Ceylon, the island now called Sri Lanka, produces black teas renowned for their uprightness and clarity. Pettiagalla OP1 comes from the garden of the same name, and Mariage Frères offers it in grade OP1, Orange Pekoe of the first choice: beautiful whole leaves, long and rolled, without bud or broken leaf, which give an amber and coppery liquor.

A plain black tea, with no added flavour, whose character comes only from its garden and its production. The large leaves of an OP1 infuse more slowly than broken leaves, and give a more nuanced cup, less harsh, where the body comes with length rather than with force. The full list of ingredients, reduced to the tea, appears on the packaging and on this sheet.

In the cup, the liquor is amber, with coppery highlights. The mouth is clean and full-bodied, with woody notes, present but restrained tannins, and a clear finish, free of astringency if the infusion is carefully made. This is a Ceylon of character, as they are best loved at breakfast or lunch, standing up to food and never fading.

It is drunk plain, to appreciate its uprightness, or with a cloud of milk, as Ceylons lend themselves well to it in the morning. It accompanies a full breakfast, toast, a fruit loaf, or a lunch of white meat or cheese, and suits those looking for a black tea that is direct, frank, without perfume or embellishment.

Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and five minutes of steeping, the time large OP1 leaves need to give their body. Pettiagalla OP1 is weighed and packed to order in our shops in Bordeaux and Nice, from the 5 g sample to the kilo, in a bag designed to preserve its taste. Store it dry, away from light and strong odours.