Thailand brings to mind images of a bright orange iced drink, served sweet and accompanied by condensed milk, that I find hard to call tea. It may well be the most popular way to drink tea in Thailand, but my sensitive taste buds occasionally hinder my quest for authenticity. Using the rather flimsy excuse that the right tea to brew this concoction is hard to get outside Thailand, I caved in to my mouthâ??s pressures and went for a Thai black tea from Mariage Frères.

I should feel awfully guilty, of course, but even I canâ??t lie so brazenly to myself. And it would be particularly hard after having had a cup of Cha Thai BFOP, because I loved it. I had picked it for no better reason than it was the cheapest Thai tea at Mariage Frères. But the moment I smelled the leavesâ??sweet, intense, chocolateyâ??I was sold.

Steeping 2.5g of nearly powdery leaves into 7oz water for 2 minutes gave a marvellously brown cup with a slightly subtler scent than the leaves, but still strongly chocolatey. It had a good, jolt-your-buds mouthfeel, with more chocolate at first approach followed by an exquisite, lightly malty note. Enough body and personality let it shine through milk andâ??I suspect, though I didnâ??t tryâ??even sugar.

Cha Thai flaunts his flavor like the wanton beauty of Titianâ??s Venus. Sophisticated, it ainâ??t. But it is my kind of tea.