A few violet-blue lavender flowers stand out against the copper needles: this is the first detail you notice when opening the packet of Rooibos Pleine Lune Gingembre Bio. A rooibos blended for the last hours of the day, when the flowers temper the spice.

Everything starts with natural rooibos, harvested in South Africa, which forms the base. The ginger comes from Nigeria, Peru and China, the rosehip from Chile, South Africa and Eastern Europe. Fennel, lemon balm, lavender and chamomile complete the blend; all these ingredients are organic. Lavender, like lemon balm, belongs to the Lamiaceae family, that of Mediterranean aromatic plants.

The dry blend smells of a garden at dusk. The liquor is red amber. The rooibos builds a woody roundness, on which the ginger places a very measured warmth, almost a caress. Chamomile and lavender leave their floral softness, lemon balm a discreet lemon note, fennel a touch of anise. The rosehip keeps a light tartness at the finish.

It contains no caffeine and is drunk in the evening. For half a litre of water at 100 °C, allow 7.5 to 10 g, to steep for seven to ten minutes. Lavender being powerful, a short infusion keeps it in the background; a long infusion brings it forward.

It goes with lavender shortbread, a honey cream, a roasted apricot. An opaque, tightly closed tin will preserve the scent of the flowers, lavender first, which fades faster than the rest.