A glass, ice cubes and a carafe: according to Mariage Frères, this is the list for a perfect summer, and Summer Rosé is made to fill the carafe. This rosé white tea from the French Summer Tea collection is infused cold, and unfolds in the water a pink as intense as a summer sunset.

The base is a white tea, coloured with red beetroot and hibiscus, scented with sunny notes of red berries and grape, which blossom over bright accents of bergamot and pomegranate. The declared ingredients are tea, red beetroot, hibiscus and flavouring; the blend may contain traces of nuts. The jar is in black shiny blown glass, dressed in fuchsia pink under a silver wave, 175 mm high; it contains 160 g of tea and a 10 g measuring stopper, with a pack of filter sachets, enough to prepare up to 24 litres.

Preparation takes three steps: a measure of tea in a filter sachet, the flaps folded closed, and the sachet placed in one to one and a half litres of pure water, in the refrigerator, for at least one hour. Cold infusion extracts few tannins and little bitterness, and keeps the colour, the aroma and the freshness.

The liquor is rose-coloured, delicate, and balances freshness and indulgence. The red berry and grape open, then the bergamot brings its zest and the pomegranate a tangy touch; the white tea, in the background, gives its velvety sweetness. Served very cold, with a few raspberries or a slice of orange, it accompanies a summer lunch, a brunch, or an afternoon snack on the terrace.

Allow 10 g for 1 to 1.5 litres of water and at least one hour in the refrigerator; iced tea keeps for two days in a cool place. The tightly closed jar protects the dry leaf all summer. La Boutique du Thé has been an official stockist of Mariage Frères since 1999.