An evening at the Opera, between luxury and extravagance, music and dance: that is what Mariage Frères set out to capture in Opera in Love, a black tea scented with red berries and vanilla, presented here in a box of thirty round cotton muslin tea sachets, sewn in France, for a content of 75 g.

Rose petals are the common thread of the In Love collection, and here they are blended with the black leaf. The composition comprises tea, rose petals and a flavouring; the full list is printed on the box and on this page. The flavour is fruity, enchanting according to the house, and the vanilla lends it a roundness that charms from the first sip.

The liquor is amber and round, carried by a supple black tea. The red berries open, the vanilla settles in, and the rose comes through at the finish, elegant, never tipping into a room-freshener scent. It is a sumptuous tea in the sense the house intends, yet it remains drinkable at any hour.

It is best served in the afternoon, plain, with macarons, a raspberry tart or a simple biscuit. It takes a splash of milk, which makes it a very gentle cup, and lends itself to an iced version for summer.

Allow 1 muslin sachet for 200 ml of water at 95 °C and 5 minutes’ steeping time. The cotton muslin lets the leaf open freely, unlike a standard tea bag. The blend may contain traces of nuts. Opera in Love in muslin sachets is available from La Boutique du Thé, official Mariage Frères stockist since 1999 in Bordeaux and Nice; keep the box closed, away from light and strong odours.