The Nilgiri, the blue mountains of southern India, produce black teas that are softer and more fragrant than those of Assam, often compared to Ceylons. The Thiashola estate signs this plain black tea in FOP grade, Flowery Orange Pekoe, a whole leaf with its buds, which Mariage Frères nicknames black beauty.

The fine leaves, a luminous black, vibrate when dry with notes evoking tonka bean and woody reflections. It is a black tea with no added aroma or flavour; the full list of ingredients appears on the packaging and on this page, and the tea carries the Jardin Premier label of Mariage Frères.

Once infused, the leaves yield pleasant notes of candied black fruit and chestnut cream. The liquor, clear and amber, is threaded with vanilla fragrances that create a pleasing roundness, that of, the house says, a French breakfast. The tannins are supple, the finish sweet and fruity, without the roughness of the great Assams.

It is a morning and daytime tea, drunk plain, with buttered toast, a brioche, pastries, and it supports a cloud of milk without getting lost. It also suits the afternoon, with a chestnut cake or a fruit cake with candied fruit.

Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and five minutes of steeping. The Thiashola FOP is weighed and packed to order in our shops in Bordeaux and Nice, from the 5 g sample to the kilo, and keeps in an airtight tin, away from light and odours.