A celebration of the marriage of cultures and of people: this is how Mariage Frères presents Rouge Métis, a fruity, spiced and floral red rooibos which brings together, according to the house, all the scents of a fragrant garden. Citrus fruit, with pink grapefruit in the lead, elderberries, rosehip, bilberries and red fruits meet here, lifted with vanilla and given depth with lavender.

The base is a red rooibos from South Africa, a Cape shrub whose oxidised needles give a russet infusion, naturally caffeine-free and low in tannins. The declared ingredients are red rooibos, flavouring, rose, lavender, bilberry, rosehip and elderberry; the blend may contain traces of tree nuts. It carries the house’s Jardin Premier label.

The liquor is round and soft, a deep russet. Black and red fruit opens the cup, with bilberry and elderberry in the lead; pink grapefruit and rosehip bring a tangy freshness, the vanilla rounds it out, and the lavender and rose leave a discreet floral note on the finish. It is a colourful, indulgent cup, best drunk without sugar.

Caffeine-free, it finds its place in the evening, after dinner, and suits the whole family. It goes with a bilberry tart, a clafoutis or a red fruit crumble; infused then chilled, it makes a fruity, floral iced drink, to be served with a few fresh fruits.

Rouge Métis comes in three presentations: loose leaf, weighed to order in our Bordeaux and Nice shops, from the 5 g sample up to the kilo; in a black metal tin of 100 g, airtight and fitted with a lid, in its gift set; in a box of 30 round cotton muslin tea sachets, net weight 75 g. Allow 2.5 g of loose leaf, or one muslin sachet, per 200 ml of water at 95 °C, and five minutes of steeping.