On days of clear skies, Mariage Frères dedicates a tea as refreshing as pure water. Thé au Sahara is a green tea made of whole leaves, enriched with mint leaves and rose petals; the name recalls the mint tea of the Maghreb, but the recipe is the house's own, without sugar and with a flower.

The ingredient list includes tea, a flavouring, mint and rose; the blend may contain traces of nuts. Dry, the mint leaves and petals stand out amid the green leaf, and the minty fragrance rises as soon as the tin is opened.

The infusion is bright and clear. It plays, according to the house, on a contrast: on one side the vegetal base of green tea, which envelops the palate; on the other the fresh, peppery aromatic notes of mint, tempered by the sparkling character of rose. The mint refreshes, the rose rounds off the finish, and the green tea holds them together without bitterness. A tea for the pleasure of being, concludes Mariage Frères.

It is drunk during the day, plain, hot or iced. Hot, it accompanies an almond pastry, dates, a sweet and savoury tagine or a couscous; iced, prepared as a carafe and served with a sprig of fresh mint, it becomes a very thirst-quenching summer drink. Those who love mint tea but find it too sweet will find their match here.

Thé au Sahara is available loose leaf, weighed and packed to order in our shops in Bordeaux and Nice, from the 5 g sample to the kilo, and in a 100 g black airtight metal tin with a sealed lid, presented in its gift box. Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and three minutes of infusion, no longer, so that the mint stays fresh and the green tea free of harshness.