A veillée is that time after dinner when the house slows down, when one picks up a book and puts water on to heat again. Veillée Cannelle & Mélisse Bio was composed for this moment: a caffeine-free herbal infusion that balances two flavour families, lemon and spice.

On the lemon side, lemongrass from Egypt, a tropical grass with long leaves, and lemon balm from Bulgaria, France or Morocco, joined further on by lemon peel. On the spice side, cinnamon sticks from Viêt-Nam or Indonesia, liquorice root, Ceylon cinnamon and cardamom. Blackberry leaves, chamomile and hop flowers complete the blend. Everything is organically grown.

The dry blend, blond and woody, smells of winter cooking. The golden liquor moves along a narrow line: on one side the lemony freshness, on the other the round warmth of cinnamon and the sweetness of liquorice. Neither wins out. Chamomile adds a honeyed note, and hops a very slight bitterness that gives the finish structure.

Three to four grams per cup, or 15 to 20 g for a litre: the water boils at 100 °C, and the infusion takes between five and ten minutes. It goes with a baked apple, a lemon cake or a few dates; a drizzle of honey makes it rounder still.

We bag it at the moment of your purchase, in Bordeaux or Nice; at home, a sealed, opaque tin will keep its cinnamon fragrance.