Moringa is a fast-growing tree, native to the Himalayan foothills, whose small oval leaflets are cooked like a green vegetable in India and across much of Africa. Those of Pleine Lune Moringa Bio come from Tanzania; they give this caffeine-free evening herbal infusion its colour and its leafy taste.

Egyptian lemongrass nonetheless opens the blend, followed by ginger, moringa, then fennel, also Egyptian. Elderberry, lemon balm, mint, liquorice root, passionflower, marigold flowers and cornflower petals complete the whole. All these ingredients have been grown organically.

The dry blend is very green, flecked with blue and orange. The golden-green liquor offers a gentle vegetal character, with that slightly spinach-like note typical of moringa, brightened by the citrus of the lemongrass and lemon balm. The liquorice rounds it off, the fennel adds its anise-like roundness, and the mint leaves a fresh breath at the end of the palate.

A litre is prepared with 12 to 15 g of herbs, water heated to 100 °C and a wait of seven minutes, which can be extended to ten; for one cup, two and a half grams is enough, three at most. It is drunk plain, in the evening; a drizzle of acacia honey suits it well, as does a sesame biscuit or a few dried apricots.

The name evokes those clear full-moon nights when one lingers outdoors, a warm cup between the hands. Packed to order in our shops on request, it keeps dry in a closed tin.