Silver needles, Yin Zhen in Chinese, are the most delicate of white teas: buds alone, covered in a pale down, simply withered and dried. It is from this leaf that Mariage Frères composed Montagne de la Lune, a white tea with tender flowers whose name evokes reverie more than geography.

The house combines some of the most fragrant flowers, peony, rose, jasmine, which it names itself, and the ingredient list retains tea, lavender and rose; the full composition appears on the packaging and on this sheet. The result is an airy bouquet, in which the flower never overwhelms the finesse of the bud.

Infusing requires patience and soft water. Use 5 g per 200 ml of water at 85 °C and steep for 7 minutes: white tea releases slowly what it has to say, and water that is too hot would bruise its delicacy. The liquor is clear, velvety, with great length on the palate; the flowers unfold in waves, rose first, then a more powdery and calmer note.

This is an afternoon tea, to be drunk plain and without haste, away from meals. It goes happily with a light biscuit, a madeleine, or nothing at all. Those discovering white teas find an accessible gateway, fragrant without being sweet; enthusiasts appreciate the quality of the bud beneath the perfume.

Montagne de la Lune is sold loose leaf. We weigh and pack it to order in our shops in Bordeaux and Nice, from the 5 g sample to the kilo, in a pouch designed to preserve its fragrance. Store it in an airtight box, away from light and strong odours. It may contain traces of nuts.