Eight plants, and a cup that turns an intense rose, like a sunset: Sweet Dream is a naturally caffeine-free infusion that Mariage Frères has composed for the evening. It combines chamomile, lemon thyme, yuzu peel from Japan, rosemary, verbena, green rooibos, red rooibos and beetroot, which provides the colour. The blend may contain traces of nuts.

It is offered in a box of thirty round cotton muslin sachets, sewn in France, with a content of 75 g. The muslin, roomier than a paper tea bag, leaves the plants room to unfurl and the water room to circulate.

The house describes soft, silky plants: green rooibos, chamomile and verbena give roundness and enveloping softness, while lemon thyme, yuzu and rosemary bring a herbaceous, citrusy liveliness that keeps the sweetness from turning bland. The liquor is velvety, fragrant and free of bitterness. Its shade, from rosé to bright red, varies with the quantity of plants, the temperature, the water and the infusion time; this is normal, and is even part of the pleasure.

Naturally caffeine-free, it is drunk in the evening, after dinner, plain or with a little honey, and goes well with a dry biscuit or a piece of fruit. It suits the whole family, and iced it makes a rose-coloured drink much enjoyed in summer.

Allow one muslin per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and six minutes of infusion. Close the box firmly after use and keep it dry, away from spices.