How can one resist? The question is put by Mariage Frères itself, and the answer lies in the first gesture: as soon as the tin is opened, the house says, it is love at first sight. The beautiful ebony-coloured leaves release an indulgent scent of red fruits, followed at once by sparkling notes of citrus and a refined floral trail.

The base is a black tea, flavoured with a flavouring and speckled with cornflower and rose; the blend may contain traces of tree nuts. The petals colour the dark leaf with blue and pink touches. Our page links it to the house’s In Love collection, which brings together its creations around romantic feeling, and the Jardin Premier label appears on this tea.

The liquor is round and tender. The red fruits come first, ripe and indulgent; the citrus then brings its liveliness, and the flowers lengthen the finish. The black tea stays underneath, supple, without marked astringency. The house evokes a scent “of sunshine and romance”; more simply, we would say a luminous cup, never tipping into sweetness: a flavoured tea, not a boiled sweet.

It is an afternoon tea, to be drunk plain at teatime, with a red berry tart, macarons or a simple brioche. Brewed hot then chilled, it makes an iced tea where the red fruits take centre stage. And it is an obvious gift, for Valentine’s Day, a birthday or a declaration of love.

Coup de Foudre comes in a 100 g iconic tin, metal, black, airtight and sealed, slipped into its gift box, and in a case of 30 traditional round cotton muslins, sewn in France, net weight 75 g. Allow 3 g of leaves or one muslin for 200 ml of water at 95 °C and five minutes’ infusion; then keep the tin or case tightly closed, away from light.