An orange metal tea tin with silver reflections, 100 g of flavoured rooibos, and the scent of the famous upside-down tart: Tarte Tatin belongs to the Héritage Gourmand collection from Mariage Frères, devoted to sweet childhood memories. In the evening, when you still want a warm cup but no caffeine, these are the indulgences you cannot resist.

The base is a red rooibos from South Africa, naturally caffeine-free, round and gentle. The house adds apple, caramelised macadamia nuts and a flavouring. This detail matters: the blend therefore contains macadamia nut, a tree nut, and may contain traces of other nuts. The full list is on the packaging and on this sheet.

In the cup, the liquor is a deep reddish amber and the texture is round, low in tannins. You find melting apple, warm caramel, a buttery touch reminiscent of golden pastry from the oven, and the toasted sweetness of macadamia in the background. It is a liquid dessert, with no added sugar, whose sweetness comes from the rooibos itself.

It is drunk plain or with a splash of milk, at teatime or after dinner. It naturally accompanies an apple tart, but also pancakes, rice pudding, or simply a moment with a book. Children enjoy it as much as adults, and it makes a lovely gift in its orange tin.

Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95°C and five minutes of steeping. Rooibos never turns bitter, so a slightly longer infusion simply gives a rounder cup. Keep the tin tightly closed, away from light and heat, so the scent of caramelised apple stays fresh.