On the northern hills of the former kingdom of Siam, ethnic minorities grow a green tea that is among the daily offerings made to the monks. Mariage Frères has made it Thé des Offrandes, a floral green tea from its Les Calligraphies du Thé collection, where the word “thé” is calligraphed in Thai on the tin. After Russia and Laos, it is Thailand that here lends its script and imagination to the house.

The ingredients are tea and rose; the blend may contain traces of nuts. The leaves, elegantly rolled, mingle with the petals, and the dry aroma is already gently floral.

The cup is brilliant and balanced, clear and fragrant. The floral taste of rose petals is smooth and refined, set on the vegetal freshness of the green tea, and the finish is tender, without bitterness. Nothing is forced, and it is this restraint that gives the tea its air of an offering.

Enjoy it during the day, plain, at any time, with a gentle Thai meal, coconut milk rice, a mango dessert, or simply a moment of calm. Served iced, the rose gains in freshness and the tea becomes an elegant summer drink, to serve in a jug.

Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and three minutes of steeping, no longer, to preserve the gentleness of the green tea. Thé des Offrandes is sold in a lacquered and screen-printed metal tea tin of 100 g, an object to keep and to give, which protects the leaf from light.