Much like in the case of Rouge Provence, this is a tea I gifted someone who ended up hogging it relentlessly – you know, ‘I swear I saved some for you, but then I was all out of tea and I HAD to drink it!’ (Uh-huh.), so it does seem it has a certain suave appeal.
In terms of looks and scent, it far surpasses the Rouge – it’s very pretty, and adds complex layers of fruits and florals to the nose.
The flavour, though – it’s a perfect, green echo of the rooibos, but it’s so polite. So elegant. So sophisticated. This reminds me of the Thé à l’Opéra (Mariage Frères)/Bravissimo! (Lupicia) comparison I made earlier this week.
I suppose I just have to face that my crush on the Mad Hatter is permanent and that I’ll always favour the anti-heroes.
[Surreptitiously acquired from Mariage Frères in London, August 2013.]
90 C, 1 min 30