Cornflowers scattered over a black leaf give the blend a refined look from the first glance: Thé des Tzars is a black tea with notes of fruit and citrus, enhanced by the delicate note of bergamot. The ingredients are tea, cornflower and flavouring; the mixture may contain traces of nuts.

It belongs to the Les Calligraphies du Thé collection of Mariage Frères, in which each country lends its script and imagination to a blend; on the tin, the word “thé” is written in Russian calligraphy. For Russia, the house has drawn on the samovar, imperial tables and the Russian taste for scented tea.

The liquor, amber and round, first lets the fruit and flower come through, then the bergamot arrives at the finish, discreet, closer to a twist of zest than to a bold Earl Grey. The black tea keeps its structure and a warm, lasting length. This is not an austere tea: it was composed to please, in the spirit of the blends once served in the salons of Saint Petersburg.

It is drunk in the afternoon, plain or with a splash of milk, and goes well with festive pastries, a honey cake or almond biscuits. Lovers of tea “à la russe” add a spoonful of jam to the cup rather than sugar.

Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and five minutes of infusion. Thé des Tzars is sold in a 100 g lacquered and screen-printed metal tin, an object that keeps well and makes a gift.