Fuding, in Fujian Province, is the birthplace of China’s great white teas. Mariage Frères’ Pai Mu Tan Impérial comes from this county, a “white peony” whose beautiful jade-coloured leaves contain a large proportion of buds, those silver needles, or Yin Zhen, which give white tea its nobility.

White tea is the least processed of all: the buds and young leaves are simply withered and dried, without rolling or deliberate oxidation. Declared composition: natural Pai Mu Tan white tea; none of the fourteen allergens subject to mandatory declaration is present. The tea is listed in the catalogue under the Jardin Premier label. Its caffeine content is low.

The liquor is clear and velvety. Sweetness dominates, light, with floral notes, a touch of fresh hay and soft wood, an impression of honey without sugar. The buds give the smoothness, the young leaves a light liveliness that holds the cup together. No bitterness, no astringency, and a long, delicate finish.

It is an afternoon tea, for a calm moment, to drink plain, alone or with a lightly sweetened biscuit. The leaves readily yield two or three infusions, each water giving a slightly different cup. Cold-brewed, for several hours in the refrigerator, it produces a liquor of great finesse.

Allow 5 g for 200 ml of water at 85°C and seven minutes’ steeping; the generous measure offsets the lightness of the leaves, and the moderate temperature preserves their delicacy. Pai Mu Tan Impérial 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; then store it in an airtight container, away from light.