Broken leaves, even and dotted with golden tips: the GFBOP grade, Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe, indicates both the breaking of the leaf and the presence of buds. Jamirah Blend is a black Assam tea from the summer harvest, the second picking of the year in this valley in north-eastern India, the one that yields the most structured and malty teas.

Mariage Frères presents it in two words, malty and strong, and that is exactly what it is. The broken leaf speeds up extraction, the season gives body, the golden bud adds roundness. This is a plain black tea, with no added flavour, and its full list of ingredients appears on the packaging and on this sheet. The house’s Jardin Premier label applies to this tea.

The liquor is amber, dense, with the malty roundness recognisable in summer Assams, a hint of dark honey and a frank tannic structure that calls for milk. Plain, it is invigorating and direct; with a splash of milk, it becomes round and warming, in the tradition of English breakfast teas.

It is a morning tea, and the house describes it as delicious with toast and marmalade. It also goes well with a savoury breakfast, eggs, bacon, fresh cheese, and stands up to a slice of bread and salted butter.

Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and three minutes of infusion: the broken leaf extracts quickly, so there is no need to go further. Jamirah Blend GFBOP 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.