Desserts

Every half hour a fork scrapes the freezing tea into finer crystals, until the granita sparkles in chilled glasses with a slice of lemon: Dammann Frères’ Ceylan O.P. Tea N°7, woody and gently spicy, keeps its soft, round character even ice-cold.

Filled with whipped cream and fresh raspberries, the meringue nests wait for a final flourish: Confiserie Florian’s Crystallized Rose Petals, hand-picked around Grasse and dressed in sugar, add a frosted look and a delicate crunch.

Nothing here is tidy, and that is the charm: crushed meringue, soft cream and sugared strawberries tumble together in the glass, shot through with shards of dark chocolate. Comptoir du Cacao’s Strawberry Dark Chocolate Bar, studded with dried strawberry, brings the bittersweet contrast.

Over vanilla ice cream, a silky coulis of raspberries, strawberries and hibiscus spreads in a deep red pool: Dammann Frères’ Carcadet Nuit d’Été N°404 tea bags, fruity and generous, bring the taste of a summer night to dessert.

Fine, icy crystals of a deeply colored infusion crunch under the spoon, with fresh blueberries and a mint leaf alongside: Dammann Frères’ Carcadet Cassis Menthe N°653, hibiscus with black currant and peppermint, is naturally caffeine-free and made for summer.

Three hours in the fridge turn cream, chocolate and hot coffee into little pots as dense as ganache: Terres de Café’s Old Yeti coffee beans, from Moka trees planted in 1914, add cacao, tonka, dried strawberry and a lightly winey finish.

Thin apple slices folded into a rustic crust bake over a layer of chopped chocolate, and more goes on while the tart is warm: Comptoir du Cacao’s Salted Butter Caramel Blond Chocolate Bar ends on a delicate touch of salt, lovely with a Calvados.

Cream left overnight with tea in the fridge whips up subtly perfumed, then meets lychees, peach and pink grapefruit under crushed meringue: Dammann Frères’ Bali Tea N°315, green and jasmine teas with a touch of rose, brings an air of the tropics.

Vanilla-poached pears stand upright beside a scoop of ice cream while a warm, glossy sauce made with François Pralus’s Venezuela 75% Dark Chocolate Bar, bold, complex and aromatic, runs down their sides.

One plate for two: strawberries, soft whipped cream and chocolate broken into pieces, hearts facing up, ready for coffee or tea. Comptoir du Cacao’s Red Hearts Chocolate Bar says what words sometimes fail to.

Sugar melting into amber, cream bubbling up the sides of the pan, then a pinch crumbled between the fingers: Place des Épices’ Maldon fleur de sel, with its rare pyramid crystals and clean taste, gives this caramel its bright, crunchy finish.

Lined up from the mildest to the most intense, squares from ten countries let a single afternoon travel from Papua New Guinea to Ecuador, and the Tropical Pyramid from François Pralus, the house’s signature creation since 2003, is the ticket.