Orange Pekoe denotes, in the classification of black teas, a whole rolled leaf, without bud, of medium size: a garden tea grade, frank and straight. This one comes from Ceylon, from the Blackwood garden according to our catalogue, and Mariage Frères offers it here in a box of 30 traditional round cotton muslins, 75 g in total, for a plain black tea with no teapot or scales needed.

The composition is simply black tea, with no flavouring at all. The tea is listed in the catalogue under the Jardin Premier label. The house describes it as an excellent garden tea, with short leaves that give a robust liquor, of delicate and gentle taste.

The cup is amber, coppery, round. The character of a Ceylon is there, clean and bracing, with that brightness on the palate that marks the teas of the island; but roundness prevails, and there is neither astringency nor bitterness. The finish is frank, warm, a little woody. An everyday black tea, but from a garden.

The house recommends it for brunch, and our catalogue for afternoon tea. It is drunk plain or with a splash of milk, which it carries without diluting, and goes equally well with eggs and bacon as with a scone, a fruit cake or cucumber sandwiches. Iced, with a lemon, it makes a simple, straightforward summer tea.

Allow 1 muslin per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and five minutes of steeping. The cotton of the muslin lets the water circulate and imparts no taste. The box should be kept closed, away from light and odours; a plain tea quickly takes on those of the spices or coffee around it.