We have a new winner.

This is it. The Best Tea Ever In The Whole World. Which is saying a lot, if you’ve heard me recount what was formerly my best tea experience. The now-second-place tea was a wonderfully strong, throat-scorchingly spicy chai that was homemade from scratch by my youth pastor’s Indian parents at a house party after his wedding reception a few years ago. A tough act to follow, certainly, but I can now say I’ve found a more elating infusion of spices.

Galanka root. Star anise. Cardamom pods. Whole peppercorns. Cloves. These and other ingredients, brewed for at least 20-30 minutes, emerge, fully-formed, as the perfect cup of Marrakech tea, as served by l’Échoppe à Thés at the Lausanne Christmas market. Yes, the gypsy-junk aesthetic of the caravan you see above conceals a delightfully sophisticated spectrum of scents and flavours. The Marrakech tea is spicy enough to clear out a head cold, with a pleasantly unexpected hit of anise and cloves to round out the taste. Simply amazing.

What’s more, they had the loose-leaf concoction for sale - enough to make ten litres. It was marked up at an embarrassingly steep price, but I quickly forked over multiple paper bills of Swiss currency, receiving in return a couple coins and a glorious bag of loose leaf Marrakech tea spices, which is now sitting on my shelf like an idol.

Merry Christmas, everyone. No need to get me any gifts; my material needs for the next couple lifetimes have been fulfilled. Of course, if you think you know of another tea that could top my list, be sure to let me know so that I can prove you wrong.

(On a slightly related note, my Best Plate of Pasta Ever In The Whole World has gone undefeated since the summer of 2008, when a little italian restaurant in San Francisco put me on cloud nine with their simple spaghetti and pesto.)