L’Heure des Messieurs Gingembre Bio takes its name from the time when, in the past, one withdrew to the drawing room after dinner. The cup has kept that character: an after-dinner herbal infusion with bold flavours, built on rooibos and ginger.

Apple from Turkey, natural rooibos from South Africa and lemongrass from Egypt form the base. Cinnamon sticks, ginger, orange peel and clove set the tone, while black pepper and chilli add bite. The recipe is entirely organic. Black pepper is the berry of Piper nigrum, a climbing vine native to the Malabar Coast; chilli belongs, for its part, to the Capsicum family.

Coppery and rooty, it makes no secret of its intentions. The liquor is dark amber. The rooibos establishes a woody roundness, over which the ginger adds a controlled warmth; the cinnamon and clove firmly spice the middle of the palate, the pepper and chilli lift the length. The orange, on the finish, softens the whole and gives it an unexpected elegance.

Naturally caffeine-free despite its character, it is happily drunk after a meal. For one litre of water brought to 100 °C, 12 to 15 g of blend are needed; seven to ten minutes later, the infusion is ready to serve. Infused for longer, it gains in bite.

It partners a 70% dark chocolate, a fruitcake with candied fruit, a few pecan nuts. An airtight tin, kept away from humidity and sunlight, will keep it.