicy, with its fruity sweetness; the rose extends it, floral, never overpowering; the orange blossom comes through at the finish, voluptuous, and leaves a soft, fragrant length, without added sugar.

It is an afternoon tea, to be drunk plain, without milk, to keep the finesse of the oolong. It goes well with oriental pastries, gazelle horns, Turkish delight, a lychee tart or rose macarons. Iced, it becomes a very fragrant garden drink. It is also a ready-made gift, through its name and its box.

Allow 1 muslin per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and five minutes’ steeping: the rolled leaves of blue tea need this time to unfurl in the cotton. The box keeps best closed, away from light and strong odours.