On nights of the red moon, Mariage Frères tells us, this green tea leaves the foothills of the Golden Triangle, where it is grown, to reach the monasteries on the roof of the world by the caravan route. Lune Rouge takes its name from that crossing: a tender green tea, with a predominantly floral and spiced character, which the house reserves for moments outside of time.

The composition is short: tea, ginger and rose, with possible traces of nuts. Pieces of ginger and rose petals can be seen among the leaves, and when dry the aroma combines both, warm and sharp on one side, sweet and floral on the other.

The liquor is clear and fragrant. The ginger opens with a peppery warmth, without burning; the rose immediately tempers it, and from their meeting arise those notes of flowery honey that the house highlights, although there is neither honey nor sugar in the list. The green tea, beneath, keeps the whole fresh and light; this is the balance Mariage Frères calls magical, neither too spicy nor too floral.

It is taken mid-day, slowly, plain, with an oriental pastry, honey biscuits or dried fruit. It also accompanies Asian cuisine, ginger fish or scented rice; infused and then chilled, it makes an iced tea in which the rose stands out even more.

Lune Rouge is sold loose leaf, weighed and packed to order in our shops in Bordeaux and Nice, from the 5 g sample to the kilo, in a pouch designed to preserve its aromas, and in a black metal tin of 100 g, airtight and with a lid, presented in its gift box. Use 2.5 g for 200 ml of water at 95 °C and infuse for three minutes. Keep it closed, away from light and humidity.