In the cup, a soft and refreshing green mint that intensely perfumes a green tea: Thé Vert à la Menthe Suprême sums up in a single sentence, and Mariage Frères serves it hot as well as iced. It is mint tea in its simplest and clearest form, without sugar, without artifice, with a generous quantity of mint leaf.

The blend contains only green tea and green mint, nothing else; the mixture may contain traces of nuts. Green mint, the mint of gardens and of Maghreb mint tea, is softer and rounder than peppermint: it refreshes without biting. The green tea brings its vegetal freshness and a light astringency that keeps the mint in place.

Once infused, the liquor is clear and lively, a bright yellow-green. The mint opens, frank and fresh, then the green tea takes its place again, grassy, and the finish remains minty, thirst-quenching and long. Two minutes is enough: beyond that, the green tea would turn harsh and the mint would lose its delicacy. Served hot, it is invigorating; iced, it is one of the most refreshing teas you can prepare.

It can be drunk at any time of day, plain, and is particularly good after a meal. It goes well with couscous, tagine, almond and honey pastries, an orange salad, or a dark chocolate dessert. For the iced version, infuse it hot, let it cool, then pour it over ice with a few fresh mint leaves; a jug kept in the fridge is perfect for summer.

Allow 2.5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and two minutes of infusion, no longer. Thé Vert à la Menthe Suprême 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 aroma. Mint is volatile: keep the pouch or tin tightly closed.