Red and ultraviolet highlighted with gold: the tall double-lidded tin of Hallelujah announces the celebration before it is even opened. It holds 80 g of a black tea that Mariage Frères places in its collection of sweet black teas, and which the house presents as a new icon of this style.

The composition includes tea, sugar and a flavouring; the full list appears on the tin and on this page. The fragrance is fruity and festive: notes of citrus and fruit, enhanced with vanilla, blend with the lively flavours of black tea.

The cup is velvety and generous. The citrus opens, clean, then the fruit rounds out and the vanilla lengthens the finish with a pastry-like sweetness; the black tea remains present beneath the fragrance, soft but structured, and the touch of sugar gives the whole a confectionery roundness without excess. It is a joyful tea, in the house’s own words, and it fulfils that role.

It is drunk in the afternoon, during the festive season and beyond, plain. It goes with a Yule log, shortbread, a citrus tart or a simple brioche. It accepts a splash of milk, and lends itself to an iced version, where the fruit outweighs the vanilla.

For preparation, allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and 5 minutes of infusion. The blend may contain traces of nuts. Hallelujah is available from La Boutique du Thé, official stockist of Mariage Frères since 1999, in Bordeaux and Nice; keep the tin closed, away from light and heat, and once empty it will remain a fine object to refill with our loose-leaf teas.