Box of five scented teas

Where our breakfast box is about strength, this one is about perfume. Five blends and scented teas, each in its own tin, chosen so that no two smell alike when you open them.

The range runs from the floral end, where a jasmine green tea has been layered with fresh blossom over several nights, through the citrus of a bergamot-scented black, to the warm spice of a chai that is meant to be simmered with milk rather than steeped. In between sit the herbal and the sweet, including a white tea whose sweetness comes from liquorice root and not from sugar.

How to work through it

Do not open all five at once. Aromatic teas fade faster than plain ones because what fades first is precisely the volatile part you bought them for. Open one, finish it, then start the next. Keep the tins closed and away from coffee, spices and anything else with a strong smell.

Brewing times differ across the box: two to three minutes for the greens, three to four for the blacks, always at 90 °C. Getting that right matters more with scented teas than with plain ones, because over-extraction pulls tannin forward and buries the aroma.

Availability

Certified organic, sold loose. In stock in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Kampot, and every tea in the set is also sold on its own.