A morning tea, frank, that stands up to milk: that is what Blackwood BOP is made for. It is a plain black tea from Ceylon, with no added flavouring, which Mariage Frères places in Uva Province, Sri Lanka, more precisely in the Badulla district, at the Glenanore estate. Uva teas, grown at altitude on the east slope of the island, are renowned for their liveliness and character.

The BOP grade, Broken Orange Pekoe, denotes leaves broken in a regular manner. Breaking is not a fault: it increases the surface in contact with the water and gives a dense, richly coloured liquor that extracts quickly and is fuller-bodied than a whole leaf from the same estate.

The cup is lively and upright, with the tonicity typical of high-grown Ceylons, and a hint of natural flavour that the house brings out. It has body without being rustic, and the tannins, well present, soften as soon as a splash of cold milk is added. This is what Mariage Frères calls an interpretation of English taste with a French touch: the structure of a breakfast tea, with more finesse.

It accompanies a full breakfast, buttered toast, shortbread or cake, and is best drunk plain by those who prefer the clarity of Ceylon without softening. The house Jardin Premier label appears on this tea.

Use 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and let it infuse for five minutes. Blackwood BOP is weighed and packed to order in our shops in Bordeaux and Nice, from the 5 g sample to the kilo, in a pouch designed to preserve its taste. Store it in a dry place, in an airtight tin.