An unexpected request, an unconventional creation
Licorice has always subtly whispered in the background of several of the House's iconic infusions:Bouquet de Manon, Céleste, Beautiful B … So many herbal teas where it expresses itself in a fleeting touch, to soften, intrigue, balance. But this singular plant lacked a setting befitting it: a creation in which it would finally be the central soul, the assertive protagonist of a refined, enveloping, fully assumed black tea. For while licorice can be divisive, it fascinates discerning palates. Its deep taste, at once sweet, root-like and slightly mentholated, awakens childhood memories in some, and echoes of ancient elixirs in others. A rare fragrance, perhaps polarizing, but always imbued with elegance in its persistence.
A tailor-made creation
And because surprising palates is in our nature, the idea took shape following a confidential, almost unusual request: that of a Parisian pastry chef, renowned for his creations sculpted in shadow and light. He dreamed of a tea capable of conversing with the intensity of a dark cocoa and star anise dessert, without being forgotten, and without imposing its voice. "I would like a deep taste, without bitterness, with that sweet mystery that only licorice can offer." The challenge was set: to compose a liquor as dense as black velvet, traversed by an unexpected brilliance, between tenderness and character. After multiple trials, our choice fell on a duo of black teas: a Chinese tea with woody notes, and a Ceylon tea for its silky and luminous vivacity. The licorice, delicately dosed, infuses like a soft shadow, present, enchanting, but never tyrannical.
Licorice, a plant of character
Cultivated since antiquity on the sun-baked lands of the East, licorice root embodies a fascinating duality: medicinal and gourmet, sunny and obscure. The Egyptians used it in infusions to accompany funerary rituals, the Greeks made it an elixir of vigor, and Renaissance apothecaries prescribed it to soothe fevers of the body… and sometimes, those of the soul.
Even today, it seduces with its gentle intensity, its immediately recognizable olfactory signature, and its unique ability to evoke both tenderness and mystery.
